Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Valley City Names Origins
Ever wonder how a city got it's name?
Today, ValleyVue brings to you a history lesson on names of a few of the Valley's cities.
Coalinga, a city 60 miles southwest of Fresno along I5, has an interesting name source. In the 1800s, the Southern Pacific railroad had a station there called Coaling Station A. Take out the "station", and you have the name of the city, pronounce Coe-a-ling-a.
Some Valley cities come from Spanish origins. Fresno, for instance, means "white ash trees".
Although Manteca is the Spanish word for lard, city residents intended on calling their town "Monteca." However, the Central Pacific Railroad misprinted the name, and Manteca was eventually adopted.
Sacramento, another Spanish word, was the name of the river and valley after Spanish explorer Gabriel Moraga named the geographical features after the most Holy Sacramento of the Body and Blood of Christ. John Sutter wanted to name the area "New Helvetia", but his son and other city founders renamed the town Sacramento after the already established name of the Sacramento River.
Captain Charles Weber (which Weber Events Center is named after) decided to name Stockton after Commodore Robert F. Stockton. Prior to that, the area was referred to as Tuleburg, Gas City, and Mudville. It seems as if Weber made a prudent decision.
Visalia is named after Visalia, Kentucky, which was the home of surveyor Nathaniel Vise, one of the area's first American settlers.
Then there are cities where the origin of the name is in dispute. Lodi is such a city. Most believe it was named after Lodi, Illinois, where some of the settlers were from. Others believe it was either named after a place in Italy or a championship horse.
Whatever the origins of the names, they certainly give character to the Valley's cities.
Today, ValleyVue brings to you a history lesson on names of a few of the Valley's cities.
Coalinga, a city 60 miles southwest of Fresno along I5, has an interesting name source. In the 1800s, the Southern Pacific railroad had a station there called Coaling Station A. Take out the "station", and you have the name of the city, pronounce Coe-a-ling-a.
Some Valley cities come from Spanish origins. Fresno, for instance, means "white ash trees".
Although Manteca is the Spanish word for lard, city residents intended on calling their town "Monteca." However, the Central Pacific Railroad misprinted the name, and Manteca was eventually adopted.
Sacramento, another Spanish word, was the name of the river and valley after Spanish explorer Gabriel Moraga named the geographical features after the most Holy Sacramento of the Body and Blood of Christ. John Sutter wanted to name the area "New Helvetia", but his son and other city founders renamed the town Sacramento after the already established name of the Sacramento River.
Captain Charles Weber (which Weber Events Center is named after) decided to name Stockton after Commodore Robert F. Stockton. Prior to that, the area was referred to as Tuleburg, Gas City, and Mudville. It seems as if Weber made a prudent decision.
Visalia is named after Visalia, Kentucky, which was the home of surveyor Nathaniel Vise, one of the area's first American settlers.
Then there are cities where the origin of the name is in dispute. Lodi is such a city. Most believe it was named after Lodi, Illinois, where some of the settlers were from. Others believe it was either named after a place in Italy or a championship horse.
Whatever the origins of the names, they certainly give character to the Valley's cities.
Labels: California Central Valley, Coalinga, Fresno, Lodi, Manteca, Sacramento, Stockton, Visalia
