The United States is full of cities and towns named after foreign places—you can go to Naples, Florida, or Paris, Illinois.
- In fact, there are so many of these cities that you can travel the world without leaving the Sunshine State – a new project from the Axios Visuals team.
In numbers, we have at least 19 outlying cities in Florida, from St. Louis to St. Louis. from St. Petersburg and Venice in Sarasota to Miramar and Melbourne.
The big picture: Immigrants often gave these names after their city, which explains why Dutch names cluster in the Hudson Valley or why Scandinavian names are common in Minnesota.
Between the Lines: This toponym reflects the history of immigration to the United States. Essentially, they show who has the money and status to settle in the US, and who is legally allowed to do so.
- Most of the names in our dataset, 72%, are from Europe, with a small number from Asia, Africa, or Latin America.
Enlarge: The exiled Russian nobleman Peter Demens called the city St. Petersburg. Petersburg.
- About 135 years ago, the land of today's Mad St. Pete's Den was given to him by John Constantine Williams, a settler who moved from Detroit, Michigan to Tampa in 1875.
- Railroad owner Demens helped extend the Orange Belt Railroad to Williams. The first train arrived in San Pietro in 1888.
- According to local lore, Demens and Williams decided who would call the city by flipping a coin. Demens won and named him St. Petersburg, Russia.
Fun fact: Williams named the city's first hotel after his native Detroit.
Shoot: Do you live in one of those cities? Do you know the history of culture?
- Send an email to share interesting facts, pronunciation differences, or photos.
Go Deep: View the entire project with interactive maps, charts and more!
