US Place Names ~ Vacaville,
California to Voorheesville, Massachusetts
Vacaville; township and city in Solano County,
California, so named because of the large number of
cattle in the surrounding country, vaca being the
Spanish word for "cow."
Vaiden; town in Carroll County, Mississippi, said to be
named for Doctor Vaiden, a resident planter.
Vailsburg; borough in Essex County, New Jersey, named
for the Vail family, residents of the neighborhood.
Valatie; village in Columbia County, New York, situated
near a small falls. Derived from a Dutch word meaning
"little falls."
Valdosta; city in Lowndes County, Georgia. From the
Spanish, meaning "vale of beauty."
Valentia; county in New Mexico, named from the city in
Spain.
Valentine; village in Cherry County, Nebraska, named for
Hon. E. K. Valentine, of the State.
Vallejo; city in Solano County, California, named for
Gen. Mariano G. Vallejo, a Mexican officer.
Valley; counties in Montana and Nebraska, so named on
account of the topography of the county.
Valley; town in Douglas County, Nebraska, so named
because situated at the junction of the Republican
Valley branch and the Union Pacific Railroad.
Valley Forge; village in Chester County, Pennsylvania,
so named because situated at the mouth of Valley Creek,
where a forge was erected by Isaac Potts previous to the
Revolution.
Valley Junction; town in Polk County, Iowa; so named
because situated at the junction of the Chicago, Rock
Island and Pacific and Des Moines Valley railroads.
Valley Ridge; town in Dunklin Coonty, Missouri, so named
because of the peculiar formation of the land.
Val Verde; town in Riverside Coonty, California, and
county in Texas. A descriptive Spanish name meaning
''green valley."
Van Buren; counties in Arkansas, Iowa, Michigan, and
Tennessee, named for Martin Van Buren, President of the
United States.
Vance; county in North Carolina.
Vanceboro; town in Craven County, North Carolina. Named
for Z. B. Vance, governor and Senator.
Vances; town in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, named
for the Vance family, who formerly kept the ferry.
Vancouver; town and military fort in Clarke Coonty,
Washington, named for Capt. George Vancouver, Royal
Navy, who explored that part of the country in 1791.
Vandalia; city in Audrain Coonty, Missouri, and village
in Cass County, Michigan, named from the city in
Illinois.
Vandemere; town in Pamlico County, North Carolina, named
for a resident family.
Vanderbilt; mining district in San Bernardino Coonty,
California, named for Cornelius Vanderbilt, of New York.
Vanderburgh; county in Indiana, named for Henry
Vanderburgh, judge of the first court formed in the
State.
Van Deusen; village in Berkshire County, Massachusetts,
named for Isaac L. Van Deusen, an early manufacturer.
Van Etten; village in Chemung County, New York, named
for James B. Van Etten, member of the assembly in 1852.
Van Leuvens Corners; village in Albany County, New York,
named for Isaac Van Leuven.
Van Orin; village in Bureau County, Illinois, named for
Van Orin Greesap, an extensive landowner.
Van Wert; county in Ohio, named for Isaac Van Wert, one
of the militiamen who assisted in the capture of Major
Andre.
Van Zandt; county in Texas, named for Isaac Van Zandt,
member of the Texas congress.
Varinagrove; town in Henrico County, Virginia, named
from the town in Spain, because the same kind of tobacco
is raised in both places.
Varna; village in Marshall County, Illinois, named by
its founders from Varna in Bulgaria.
Varnville; town in Hampton County, South Carolina, named
for a resident family.
Varysburg; village in Wyoming County, New York, named
for William Vary, one of the first settlers.
Vashon; island in Washington, named for a captain in the
British navy.
Vassalboro; town in Kennebec County, Maine, named for
Florentins Vassall, a proprietor of the Plymouth patent.
Vaughns; creek in Simpson County, Mississippi, named for
an early settler.
Veazie; town in Penobscot County, Maine, named for Gen.
Samuel Veazie, a large property owner.
Vega; town in Monterey County, California. A Spanish
name descriptively applied, meaning a "tract of level,
fruitful ground."
Venable; creek in Fluvanna County, Virginia, named for
Lewis Venable.
Venango; county, and borough in Crawford County, in
Pennsylvania. From the Indian imungah, in reference to a
figure found on a tree, carved by the Eries.
Ventura; river, county, and township and city in same
county, in California. A Spanish word meaning "luck,"
"fortune," "favorable chance."
Vera; village in Fayette County, Illinois; from the
Latin reritas, meaning "truth.''
Vera Cruz; town in Wells County, Indiana, named from the
city in Mexico. From the Spanish, meaning "true cross."
Veras; town in Santa Barbara County, California. The
Spanish word for "truth."
Verde; river in Arizona with water of a greenish cast. A
Spanish word meaning "green."
Verdery; town in Greenwood County, South Carolina, named
for a resident family.
Verdugo; town in Los Angeles County, California. A
Spanish word meaning "young shoot of a tree" or "bud."
Vergennes; city in Addison County, Vermont, named for
Charles Granvier, Count de Vergennes.
Vermilion; counties in Illinois and Indiana, parish in
Louisiana, and village in Erie County, Ohio, named from
the rivers.
Vermilion; village in Edgar County, Illinois, named for
Edward S. Vermilion, owner of the site.
Vermilion; rivers in Illinois, Louisiana, Ohio, and
South Dakota; said to have been so named because of the
red earth produced by the burning of the shale
over-lying the outcrop of coal.
Vermont; State of the Union, so named because of the
appearance of its mountains. Derived from the French
vert mont, "green mountain."
Vermontville; village in Eaton County, Michigan, named
from the State.
Vernal Fall; waterfall in Yosemite Valley, California,
so named because of the beautiful greenish tints which
it displays.
Vernon; village in Marion County, Illinois, named for
William Vernon, a railroad official.
Vernon; parish in Louisiana and many other places, being
generally named for the home of Gen. George Washington,
Mount Vernon.
Vernon; county in Missouri, named for Miles Vernon, of
Laclede County.
Vernon; county in Wisconsin, given this name to suggest
the greenery of the surrounding country.
Verona; towns in Hancock County, Maine, and Oneida
County, New York, and seventeen other towns and
villages, named from Verona in Italy.
Verplanck; village in Westchester County, New York,
named for Philip Verplanck.
Versailles; town in Ripley County, Indiana, and eight
other places bear the name of the palace in Paris.
Vershire; town in Orange County, Vermont, name formed by
a combination of the first syllable of the State name
and "shire," the English suffix designating county.
Vevay; city in Switzerland County, Indiana, named from
the town in Switzerland.
Vicksburg; city in Warren County, Mississippi, named for
Neivitt Vick, its founder.
Victor; town in Ravalli County, Montana, named for
Victor, a chief of the Flathead, Kootenai, and Pend'd
Oreille tribes.
Victor; village in Ontario County, New York, so named
because the French commander in a battle fought there
defeated the Iroquois Indians.
Victoria; county in Texas, indirectly named for D. Felix
Victoria, first president of Mexico, known as Guadalupe
Victoria.
Vidalia; town in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, named for
Vidal, the Spanish governor of the district in which the
town is situated.
Viejos; town in San Diego County, California. A Spanish
word meaning "ancients."
Vienna; township in Montgomery County, Michigan, and
eighteen other places, bear the name of the capital city
of Austria-Hungary.
Vigo; county in Indiana, named for Col. Francis Vigo.
Vigo; town in Concho County, Texas, named from the
seaport in Spain.
Vilas; county in Wisconsin, named for Senator William F.
Vilas.
Villa Rica; town in Carroll County, Georgia, having gold
mines. Spanish words meaning "rich city."
Villenova; town in Chautauqua County, New York. A
Spanish name meaning "new town."
Vinalhaven; island and town in Knox County, Maine, named
for John Vinal, of Boston.
Vincennes; city in Knox County, Indiana, named from the
fort built by Sieur de Vincennes.
Vineland; borough in Cumberland County, New Jersey, so
named because it was the intention of its founder to
raise grapes on an extensive scale, which was realized
to a considerable extent.
Vineyard Haven; town in Dukes County, Massachusetts, so
named because of the quantity of vines found on the
island at the time of discovery. Haven from the harbor
or haven on which the village is situated.
Vining; city in Clay County, Kansas, named for E. P.
Vining, an officer of the Union Pacific Railroad.
Vinton; township and city in Benton County, Iowa, named
for Hon. Plynn Vinton.
Vinton; county in Ohio, named for S. F. Vinton, member
of Congress from that State.
Viola; village in Richland County, Wisconsin, named for
Viola Buck.
Virden; .township and city in Macoupin County, Illinois,
named for John Virden, founder.
Virgil; town in Cortland County, New York, named for the
poet, Publius Vergilius Maro.
Virgin; river in Utah. Derived from the original Spanish
name, Rio Virgen, "river of the virgin."
Virginia; one of the original thirteen States, named for
Elizabeth, Queen of England.
Virginia; cities in Cass County, Illinois, and Storey
County, Nevada, named from the State.
Virginia; cascade in Yellowstone Park, named for the
wife of Hon. Charles Gibson, president of the
Yellowstone Park Association.
Virginia City; city in Storey County, Nevada, named for
an early prospector known as "Old Virginia," who is said
to have been the finder of the largest gold nugget in
America.
Viroqua; town in Vernon County, Wisconsin, named from a
version of the title given to Columbus and his
descendants, Duke of Veragua.
Visalia; city in Tulare County, California, named for
Vise, a hunter.
Vista; town in San Diego County, California. A
descriptive Spanish name, meaning "view."
Volney; villages in Allamakee County, Iowa, and Oswego
County, New York, named for Count Volney, the French
writer.
Voluntown; village in New London County, Connecticut, so
named because the greater part of the town was granted
to the volunteers of the Narragansett war.
Volusia; county in Florida, named for a town within its
limits supposed to have been named for Volus, an English
settler.
Voorheesville; village in Albany County, New York, named
for Theodore Voorhees, director of the Delaware and
Lackawanna Railroad.
US Place Names
Source: The Origin of Certain
Place Names the United States, Second Edition, Henry
Gannett, Washington, Government Printing Office, 1906.
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