[dreamingmark]

Hi y'all! I have a question for you born-and-raised natives..

can anyone tell me about the etymology of the names of various FL small towns? It seems like the small towns have a lot of odd names like Sopchoppy and Sneads, or are women's names like Mary Esther, Anna Maria, etc. Or the exotic names like Shalimar, Malabar.. etc. Does anyone know about why these towns were named such peculiar things? could you direct me to an etymology source or tell me a few yourself.. not limited to the towns I mentioned? Thanks! I love weird small town names!! LOL. I think I will visit Sneads and then write a poem about it, hehe. The Edward Lear-esque possibilities of that name are endless. "There once was a village called Sneads/In the wind-ruffled water and reeds.." LOL

[SoFLGal]

Here's the historical info on Anna Maria Island. It's a pretty neat place to visit/live. My parents started a newspaper out on the island when I was a kid.

[Mike Peterson]

A good portion of the names as you can imagine are Indian names. Sopchoppy is a variation on the old Indian name of the river nearby.
Most cities were just named after different people. Anna Maria was named after the Queen of Spain.

Now that you bring this up I am interested to find out how they came up with some of the names for the towns in PA like Blue Ball, Intercourse, Climax, Braintrim and Stalker.

Edit: Almost forgot Virginville, they have to update the population of this town very often.

[demogirl50]

The area was first settled by John Anderson in 1838, and the name "Anderson" or "Andersons" is noted on maps from 1838 to the late 1880's. The area of Mary Esther was first noted in 1857 in the "Map of the State of Florida" by the Surveyor's General Office. The area encompassing "Anderson" would later become Fort Walton Beach.

Jesse Rogers and his family drove a large cattle herd from Louisiana to the shores of Santa Rosa Sound and settled here in 1842.

Mary Esther, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You can check them all out on Wikpedia

Originally Posted by dreamingmark

Hi y'all! I have a question for you born-and-raised natives..

can anyone tell me about the etymology of the names of various FL small towns? It seems like the small towns have a lot of odd names like Sopchoppy and Sneads, or are women's names like Mary Esther, Anna Maria, etc. Or the exotic names like Shalimar, Malabar.. etc. Does anyone know about why these towns were named such peculiar things? could you direct me to an etymology source or tell me a few yourself.. not limited to the towns I mentioned? Thanks! I love weird small town names!! LOL. I think I will visit Sneads and then write a poem about it, hehe. The Edward Lear-esque possibilities of that name are endless. "There once was a village called Sneads/In the wind-ruffled water and reeds.." LOL

[Wendyb0077]

Originally Posted by Mike Peterson

A good portion of the names as you can imagine are Indian names. Sopchoppy is a variation on the old Indian name of the river nearby.
Most cities were just named after different people. Anna Maria was named after the Queen of Spain.

Now that you bring this up I am interested to find out how they came up with some of the names for the towns in PA like Blue Ball, Intercourse, Climax, Braintrim and Stalker.

Edit: Almost forgot Virginville, they have to update the population of this town very often.

I would think that "Virginville" would have a very small population!

[sunrico90]

History:

The founder of Navarre was Colonel Guy Wyman, colonel in the United States Army. His family used to visit the area, and they had purchased a lot of property. Wyman was in World War I where he met a French nurse named Noel. He wanted to bring her back with him to the United States to marry her, and the only way he could bring her back was to adopt her. So, he did. Noel had actually named Navarre after a province in Spain near France. During the Great Depression, they couldn’t pay the taxes on it. So they had to start selling it off. Part of that property is where the Navarre Park is today. Noel traveled to New York to teach French to earn money to pay the taxes. When she came back, Colonel Wyman had taken a shining to another young lady. When their divorce was final, he told Noel not to set foot on his property. She came on his property allegedly to tend to a pet cemetery that she had, and Colonel Wyman shot her. He didn’t get in trouble because he had warned her. Colonel Wyman’s parents were murdered in Navarre by the Roberts brothers. Apparently, the Roberts brothers thought the Wymans had a lot of money, tried to rob them and ended up murdering them. They were nabbed and then hanged in Crestview.


Today:
Navarre is an unincorporated community in Santa Rosa County in the Northwest Florida Panhandle. Navarre is about 25 miles east of Pensacola and about 15 miles west of Fort Walton Beach. The community is roughly centered on the junction of U.S. Highway 98 and Florida State Road 87. Navarre is located at 30.401° N 86.863° WCoordinates: 30.401° N 86.863° W. It is located within a portion of the Florida Panhandle observing the Central Time zone. Elevation is 10 feet. The community of Navarre is located on the Gulf Coastal Plain and is built on mostly sandy soil. It is bounded geographically in the north by the East River and on the south by the Santa Rosa Sound. A town located between major Naval and Air Force bases. Along with Navarre Beach, Navarre is increasingly becoming a tourist recreational area, declaring itself "Florida's Best Kept Secret." A boardwalk, park, and butterfly house are located near the bridge to Navarre Beach, which is immediately across Santa Rosa Sound to the south.