10 Maryland Town Names That’ll Make Your GPS Have an Existential Crisis

Maryland is home to a quirky collection of towns whose names are so unusual, ironic, or just plain odd that they might leave your GPS (and you) scratching its head. Here are ten of the most memorable:

1. Accident Located in Garrett County, Accident’s name supposedly comes from a surveying mishap in the 18th century, when two groups accidentally selected the same tract of land. Residents are even called “Accidentals.”

2. Boring Despite the name, Boring in Baltimore County wasn’t named for its lack of excitement-it was named after postmaster David Boring when the railroad requested a unique name.

3. Crapo This small Dorchester County town’s name comes from the French word “crapaud,” meaning toad. Still, it’s hard not to chuckle when you see it on a map.

4. Funkstown Originally named Jerusalem, Funkstown was renamed after Henry Funk, who bought the land in 1754. Its name sounds like a place where you’d expect a dance party, but it’s actually steeped in Civil War history.

5. Savage No, not the internet meme-Savage is a historic town in Howard County, named after Philadelphia merchant John Savage, who established a cotton mill here.

6. Chevy Chase Not named after the comedian, this town’s name comes from a tract called “Chevy Chace,” referencing a centuries-old English-Scottish border skirmish.

7. Detour This Carroll County community got its name from the indirect route of the railroad that passed through-making it a literal detour.

8. Girdletree Located in Worcester County, Girdletree was named for a tree marked (“girdled”) by surveyors, and the town grew up around Girdletree Hill Farm.

9. Secretary This Dorchester County town was named by Lord Baltimore for his secretary, making it one of the few towns in the U.S. with such a bureaucratic moniker.

10. Pigtown Technically a Baltimore neighborhood, Pigtown got its name from the 19th-century practice of herding pigs through the area to local slaughterhouses.

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