The Most Common Place Names in America

The Most Common Place Names in America Is there a place name that exists in all 50  U.S.  states? It depends on what you count as a city, town, or village- for example, whether a township name counts as a town and whether youll count county names as well, as they also contain populations. Sources vary widely as to what is the most prolific place name throughout the United States. This piece follows World Atlass numbers for count and MSN for the largest city with that name. Washington (88) Although Springfield is commonly thought of as the most prolific place name in the United States, Washington is the most common, according to World Atlas, with 88 place names. There are even more if you count places where Washington is only a portion of the name. Springfield (41) Springfield is in second place, coming in with 41 cities and towns named it, the first being in Massachusetts, naturally, in 1636, after a city in England. Its a long-running debate among fans of the animated TV series The Simpsons as to which state the family actually lives in, because Springfields are seemingly everywhere and the TV series makes a point never to specify which state theyre in. Franklin (35) In third place is Franklin, with 35 cities and towns named after founding father Benjamin Franklin, who was integral in the Declaration of Independence, served as an ambassador to France, and helped establish the U.S. Postal Service. The most populous Franklin city is in Tennessee and has  68,549 residents as of 2017. Greenville (31) A lot of city and town founders must have enjoyed the scenery where they put down roots, as the name Greenville is next, with 31 U.S. instances. The name appears coast to coast. One of the first founded was in South Carolina,  in 1786. Bristol (29) If there are any city names that sound as if it were plucked straight out of Britain, the place name of Bristol has to be at the top of that list. It has 29 cities and towns named after it in the United States, and in Britain, its historically been a commercial center and important seaport. Clinton (29) The first tie on the list comes up here, with the moniker of Clinton also notching 29 instances in the United States. New York state alone has three Clinton place names, the village, town,  and county of. The most populous city by that name is in Maryland, with more than 39,000 inhabitants, and the city in Arkansas wasnt named after its governor turned president but after New York governor DeWitt Clinton. Fairview (27) Fairview might be popular around the country as a name, but the cities across the United States must be fairly small if the most populous is the one in New Jersey at just over 14,000 residents. Founders of these cities must have liked the scenery around their location and realized that the name Greenville was already taken. Salem (26) Of the 26 Salems in the country, the one in  Massachusetts is where the infamous 1692 witch trials were.  The city in Oregon is the largest, though, coming in at just over  160,000 in population. Madison (24) Known for his work on  US Constitution and the Bill of Rights, fourth president James Madison has 24 place names sprinkled throughout the United States that carry his surname. The largest city is the capital of Wisconsin, which has  243,122  people living there. Georgetown (23)   Being that Washington is tops, its no surprise that George towns  also make this list. The United States has 23 Georgetowns, in fact, though some could have been named for other Georges or even the former king of England. Georgetown, Texas, is the largest city, with a population of  56,102.

North American Birch Tree Identification

North American Birch Tree Identification Most everyone has some recognition of the birch tree, a tree with light-colored white, yellow, or grayish bark that often separates into thin papery plates and is characteristically marked with long horizontal  dark raised lines (also known as lenticils). But how can you identify birch trees and their leaves in order to tell different types apart? Characteristics of North American Birch Trees Birch species are generally small- or medium-sized trees or large shrubs, mostly found in northern temperate climates in Asia,  Europe, and North America.  The simple leaves may be toothed or pointed with serrated edges, and the fruit is a small samara- a small seed with papery wings. Many types of birch grow in clumps of two to four closely spaced separate trunks.   All North American birches have double-toothed leaves and are yellow and showy in the fall. Male catkins appear in late summer near the tips of small twigs or long shoots. The female cone-like catkins follow in the spring and bare small winged samaras drop from that mature structure. Birch trees are sometimes confused with beech and alder trees. Alders, from the family  Alnus, are very similar to the birch; the principal distinguishing feature is that alders have catkins that are woody and do not disintegrate in the way that birch catkins do. Birches also have bark that more readily layers into segments; alder bark is fairly smooth and uniform. The confusion with beech trees stems from the fact the beech also has light-colored bark and serrated leaves. But unlike the birch, beeches have smooth bark that often has a skin-like appearance and they tend to grow considerably taller than birches, with thicker trunks and branches.   In the native environment, birches are considered pioneer species, which means that they tend to colonize in open,  grassy areas, such as spaces cleared by forest fire or abandoned farms.  You will often find them in meadowy areas, including meadows where cleared farmland is in the process of reverting to woodlands.   Interestingly, the sweet sap of the birch can be reduced into syrup and was once used as birch beer. The tree is valuable to wildlife species that depend on the catkins and seeds for food, and the trees are an important timber for woodworking and cabinetry. Taxonomy All birches fall into the general plant family of  Betulaceae, which are closely related to the  Fagaceae  family, including beeches and oaks. The various birch species fall into the  Betula  genus, and there are several that are common North American trees in natural environments or used for landscape design purposes. Because in all beech species the leaves and catkins are similar and they all have very much the same foliage color, the main way to distinguish the species is by close examination of the bark.   4  Common Birch Species The four most common birch species in North America are described below.   Paper birch (Betula  papyrifera): Also known as canoe birch, silver birch, or white birch, this is the species more widely recognized as the iconic birch. In its native environment, it can be found in forest borders across the northern and central U.S. Its bark is dark when the tree is young, but quickly develops the characteristic bright white bark that peels so readily in thick layers that it was once used to make bark canoes. The species grows to about 60 feet tall but is relatively short-lived. It is susceptible to borer insects and is no longer used widely in landscape design due to its susceptibility to damage.  River birch (Betula nigra): Sometimes called black birch, this species has a much darker trunk than the paper birch, but still has the characteristic flaky surface. In its native environment, it is common to the eastern third of the U.S. Its trunk has a much rougher, coarser appearance than most of the other birches, and it is bigger than the paper birch, sometimes growing to 80 feet or more. It prefers moist soil, and although short-lived, it is relatively immune to most diseases. It is a common  choice in residential landscape design.   Yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis): This tree is native to forests of the northeast U.S. and is also known as the swamp birch due to the fact that it is often found in marshy areas. It is the largest of the birches, easily growing to 100 feet in height.  It has silvery-yellow bark that peels in very thin layers. Its bark does not have the thick layers seen in paper birches nor the very rough texture seen in river birches.  Sweet birch (Betula lenta): This species, also known in some areas as the cherry birch, is native to the eastern U.S., especially the Appalachian region. Growing to 80 feet, its bark is dark in color, but unlike the dark river birch, the skin is relatively tight and smooth, with deep vertical scores. From a distance, the impression is of a smooth, silver bark marked by irregular vertical black lines.