15 Delightfully Quirky Town Slogans

These American towns may not have the biggest populations, but their clever slogans are second to none. Or, in the case of Walla Walla, Washington: So nice they named it twice.

1. Gettysburg, South Dakota

So as not to be confused with historic Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, this South Dakota city bills itself as “Where the battle wasn’t.”

2. Gas, Kansas

You’ll likely find Gas on the list of any funniest town names (including our own). Fortunately, they’re in on the joke, as evidenced by their slogan: “Don’t pass Gas, stop and enjoy it.”

3. Peculiar, Missouri

There’s nothing particularly peculiar about this city of just under 5000 people, which is located 30 miles south of Kansas City. But that hasn’t stopped them from playing with their odd appellation in their slogan: “Where the ‘odds’ are with you.”

4. Denver, Iowa

Colorado can keep its Mile High City. Iowa has “The mile wide city.”

5. Drumright, Oklahoma

Speculators began flocking to Drumright in 1912, after oil was discovered on the farmland of one local. While its population has dwindled in the decades since, Drumright still likes to refer to itself as a “Town of oil repute.”

6. San Andreas, California

Slogans don’t get much punnier than the one belonging to San Andreas, California: “It’s not our fault.”

7. Mexia, Texas

While residents of Mexia have no trouble proudly stating the name of their city, visitors are a different story. Hence the slogan “A great place to live no matter how you pronounce it.”

8. Moscow, Maine

As of the 2020 Census, Moscow, Maine, was home to just about 500 people—who all believe that it’s the “Best town by a dam site.”

9. Lake City, Iowa

Lake City, Iowa, was founded in 1856 and named for nearby Lake Creek, which is not a lake but a tributary of the North Raccoon River—which is why visitors are welcomed with a sign that declares of Lake City, “Everything but a lake.”

10. Walla Walla, Washington

New York City and Walla Walla regularly battle it out for being known as “The city so nice they named it twice.”

11. Eaton Rapids, Michigan

This city of approximately 5200 is proud to be the only city with that name by declaring, “Welcome to the only Eaton Rapids on Earth.”

12. Manhattan, Kansas

Manhattan may be widely known as The Big Apple, but Kansas is proud to be home to “The Little Apple.”

13. Hyder, Alaska

Casper would feel right at home in Hyder, the “Friendliest ghost town in Alaska.”

14. Gravity, Iowa

No one quite knows for sure how Gravity got its name, but the town’s 154 residents proudly proclaim, “We’re down to Earth. If gravity goes we all go.”

15. Hooker, Oklahoma

The city of Hooker, Oklahoma—which is named after one of its earliest settlers, a cattle foreman named John “Hooker” Threlkeld—has heard all the jokes. And it has preempted the need for any more with its cheeky motto: “It’s a location, not a vocation.”

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A version of this story ran in 2014; it has been updated for 2024.