Texas is home to expansive skies, broad highways, and towns with names that make you stop and think.
The Lone Star State is well-known for its rodeos, BBQ, and rich history, but Texas also has a talent for coming up with odd town names.
These locations are as distinctive as their residents, whether they are based on regional folklore, peculiar historical features, or a dash of Texas humor.
Every town has a tale worth telling, from White Settlement, a community whose name evokes the days of the frontier, to Texarkana, a metropolis that spans two states and has a name as contentious as its beginnings.
You can find yourself in the midst of an extraordinary journey if you travel through five of Texas’ most oddly named towns.
White Settlement
White Settlement, which is tucked away just west of Fort Worth, has a name that evokes its first years on the Texas frontier. Arriving in the 1840s and setting up homesteads in a region bordered by native settlements, the settlers’ lives were anything but simple.
White Settlement has developed into a vibrant community with outdoor areas, local history, and family-friendly attractions, despite its quirky moniker.
With its displays on the area’s pioneer origins and artifacts from the town’s early years, the White Settlement Museum provides a glimpse into the past.
The Colony
As a tribute to its origins in the original Peters Colony, the Colony has an intriguing name. With its headquarters previously located in what is now The Colony, close to the historic village of Stewartsville, this 19th-century land grant attracted people to North Texas.
Despite its history of the Hedgcoxe War, a battle for land rights, this lakeside city is now well-known for a variety of unique attractions and family-friendly activities.
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Hawaiian Waters offers adventurers a cool respite from the Texas heat with its wave pool, lazy river, and twisting slides. Stewart Creek Park provides a more tranquil haven along Lewisville Lake’s beaches, just beyond the thrill of the water park.
Monahans
Like the beautiful sand that covers its environment, Monahans has a name that you will remember.
When surveyor John Thomas Monahan, who was employed by the Texas and Pacific Railway, discovered a rare water source in the area in the late 19th century, the town was born.
Even though the name was subsequently spelled differently, Monahans continued to be an important destination for desert travelers.
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Visitors can trek along the wind-sculpted hills, surf down the slopes, and observe wildlife in this sea of sand, which contrasts with the rocky scenery found elsewhere in West Texas.
There are picnic spots scattered throughout the park, offering a chance to stop and enjoy the scenery before the dunes change once more under the constant wind.
Texarkana
Texarkana, a city that spans the border between Texas and Arkansas, has a name as odd as its location.
Stories about its origins differ, but most people think that it is a combination of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas.
According to others, a railroad surveyor marked the location where a town would rise by writing it on a sign and nailing it to a tree. Others assert that the name was inspired by a riverboat or possibly a mixture known as “Texarkana Bitters”.
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The Texarkana Post Office and Federal Building, one of the most photographed post offices in the nation, is situated right on the state line, anchoring the distinctive geography of Texarkana.
Visitors can stand in two states at once as half of the building is located in Texas and the other half is in Arkansas.
Nacogdoches
This East Texas town, which gets its name from the Caddo word “Nacogdoche,” has a rich history that dates back hundreds of years.
Nacogdoches, known as the oldest town in Texas, has withstood the steady passage of time, changing empires, and frontier conflicts.
French commerce, rebels, and Spanish explorers all made their imprint. Nevertheless, the land itself has the most profound history, from the tall pines that have guarded it all to the meandering bayous.
To the west of town, Lake Nacogdoches stretches over Loco Bayou, a peaceful area where fishermen fish for sunfish, crappie, and largemouth bass under American lotus and Hydrilla-lined waters.
For those who prefer the silence of a fishing line slicing through the glistening water to the bustle of the city, the lake continues to be a sanctuary.
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