The Most Unusual Town Names In Minnesota, Iowa, And Wisconsin

From Hell to Dickshooter to Intercourse, there are some interesting, unique, and downright unusual town names across the country.

A new article was just released with the wackiest town name in each state. Some sound dirty, some are just pure humor gold. Let's first take a peek at some of Minnesota's quirkiest town names:

Bush Landing

I couldn't find how Bush Landing got its name, but it's located way up North by the Mississippi headwaters.

Embarrass

Embarrass is notable as the coldest place in Minnesota. Embarrass is an unincorporated community in Saint Louis County. According to CBS, Embarrass was named after the Embarrass River by French trappers. They called it the Riviere d'Embarras (River of Obstacles) because pieces of wood made it hard to navigate.

Also See: Famous Minnesota Attraction One of Worst Tourist Traps in the US.

Erhard

According to Wikipedia, Erhard is a city in Otter Tail County with a population of 132. Erhard was platted in 1882, and named for Alexander E. Erhard, an early settler.

Fertile

Fertile, home of the Polk County Fair since 1900, is home to 804 people and is located in Polk County.

Climax

Climax was founded in 1896, was named after a chewing tobacco company, and has a population of 243. 

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Potsdam

An unincorporated town not far from Rochester on Highway 247. Don't blink when you're driving through or you might miss it. According to Wikipedia, it was named after Potsdam, Germany.

Goldenrod

There is very little info about Goldenrod online. All they say is it's located in Becker County.

Kiester

There are 501 people in Minnesota's Kiester... Sorry, couldn't help myself. Kiester is named after Jacob Armel Kiester, a state senator, county attorney, and judge.

While all of those are fantastic, none are the winner for Mental Floss' funniest town name in Minnesota. That prize goes to Nimrod.

The town of Nimrod takes up just one square mile of Minnesota. How it got it's name? It’s a biblical reference. In the book of Genesis, Nimrod is described as “a mighty hunter before the Lord” and is credited with overseeing the construction of the Tower of Babel, according to Mental Floss.

Wisconsin's town names are not as quirky as Minnesota, but they have a few good ones sprinkled throughout the state like Pardeeville, Breed, Cream, Cuba City, Disco, and Dykesville. What town has the funniest name according to this article?

Bosstown, Wisconsin. That just sounds like a B.A. place to live doesn't it? Where you from? Bosstown baby!

There’s a story in Wisconsin about a man named William Henry Dosch. He was ill as a child, and got used to the attention he received. As an adult, this led to him being a very bossy man. He received the nickname Boss, and after he opened a store in town, the place adopted the name Bosstown, according to Mental Floss.

The funniest town name in Iowa: What Cheer.

According to the Gazette, as the town was being established, Joseph Andrews organized a post office and mail route. Andrews named the post office “What Cheer” after the old English greeting “Be of good cheer,” which essentially means “Be happy.” Eventually the town, which was originally called Petersburgh, was changed to What Cheer as well.

To see all the the funniest names across the country, click here or check out the video below.

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