US Cities, Towns, Village Sobriquets 3 Quiz

Answer: Springfield

In 1891, James Naismith invented basketball as an alternative to football and baseball. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was opened on the Springfield College campus on 2/17/1968. The first 'basket' was a peach basket and required someone on a step ladder to take out the ball after each goal until someone thought to cut a hole in the bottom.

Salem is, of course, the "City of Witches", an allusion to the famed witch trials of 1692. During this time nineteen men and women lost their lives to the panic and hysteria that ensued. Many more were accused and often spent months in jail awaiting trial. Enterprises based on those events have created a tourism attraction for the city.

Brockton is the "City of Champions" has it is the home of many athletes such as boxers Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler.

The presence of Harvard University and its liberal reputation has earned Cambridge the title of the "People's Republic".

Answer: Champion

Champion holds a horse-pulling contest each year in June. The horses pull weighted sleds; the people don't pull the horses.

Detroit is the "Motor City". The 73 floor General Motors Building dominates the skyline. All are welcome except Michael Moore.

Frankenmuth is "Little Bavaria" but it might be called the "Festival City" and it has nearly a continuous sequence of events including World Expo of Beer, the Dog Bowl, Championship Air Balloon Races, Summer Music Fest, Oktoberfest, and Snow Fest among others. With a 2009 population of less than 5,000, it hosts 3,000,000 visitors a year. The local restaurants pride themselves on fried chicken.

Romulus is the "Speed Trap City". Strict enforcement of speeding and motor vehicle laws often produces as much as $350,000 a week. Beware of rusty vans and guys pointing a laser gun on street corners.

Answer: Austin

Austin is the home of Hormel manufacturer of Spam. Spam is a canned precooked meat product. The ingredients are chopped pork shoulder meat with ham meat added, salt, water, potato starch, and sodium nitrite. Spam has become the butt of many jokes and urban legends about mystery meat. Monty Python got a lot of mileage with Spam.

Madison is the "Lutefisk Capital of the World". For non-Norwegians, lutefisk is cod fish preserved in lye. The fish must be soaked for about six days to make it edible. The lye gives it a jelly-like consistency. Yummy. Recognition is given to the person who eats the most lutefisk at the annual celebration.

Worthington was early in seeing turkeys as an alternate poultry product. Many turkeys are still processed in the area. In September a week of special events such as a 10k race, free pancake breakfast, bike rides, political speakers and a parade.

Kolacky, also spelled "kolache, "kolace" and "kolach", is a Czechoslovakian dish consisting of a pastry stuffed with fruit or meat or cheese. Montgomery, with its Czech heritage, annually celebrates the delicacy.

Answer: Jackson

Although it is no Las Vegas or Atlantic City, Biloxi has several casino/resorts. Several of these were damaged by Hurricane Katrina, but it is still the "Playground of the South"

William Faulkner immortalized Oxford in his novels and short stories as he based his stories and characters on his life in Oxford. The University of Mississippi fostered a number of literary careers John Grisham, Curtis Wilkie, Jane Ann Mullen, Beth Ann Fennelly, Ann Fisher-Wirth, Neil White and Tom Franklin have roots in Oxford. Oxford is the "Literary Capital".

Gulfport claims to be the "Root Beer Capital", although the Barq's Root Beer plant moved from that location.

"Chimneyville", nickname for the city of Jackson, came in an ironic way.
Union forces under General Sherman burned the city to the ground 1863, leaving only the brick chimneys standing.

Johnny and June Cash sang a duet about Jackson:

"We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout,
We've been talkin' 'bout Jackson, ever since the fire went out.
I'm goin' to Jackson, I'm gonna mess around,
Yeah, I'm goin' to Jackson,
Look out Jackson town."

Answer: Rolla

Rolla, being halfway between St. Louis and Kansas City, proclaims itself the 'middle of nowhere' as its welcoming sign. Rolla also has a Stonehenge. Residents of Rolla have probably not been to Ainsworth, Nebraska, which has a "Middle of Nowhere" celebration each year.

Peculiar got its name when the town could not agree on a name, hence Peculiar. The motto of the town is "Where the Odds Are with You".

Washington is the home of Meerschaum, Inc., the world's largest producer of corncob pipes making Washington the "Corn Cob Pipe Capital of the World".

"Home of the White Squirrels" is claimed by Marianville. Marionville also claims that other towns having albino squirrels abducted them from Marionville, so there are heavy fines to anyone attempting to trap a squirrel.

Answer: Cut Bank

In Cut Bank, thirty miles from the Canadian border, you are greeted by a huge Penguin with "Coldest Spot in the Nation" on its base. Although I do not believe that penguins are native to the area, the average January temperature in Cut Back is -8F; the warmest is July with 63F.

Helena is the capital city of Montana and calls itself the "Queen City of the Rockies".

Great Falls is the "Electric City" due to the five hydroelectric dams that are in the vicinity along the Missouri River, supplying power to much of the region.

"Good People Surrounded by Badlands" is the Chamber of Commerce motto for Glendive, near the North Dakota border and sharing some of the same landscape.

Answer: Kearney

The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument spans I-80 and is visible from the interstate. However, there is no exit ramp to the monument, so one must travel into Kearney and take an indifferently maintained road to see the museum. It is a treasure of displays and information about pioneer days. It was featured in the film "About Schmidt" (2002).

Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins in 1927 in Hastings. The town celebrates with Kool-Aid Days the second weekend of every August.

Randolph is the "Honey Capital of the Nation". It figures that it has more bee keeping farmers than anywhere else.

Ainsworth vies with Rolla, MO for being in the "Middle of Nowhere". It wins hands down.

Answer: Las Vegas

Las Vegas, in addition to being "Sin City", has also been called "Glitter Gulch", "Lost Wages", and the "Gambling Capital of the World". So well-known is this oasis on the desert, that it would be like gilding the lily if it were not already gilded.

Reno is the "Biggest Little City in the World". It also has an economy based on gambling like Vegas. At one time it was the "Divorce Capital" until many states liberalized their divorce laws.

Genoa is the "Home of the Candy Dance". In 1919 a dance was planned as a fund raiser. An incentive was to give candy to those who came to dance. The tradition has continued and there still is a dance but the focus in on the arts and crafts aspect.

Winnemucca is the "City of Paved Roads". When much of Nevada was covered by gravel and dirt roads, Winnemucca became the crossroads for paved road construction. State Route 140 runs to the Oregon border.

Answer: Vineland

Vineland is the "Dandelion Capitol of the World". Each year an event is held celebrating the Dandelion. Creative uses of the Dandelion include this recipe:
"A salad with bacon, crumbled hard-boiled egg, red onion and a vinaigrette".

My wife's cousin Larry recommended crushing the leaves and stems, adding sugar, fermenting, and producing dandelion wine.

The "Heath Center City" is New Brunswick as it has several hospitals in the area in addition to Squibs Drugs.

Union City is the "Embroidery Capital of the US". It is also called "Little Havana" due to the high level of immigrants from Cuba. Most of the jobs in the embroidery industry are low paying and attracting to those without other skills.

Answer: Epping

As a jest, Epping called itself the "Center of the Universe" and the tag has stuck.

Milford is "Granite City", although only one quarry has remained active in the modern-day. Stone from Milford was used in construction of the US Treasury Building in Washington D.C. and on the ten dollar US bill.

Concord has been called the "City in a Coma" due to its allegedly stagnant economy and its lack of a vital downtown and night life.

Rumney is the "Crutch Capital of the World". The local crutch mill operated from 1890 into the early 20th century. During the World War I period, this company manufactured more than 3,000 pairs weekly. Lean on that.