List of renamed places in the United States explained

These are the list of renamed places in the United States --- various political and physical entities in the U.S. that have had their names changed, though not by merger, split, or any other process which was not one-to-one. It also generally does not include differences due to a change in status, for example, a "River Bluff Recreation Area" that becomes "River Bluff State Parkway".

Alaska

• Mount McKinley National Park was renamed Denali National Park and Preserve in 1980 (the eponymous mountain itself was renamed Denali by the state government in 1975,^[1] but was not officially renamed Denali by the federal government until 2015^[2])
• Barrow was renamed Utqiaġvik in 2016, after its original Iñupiaq name.^[3]
• Black River was renamed Draanjik River after its original Gwich'in name in 2014.^[4]
• Chandalar River was renamed Ch'iidrinjik River and Teedrinjik River as replacements for the North and Middle forks of the river in 2015.
• Sheldon Point was renamed Nunam Iqua in 1999, after its original Yup'ik name.
• Willoughby District in Juneau was renamed to Aakw Kwaan Village District in 2019.^[5]

California

• Acalanes is now Lafayette
• Agua Caliente is now Warner Springs
• Alvarado is now Union City
• Amador is now Dublin
• Arroyo de las Campanas is now Bell Creek
• Arroyo Salado is now Salt Creek
• Bella Vista is now Bay Point
• Botellas is now Jackson
• Branciforte County is now Santa Cruz County
• Buena Vista County is now Kern County
• Cañada de la Molina Vallejo is now Niles Canyon
• Cañada de San Diego is now Mission Valley
• Cascada is now Big Creek
• Cuesta de los Gatos is now Patchen Pass
• Dos Pueblos is now Naples
• El Alisal is now Pleasanton
• El Toro is now Lake Forest
• Río de los Reyes is now Kings River
• Laguna Grande is now Lake Elsinore
• La Mineta is now Mount Bullion
• Leodocia is now Red Bluff
• Maltermoro is now Sunnyside
• Merienda is now Dresser
• Mission San José is now Fremont
• Monte Santa Isabel is now Mount Hamilton
• Monte Vista is now Montclair
• Moro is now Taft
• Nueva Almadén is now New Almaden
• Oleta is now Fiddletown
• Oneida is now Martell
• Oro Groso is now Coarse Gold
• Pino is now Loomis
• Port Ballona is now Playa del Rey
• Portezuela de Buenos Ayres is now Corral Hollow Pass
• Punta Arena is now Point Arena
• Rancho de la Nación is now National City
• Río de los Americanos is now American River
• Río de San Felipe is now Kern River
• Río de San Pedro is now Tule River
• Río Estanislao is now Stanislaus River
• Río Porciúncula is now Los Angeles River
• San Gorgonio is now Beaumont
• San Justo is now Hollister
• San Luis Rey is now Oceanside
• San Ysidro is now Gilroy
• Santa Ynez is now Solvang
• Sepúlveda is now North Hills
• Squaw Hill is now Loybas Hill
• Squaw Valley is now Yokuts Valley
• Todos Santos is now Concord
• Valle de Mocho is now Blackbird Valley
• Valle de San José is now Livermore Valley
• Vallecitos is now Rainbow
• Yerba Buena is now San Francisco

Connecticut

• Chatham became East Hampton in 1915.
• Dorchester became Windsor in 1637
• Huntington became Shelton in 1919
• New Roxbury became Woodstock in 1690
• Newe Town became Hartford in 1637
• Saybrook became Deep River in 1947
• Watertown became Wethersfield in 1635
• Westbury is now Watertown

Delaware

• Willington was changed in 1739 to Wilmington in honor of Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington.^[6]

Florida

• Cape Canaveral was renamed Cape Kennedy between 1963 and 1973.^{[7] [8]}
• Cowford (1763–1822) is now Jacksonville
• Dade County (1836–1997) is now Miami-Dade County.^[9]
• Flagler was changed to Miami before becoming official
• Ocean City (1913–1923) is now Flagler Beach (there is another Ocean City, Florida elsewhere)

Georgia

• Big Shanty (to 1860s) is now Kennesaw
• Cass County (to 1860s) is now Bartow County
• Crossroads is now Vinings
• Franklin is now West Point (there is now another Franklin nearby)
• Hammond is now Sandy Springs
• Harnageville (1832–1880) is now Tate
• Jonesborough is now Jonesboro
• Lovejoy's Station is now Lovejoy
• Marble Works (to 1832) is now Tate
• Marthasville (late 1840s) is now Atlanta^[10]
• New Prospect Camp Ground is now Alpharetta
• Northcutt Station (1840–1843) is now Acworth
• Paces is now Vinings
• Rough and Ready is now Mountain View
• Ruff's Station is now Smyrna
• Terminus (mid-1840s) was later Atlanta
• Tunnelsville (1848–1856) is now Tunnel Hill
• Varner's Station is now Smyrna

Illinois

• Park Forest South is now University Park.^[11]
• East Chicago Heights is now Ford Heights.
• Westhaven is now Orland Hills^[12]

Indiana

• Hudson in DeKalb County is now Sedan. (There is another Hudson in neighboring Steuben County).
• Iba was also a previous name for Sedan.
• Jervis or Jarvis in DeKalb County is now Butler. The town was also previously known as Oak Hill and Norristown.
• Kekionga, the capital of the Miami tribe, is now Fort Wayne.
• Newport in Wayne County is now Fountain City. It was originally called New Garden. (There is another Newport in Vermillion County).
• Vienna in DeKalb County is now Newville.

Kansas

• Calhoun County is now Jackson County
• Lykins County is now Miami County
• Richardson County is now Wabaunsee County
• Shirley County is now Cloud County
• Weller County is now Osage County
• Wise County is now Morris County

Kentucky

• Limestone was named Maysville after John May, a surveyor, clerk and land owner in the area in 1787 when the town was formed. The post office opened as "Limestone" and kept that name from 1794 to 1799.

Massachusetts

• Cold Spring (1731–1761) became Belchertown (1761–Present).
• Gay Head (1870-1998) became Aquinnah (1998–Present) after residents voted to approve the name change in 1997.^[13]
• Manchester (1645–1989) became Manchester-By-The-Sea (1989–Present).
• Trimountaine (1625-1630) became Boston (1630-Present).^[14]

• Lake Calhoun is now Bde Maka Ska.^[15]

Mississippi

• Gumpond (to 1860s) is now Tupelo

Nebraska

• Calhoun County is now Saunders County
• Greene County is now Seward County
• Izard County is now Stanton County
• L'Eau Qui Court County is now Knox County
• Lancaster (1856–1869) is now Lincoln in honor of Abraham Lincoln.
• Shorter County is now Lincoln County

• New Orange is now Kenilworth
• German Valley is now Long Valley
• Vernon Valley is now Verona

• Hot Springs is now Truth or Consequences.^[16]

• Breuckelen is now Brooklyn.
• Gravesende is now Gravesend.
• Idlewild Airport is now John F. Kennedy International Airport.^[17]
• Heemstede is now Hempstead.
• Middelburgh was renamed Newtown. It is now called Elmhurst, Queens.^[18]
• Midwout, also known as Vlackebos is now Flatbush.
• New Amsterdam (17th century) is now New York.
• Nieuw Amersfoort is now Flatlands, Brooklyn.
• Pigtown, Brooklyn is now Wingate, Brooklyn.
• North Tarrytown is now Sleepy Hollow.^[19]

North Carolina

• Hamburgh (later Hamburg) is now Glenville.
• The towns of Leaksville, Spray, and Draper were consolidated and became the city of Eden in 1967.^[20]

North Dakota

• Squaw Gap is now Homesteaders Gap

Ohio

• Losantiville (prior to 1790) is now Cincinnati.^[21]
• Port Columbus International Airport (prior to 2016) is now John Glenn Columbus International Airport.^[22]

Pennsylvania

• Mauch Chunk (prior to 1953) is now Jim Thorpe.^[23]
• Hickory Township (prior to 1972) is now Hermitage.

South Carolina

• Charles Town (colonial period) is now Charleston.^[24]

South Dakota

• Shannon County (prior to May 2015) is now Oglala Lakota County.

Tennessee

• Coal Creek became Lake City in 1936, after the completion of Norris Dam, which created Norris Lake. Later, it was renamed to Rocky Top.

Texas

• Waterloo was renamed Austin after Stephen F. Austin in 1839 when it was chosen to be the capital of the new Republic of Texas.^[25]

Utah

• The territory that became Utah was known as Deseret when first settled by Latter-Day Saints in 1847
• Parley's Park City became shortened to Park City
• Fort Utah became Provo
• The area known as Provo Bench became Orem before the city's incorporation in 1919

Wyoming

• The valley in which the town of Jackson is located was originally known as Jackson's Hole and is now Jackson Hole. (The town's name has never contained the word "Hole".)

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References

• Book: Baker, Ronald L.. From Needmore to Prosperity: Hoosier Place Names in Folklore and History. Indiana University Press. 1995. 0253328667. Bloomington. registration.
• Book: The Deep South. Logan. William Bryant. Muse. Vance. Stewart, Tabori & Chang. 1989. 1-55670-068-7. Kennedy. Roger G.. The Smithsonian Guide to Historic America. New York. registration.
• Book: Shorto, Russell . The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan & the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America . Doubleday . 2004 . 0385503490 . New York.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Senate Report 113-93, Designation of Denali in the State of Alaska . Ron (US Senator) . Wyden. September 10, 2013 . US Government Publishing Office . November 8, 2015.
2. Web site: Campbell. Jon. Old Name Officially Returns to Nation's Highest Peak. U.S. Board on Geographic Names (U.S. Geological Survey). November 8, 2015. August 31, 2015.
3. News: Barrow, Alaska, Changes Its Name Back To Its Original 'Utqiagvik'. Hersher. Rebecca. 1 December 2016. The Two-Way. 4 July 2019. NPR.
4. Web site: More pushback against Native names. en-US. 2020-05-04.
5. Web site: Juneau assembly votes to give district new Native name. 2019-06-25. The Seattle Times. en-US. 2020-05-04.
6. Web site: City History . December 16, 2023 . City of Wilmington.
7. News: Phillips . Cabell . November 29, 1963 . Canaveral Space Center Renamed Cape Kennedy . 1 . . subscription . December 8, 2023.
8. News: May 30, 1973 . Florida Law Restores Cape Canaveral's Name . 79 . . December 8, 2023.
9. News: Navarro . Mireya . November 29, 1997 . Miami Lends Good Name, And Bad, to Needy Region . A1 . . December 8, 2023.
10. Book: Roark, H. Randal. The American Institute of Architects Guide to Atlanta. Atlanta Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. 1975. 13. Atlanta: Urban Patterns.
11. Book: Callary, Edward . Place Names of Illinois . University of Illinois Press . 2008 . 9780252033568 . Urbana . ProQuest.
12. Web site: Historical Information - the Village of Orland Hills, IL.
13. Web site: Wampanoag History. 2021-10-07. Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah). en-US.
14. Book: Peterson, Mark . The City-State of Boston: The Rise and Fall of an Atlantic Power, 1630–1865 . Princeton University Press . 2019 . Princeton, N.J. . 29 . Chapter 1 - Boston Emerges: From Hiding Place to Hub of the Puritan Atlantic . November 16, 2023 . https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvc77f69.7 . JSTOR.
15. News: Otárola . Miguel . May 13, 2020 . Minnesota DNR can rename Lake Calhoun as Bde Maka Ska, high court rules . . December 15, 2023.
16. News: Lee . Kurtis . December 15, 2023 . New Mexico Spaceport Leaves Economic Dreams Grounded . . December 15, 2023.
17. News: Steinberg . Brenda . August 23, 2017 . Always Idlewild . . December 8, 2023.
18. Book: Seyfried, Vincent F. . Elmhurst: From Town Seat to Mega-Suburb . Traction Yearbook . 1995 . Merrick, N.Y. . 73 . December 15, 2023.
19. News: Berger . Joseph . December 11, 1996 . North Tarrytown Votes to Pursue Its Future as Sleepy Hollow . B2 . . December 8, 2023.
20. Book: Powell, William Stevens . The North Carolina Gazetteer . Hill . Michael R. . The University of North Carolina Press . 2010 . 978-0-8078-3399-5 . 2nd . Chapel Hill . 168 . EBSCOhost.
21. Book: Clarke, Robert . Information wanted with reference to the early settlers of Losantiville (now Cincinnati) . Robert Clarke & Co. . 1870 . Cincinnati . 1 . December 15, 2023.
22. News: Rose . Marla Matzer . June 28, 2016 . John Glenn honored as Columbus airport is renamed for him . . December 8, 2023 .
23. Thomas . Madalaine . 2015 . From Running Touchdowns to Running Away with the Casket: Thorpe v. Borough of Jim Thorpe . DePaul Journal of Art, Technology and Intellectual Property Law . 26 . 1 . 61-62 . Hein Online.
24. Book: Edgar, Walter. South Carolina: A History. University of South Carolina Press. 1998. 1570032556. Columbia, S.C.. 587. 38964188.
25. Web site: City of Austin - Austin History Center: Our Collections.