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Thursday, November 14, 2024
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Georgia Small PlatesOur Special Halloween List of Georgia's Scariest Town Names

Our Special Halloween List of Georgia’s Scariest Town Names

During this spookiest time of the year, we went looking for the Georgia cities, towns and counties with names that conjure up fearsome or frightful feelings.  Following is our unofficial list of those Georgia locations, with a short explanation of why the names creep us out:

Clinch County

This just sounds like a bad place to get into a tight spot. Before you get your underwear in a bunch, know that the county takes its name from General Duncan Lamont Clinch (1784–1849), a hero of the War of 1812  and a U.S. Congressman. The sparsely populated county along the Florida border has a population of 6,725 with its 809 square mile territory.

Crisp County

For fear factor, consider proceeding this with “burnt to a.” Things got a little heated in the county earlier this year when commissioners voted to remove a Confederate statue. If you’ve driven down I-75 to Florida, you’ve likely seen four exit signs that reference the county seat of Cordele.

Meansville

If one of Taylor Swift’s hit songs had a hometown, this would be it. Things must not be so bad in this Pike County town named for homesteader John Means, as the town recorded a population increase of nearly 50% from 2010 to 2020.

If there is a portal in Portal, GA, where does it lead? Another dimension? Another time?

Portal

Wouldn’t this be the perfect place to rebuild the Georgia Guide Stones? Located in rural east Georgia’s Bulloch County, one wonders just what kind of portal exists here. To another dimension? Another time? The fact that the population here in 2020 was exactly the same as 2010 creates some suspicions.

Ray City

If aliens live in Georgia, you’d expect to find them here, with their right to carry vaporizing ray guns protected by state law. (Hey, this is humor! Please don’t post mean comments unless you are from Meansville.)

Rest Haven

One of two Georgia towns that sounds like a cemetery name, Rest Haven actually is the center of a political and property rights drama. Bigger Buford is attempting to annex Rest Haven. A long series of legal battles has left Rest Haven with a population of a mere 45 residents, according to the 2020 US Census.

Roswell

Just the name affiliation with the more famous town in New Mexico raises the specter of aliens running wild through the square. While there are no (known!) space aliens, there is an Area 51 here.

Roswell, GA, shares a name but not the alien encounter history of its more famous New Mexico namesake.

Shady Dale

Another Georgia city sharing a perfect cemetery name, Shady Dale becomes action-packed each year when the professional rodeo comes to town on the first weekend each June. According to the rodeo’s website, the Shady Dale Rodeo is put on by an all volunteer crew of local Masons and Shriners – both among history’s most secret societies, according to History.com.

Sparks

We wish we could say there was heated debate about something in this city that caused sparks to fly. Despite our best efforts, the story line flamed out. The town was named after a former railroad president. It’s on Exit 41 of I-75 in South Georgia.

Talking Rock

‘Nuff said. As if the Bible story of the burning bush didn’t put enough fear of God into a person, just imagine if Moses had come down from the mount carrying talking rocks instead of a carved stone tablet. Located between Jasper and Ellijay, it takes its name from a nearby peaceful creek.

Thunderbolt

Now here’s a town name that inspires visions of hellfire and brimstone, or the frightening sound that follows an angry Zeus throwing his lightning bolts. The naming story runs along those line. According to the 1906 Georgia Cyclopedia, “The place received  its  name  from  an  account  of  General  Oglethorpe,  to  the effect  that  a  thunderbolt  fell  there  and  opened  a  spring,  which  still has  a  sulfurous  odor.”

In Thunderbolt, GA, a thunderclap opened a spring with a sulfurous odor, according to the 1906 Georgia Cyclopedia.

Toombs County

Our lives, and our Georgia list, end in tombs. Of course, the spelling is different, but we love the serendipitous coincidence. One of the most famous tombs in Toombs County: Olympic and world weightlifting champion, Paul Anderson. His tombstone includes an artist rendering of a weightlifter.

Our lives and our list end in Toombs. Yes, the spelling is different, but we love the serendipitous coincidence.
DeanLand
DeanLandhttp://ourtravelcafe.com
Inquisitive traveler -- 33 countries, 48 states. Sometimes cyclist, occasional hiker, over-experienced diner. Cajun by birth, Parrothead by choice, Baby Boomer by age, Southerner by the grace of God. Semi-retired career marketeer, with a career serving the foodservice and food retail industries. Sharing experiences is an avocation.

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