How 13 Michigan Towns got Their Unusual Names
Michigan has its share of hard to spell and hard to pronounce names on the map, like Topinabee and Fort Gratiot. And lets not forget the question that confuses thousands of tourists every year. Is it Mackinac or Mackinaw? But we also have some towns with names that are just plain unusual and might make you snicker when you say them.
1. Hell – No one really knows how this town, northwest of Ann Arbor, got its name. There are three theories. The first is that hell means bright in German, and it was named by German settlers. Another theory says that when the founder of the town was asked what it should be named he said, “You can name it Hell for all I care.” Finally, some think the it was named Hell because of the mosquitoes and swampy conditions in the area 175 years ago. Today Hell draws tourists with its unusual name, and capitalizes on it with attractions like Screams Ice Cream and Diner. You can even get married in Hell at the local wedding chapel.
2. Paradise – Only in Michigan can you drive from Hell to Paradise in a day. Located at the top of the Upper Peninsula, on Lake Superior, and surrounded by state and national forests, it isn’t hard to see how this town got its name. The beautiful Tahquamenon Falls is near by, as well as Whitefish Bay.
3. Christmas – If you want to celebrate Christmas in July, why not visit a town that bears the holiday as its moniker? The Upper Peninsula town is named for a long-closed local factory that once manufactured Christmas paraphernalia.
4. Bad Axe – Located in The Thumb, Bad Axe is named for exactly that. Surveyors building the first state road set up camp in the area in 1861. One of the men found on old, broken axe on the ground and named it Bad Axe camp. He put up a sign and noted the name on his survey. The name stuck! How’s that for creativity?
5. Podunk – The definition of Podunk is, “a hypothetical small town regarded as typically dull or insignificant,” and that pretty accurately describes Podunk, MI. Not officially a town, it’s a small cluster of houses in the countryside about halfway between Grand Rapids and Battle Creek.
6. Raisin Center – Raisin Center gets its name from the nearby River Raisin, so named by French settlers for the wild grapes that grew along its bank. The River Raisin Battlefield is nearby where in January if 1813 the U.S. and Great Britain fought each other for control of Michigan and the lower Great Lakes. The battlefield is now part of the National Parks System and features a Visitor’s Center. Raisin Center is near Adrian.
7. Slapneck – Slapneck, another small town in the U.P., is simply a case of human error. It was named after John Slapnick, but someone got the spelling wrong. It was named in the 1800s, so they can’t blame this one on auto-correct.
8. Vulcan – Also in the U. P., Vulcan, MI is home to the Iron Mountain Iron Mine Tour that takes you on a trip 400 feet below ground. Likely named for Vulcan, the Greek god of fire, the town’s origins have nothing to do with Star Trek’s Spock.
9. De Tour Village – De Tour is French for turn in the river. You don’t want to take a detour around this beautiful Upper Peninsula town on the waterfront of Lake Huron and the St. Mary’s River. If offers uncrowded beaches and views of freighters traveling the lake.
10. Free Soil – Don’t expect to find cheap real estate in Free Soil. The town was named for an anti-slavery party of the same name that existed before the Civil War. The state of Michigan and its citizens were active in the abolitionist movement. The town is located south of Manistee.
11. Grosse Pointe – No, it isn’t as disgusting as it sounds. Rather it’s an affluent suburb of Detroit situated on the shores of Lake St. Clair. Grosse Pointe means “Big Tip” in French.
12. Maybee – Maybe, Michigan? No. It is Michigan. Maybee is named for its founder Abraham Maybee. It’s near Monroe.
13. Cadillac – This city is named after Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, a Frenchman who established the first permanent settlement at Detroit. The Cadillac automobile originally manufactured in Detroit is also named after the same person. Located in the Lower Peninsula on US 131, Cadillac is where most Michiganders agree that “Up North” begins.
