Seven Weird Town Names in Texas
There are some pretty weird names for town across the country. Hell, MI, Hot Coffee, MS and Intercourse, PA come to mind to name just a few. In fact, I drove through Hell one day just so I could say I had been to Hell and back. But how about Texas towns and just how did they get their names?
Cut and Shoot, TX is north of Houston and just east of Conroe, Texas. The most likely story about the town’s name is one involving a dispute over religious meetings in a community center. As the tension built, the story goes that a young boy, scared of what might be coming, said: “I’m going to cut around the corner and shoot through the bushes in a minute!” Apparently, that is where the name came from.
Northeast of Dallas is the town of Jot ‘em Down, TX. There was an area in east Texas around the time that a very popular radio show called Jot ‘em Down was on the air that was a place for people to get laundry done. When the proprietors asked people for suggestions for names for the place, Jot ‘em Down was mentioned. When the highway came through and the Highway Dept. was looking for names, Jon ‘em Down stuck.
Nameless, TX is a ghost town northwest of Austin. Names for the town were rejected by Washington six times. Frustrated citizens of the town wrote back: “Let the post office be nameless and be damned!” That explains the road that still exists called Nameless road.
Earth, TX is a small town in the Texas panhandle northwest of Lubbock. Stories about the origin of the town’s name vary. But one was that because windstorms frequently blew the sand and dirt around, the town was called Earth. It must be interesting driving into the town and seeing a “Welcome to Earth” sign.
Notrees is a small Texas town west of Odessa. This town is right in west Texas oil country and before an oil and gas plant was built had only one tree. Figure this town name out for yourself.
Gun Barrel City is a town southeast of Dallas. The town incorporated in the 1960s so it could sell wine and beer. A former road called Gun Barrel in the area was a place that outlaws like Bonnie and Clyde like to hide out in
Happy is a town in the Texas panhandle just south of Amarillo that I have driven through probably a dozen times. The town’s name came from a draw near the town that cowboys found water in. It such a dry area, they were very happy to find water.
