Hey there, fellow travelers! Today, we’re in Las Vegas and answering questions we get from our fans. One question we get often is “why do Americans always say American city names followed by the state, or the town names followed by the country?” People think it’s odd, and even annoying when Americans say “London, England” or “Chicago, Illinois.” So we thought we would give a bit of an explanation of this unique Americanism.
In the United States, we have so many states and cities, and a lot of names get re-used over and over. Have you ever watched the Simpsons and wondered where Springfield is? 35 of our 50 states have a town called Springfield, or something very similar. Just a few examples:
- Springfield, Illinois
- Springfield, Missouri
- Springfield, Massachusetts
28 US States have a town called Lincoln. We get used to saying the state after the city name so there’s no confusion. Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri are connected, so you have to clarify which state (and city) you’re in! So, when we mention a town like Chicago, which is pretty recognizable, we often just say “Illinois” out of habit.
Watch: Top Ten Cities in the USA
Then there are international cities that you would think need no introduction, but Americans will still say “Paris, France.” Perhaps surprisingly, there are 18 states in the US with a town called Paris. Texas, Illinois, and Missouri all have a Paris. Here are some more examples of famous international cities that also have a U.S counterpart:
- Milan, Illinois (pronounced my-lan)
- Hobart, Indiana
- Athens, Ohio (and Kentucky and Illinois)
- Cairo, Illinois (and Georgia)
- Berlin, Wisconsin (and Connecticut and Massachusetts)
So, as you can see, just having a conversation about Paris can be very different depending on where you are at the time. When Europeans came to the states and started founding cities, they often named the new town after their town back in Europe. This is why the East Coast has so many city names that start with “New” such as New York, New Hampshire, Brunswick, New Haven. This practice seems to have phased out as explorers moved west and started naming towns after themselves or politicians, but then we end up with so many cities named Lincoln, or Washington.
Read: 17 Don’ts of Visiting the USA
So, if you’ve ever wondered why Americans always give the city and state, or city and country, it’s just because we are adding a bit of extra clarification to our geography. Apparently, this annoys some people, but hopefully, in this context, it makes sense. If you have other questions like this that you’ve always wondered, drop them in the comments below!
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