Have you ever wondered how streets and neighborhoods, even towns got their names? I've thought about that for years. Developers and builders might name streets and neighborhoods after loved ones, a point in history, or some other reference. Streets might be a continuous grid with names continuing from city to city.
Growing up in Kansas, the streets in my neighborhood were named after birds! They were Redbarn, Robin, Meadowlark, Chickadee, and Brown Thrush to name a few. These were 1950's homes in a middle class neighborhood, a cozy setting.
What about cities?
The city where I grew up, Wichita, has several different definitions, with each meaning from an Indian Tribe. One definition references the Caddoan tribe reporting that the name originated by the "weets" and "eta". Weets eta means men of the north, but reports differ on this legitimacy of this definition.
Caddoan tribes are listed in Oklahoma and Texas, but not Kansas?!
Another definition of "Wichita" from the Choctaw meaning "Big arbor" that referenced large grass huts. There weren't many trees then, but plentiful fields of grass. This sounds closer to a correct definition of the city, but no reference states that for a fact!
The only accurate reference for each definition is that they all lived in grass huts! But the city is also known as "Cowtown" thanks to cattle drives through the area. Who knows?!
How did your city get it's name?
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