Vienna, New York (Syracuse, Greece, Utica: cities, island, places)

[wwlipp]

How did Vienna, New York, get its name? Has it anything to do with Vienna, the capital if Austria? Thanks. wwlipp

[vicarian]

Likely so. Many of the communities were founded in the early 1800s, and usage of the names of European places and cities for new communities was common. As a result, you have Syracuse (Island of Sicily), Rome (Italy), and Utica (Greece) nearby. However, Vienna is not pronounced like the Austrian Vienna (Vee-en-uh), but rather (Vai-en-uh), with emphasis on a long "i".