How Arizona Got These Hysterical & Weird City Names

Texas has some, "unique", city names. Wink, Kermit and Nacogdoches for example. New Mexico too. Some of Arizona's are just weird.

Some of the city names in Arizona seem strange because they are Navajo and/or Apache words. Coconino county for example was named after an extinct native American tribe..

Their descendants, the Havasupai Tribe, still exists.

The odd names can't all be chalked up to being in a different language though.

Some are plain, simple English words that are just weird names for a city

Tucson for example. Pronounced two-sawn, not Tuck-Sun, the city was named after the settlement  of “Tuquison”.

Years later, the spelling was modified to “Toixon” and pronounced Took-shon".

As more Anglos came along in the late 1800's, it became Tucson, (Two-Sawn")

Phoenix

It was almost named either Stonewall or Salina but those names just didn't really do it for the residents.

Phoenix was selected because of the legendary birds ability to to burn up , then rise again from the ashes. The city rising from the ashes of an extinct civilization that once existed in the area.

Ok, now let's get to the REALLY odd pones...

Nothing, Az - This one's young, founded in 1977. The city sign read as follows:

Town of Nothing Arizona. Founded 1977. Elevation 3269ft.
The staunch citizens of Nothing are full of Hope, Faith, and Believe in the work ethic.

Thru-the-years-these dedicated people had faith in Nothing, hoped for Nothing, worked at Nothing, for Nothing. - wickipedia

It's been abandoned twice and pieces of it used as Fathers Day gifts once.

Three Way Az

I know what you're thinking. You may even be considering moving but that's not it.

3 highways, US 91, State Route 75 and State Route 78 all intersect there.

Cochino.

Why, Az

Why not? This one is pretty simple. Like 3 Way, 3 highways came together here and formed a "Y".

Folks wanted to name it "Y" but state regs demand that city names have at least 3 letters.

One of the highways is no longer there so I guess, with only 2 highways meeting, they'll have to change the name to "Tee".

Read more weird names here.