Stateline Portmanteaus

Town names that are a combination of two or more state names

There isn't much to look at when it's dark and you're driving along I-70 near the Colorado - Kansas line. In order to stay awake, you've got to find things to think about - make 'em up if you have to. After passing Kanorado, I began to wonder how many other stateline portmanteaus there are (town names that are fashioned by combining letters or syllables from the names of adjoining states). I did a little research, got some input from the misc.transport.road newsgroup, and put together an interactive map:

People have continued to bring others to my attention (particularly Dan Tilque, who contacted me with his more extensively-researched findings about a year-and-a-half after I posted this page). That interactive map shows all 70-some locations. If you're aware of any stateline portmanteaus that I've missed, please let me know (but first check the list of towns I've excluded).

I've now expanded the list to include toponyms from sources other than GNIS (but if you're looking for any of these places, please keep in mind: most of them are very small, unincorporated communities. In fact, some are historic, and others are nothing more than railroad sidings. Most won't appear in a typical road atlas.) I've also listed a few unofficial names in local usage at the end of this page. Below is a full alphabetical listing of these places, and following that I have them grouped by state. But first, a couple observations:

Seven names that combine more than two state names:

Ten sets of towns which have the same name and are situated across the state line from each other:


Full listing (alphabetical):

Alaflora, AL

Alaga, AL

Arkana, AR

Arkana, LA

Arkinda, AR (I included this because presumably it's a combination of "Arkansas" and "Indian Territory", as Oklahoma was once known.)

Arkmo, AR

Arkola, AR (maybe "Arkokla" would've been a little tricky to pronounce?)

Arkoma, OK

Calada, CA

Calexico, CA

Calneva, CA

Cal Nev Ari, NV

Calor, OR

Calvada, CA

Calvada Meadows, NV

Calvada Springs, CA

Calzona, CA

Carova Beach, NC

Cokan, KS

Dakomin, MN

Dakoming, WY

Delmar, DE

Delmar, MD

Delmarva Peninsula

Florala, AL

Idavada, ID

Idmon, ID

Illiana, IL

Illiana Heights, IL

Illmo, MO

Kanado, KS

Kanco, KS

Kanorado, KS

Kenova, WV

Kensee, KY

Kentenia, KY

Kenvir, KY

Kyana, IN

Laark, LA

Latex, LA

Mardela Springs, MD

Marydel, DE

Marydel, MD

Mexhoma, OK

Mexicali, Mex

Michiana, MI

Michiana Shores, IN

Minn-Kota State Wildlife Management Area, MN

Missala, MS

Moark, AR

Moark, MO

Mondak, MT

Monida, MT

Okeana, OH

Oklarado, CO (more info on this page)

Orovada, NV

Pen Mar, MD

Penowa, PA

Sylmar, MD

Sylmar, PA

Tennelina, NC

Tennemo, TN

Tennga, GA

Tennga, TN

Texarkana, AR

Texarkana, TX

Texhoma, OK

Texhoma, TX

Texhoma City, TX

Texico, NM

Texla, TX

Texola, OK (maybe "Texokla" would've been a little tricky to pronounce?)

Lake Texoma, OK/TX

Ucolo, UT

Urado, UT

Utida, ID

Uvada, NV

Uvada, UT

Vershire, VT

Virgilina, VA

Vir-Mar Beach, VA (this one is interesting: despite the fact that Maryland's mainland is a few miles across the Potomac River, this community is nevertheless technically right on the state line, because as soon as you step into the water from this part of Virginia's shoreline, you've entered the jurisdiction of Maryland.)

Wyocolo, WY

Wyuta, UT

Wyuta, WY

[ top - alpha - state ]


Listing by state:

ALABAMA

Alaflora, AL

Alaga, AL

Florala, AL

Missala, MS

 

ARIZONA

Cal Nev Ari, NV

Calzona, CA

 

ARKANSAS

Arkana, AR

Arkana, LA

Arkinda, AR

Arkmo, AR

Arkola, AR

Arkoma, OK

Laark, LA

Moark, AR

Moark, MO

Texarkana, AR

Texarkana, TX

 

CALIFORNIA

Calada, CA

Calexico, CA

Calneva, CA

Cal Nev Ari, NV

Calor, OR

Calvada, CA

Calvada Meadows, NV

Calvada Springs, CA

Calzona, CA

Mexicali, Mex

 

COLORADO

Cokan, KS

Kanado, KS

Kanco, KS

Kanorado, KS

Oklarado, CO (more info on this page)

Ucolo, UT

Urado, UT

Wyocolo, WY

 

DELAWARE

Delmar, DE

Delmar, MD

Delmarva Peninsula

Mardela Springs, MD

Marydel, DE

Marydel, MD

 

FLORIDA

Alaflora, AL

Florala, AL

 

GEORGIA

Alaga, AL

Tennga, GA

Tennga, TN

 

IDAHO

Idavada, ID

Idmon, ID

Monida, MT

Utida, ID

 

ILLINOIS

Illiana, IL

Illiana Heights, IL

Illmo, MO

 

INDIANA

Illiana, IL

Illiana Heights, IL

Kyana, IN

Michiana, MI

Michiana Shores, IN

Okeana, OH

 

KANSAS

Cokan, KS

Kanado, KS

Kanco, KS

Kanorado, KS

 

KENTUCKY

Kenova, WV

Kensee, KY

Kentenia, KY

Kenvir, KY

Kyana, IN

Okeana, OH

 

LOUISIANA

Arkana, AR

Arkana, LA

Laark, LA

Latex, LA

Texla, TX

 

MARYLAND

Delmar, DE

Delmar, MD

Delmarva Peninsula

Mardela Springs, MD

Marydel, DE

Marydel, MD

Pen Mar, MD

Sylmar, MD

Sylmar, PA

Vir-Mar Beach, VA

 

MICHIGAN

Michiana, MI

Michiana Shores, IN

 

MINNESOTA

Minn-Kota State Wildlife Management Area, MN

Dakomin, MN

 

MISSISSIPPI

Missala, MS

 

MISSOURI

Arkmo, AR

Illmo, MO

Moark, AR

Moark, MO

Tennemo, TN

 

MONTANA

Idmon, ID

Mondak, MT

Monida, MT

 

NEVADA

Calada, CA

Calneva, CA

Cal Nev Ari, NV

Calvada, CA

Calvada Meadows, NV

Calvada Springs, CA

Idavada, ID

Orovada, NV

Uvada, NV

Uvada, UT

 

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Vershire, VT

 

NEW MEXICO

Mexhoma, OK

Texico, NM

 

NORTH CAROLINA

Carova Beach, NC

Tennelina, NC

Virgilina, VA

 

NORTH DAKOTA

Mondak, MT

 

OHIO

Kenova, WV

Okeana, OH

Penowa, PA

 

OKLAHOMA

Arkinda, AR

Arkola, AR

Arkoma, OK

Mexhoma, OK

Oklarado, CO (more info on this page)

Texhoma, OK

Texhoma, TX

Texhoma City, TX

Lake Texoma, OK/TX

Texola, OK

 

OREGON

Calor, OR

Orovada, NV

 

PENNSYLVANIA

Pen Mar, MD

Penowa, PA

Sylmar, MD

Sylmar, PA

 

SOUTH DAKOTA

Minn-Kota State Wildlife Management Area, MN

Dakomin, MN

Dakoming, WY

 

TENNESSEE

Kensee, KY

Kentenia, KY

Tennelina, NC

Tennemo, TN

Tennga, GA

Tennga, TN

 

TEXAS

Latex, LA

Texarkana, AR

Texarkana, TX

Texhoma, OK

Texhoma, TX

Texhoma City, TX

Texico, NM

Texla, TX

Texola, OK

Lake Texoma, OK/TX

 

UTAH

Ucolo, UT

Urado, UT

Utida, ID

Uvada, NV

Uvada, UT

Wyuta, UT

Wyuta, WY

 

VERMONT

Vershire, VT

 

VIRGINIA

Carova Beach, NC

Delmarva Peninsula

Kentenia, KY

Kenvir, KY

Virgilina, VA

Vir-Mar Beach, VA

 

WEST VIRGINIA

Kenova, WV

Penowa, PA

 

WYOMING

Dakoming, WY

Wyocolo, WY

Wyuta, UT

Wyuta, WY

 

MEXICO

Calexico, CA

Mexicali, Mex

[ top - alpha - state ]


A few other unofficial names in local usage:

"Arklahoma" (Fort Smith - Fayetteville - nw Arkansas - ne Oklahoma area)

"Arklatex" (Texarkana TX/AR - Shreveport LA area)

"Illiana" (Terre Haute IN area)

"Kentuckiana" (Louisville KY area)

"Michiana" (South Bend IN area)

An interesting also-ran:

Lake Koocanusa, a reservoir on the Kootenai River. The dam is in Montana, but the slackwater extends into British Columbia. The name contains "Koo-" for the river; "-can-" for Canada; and "-usa" for... well, you get it.


Places I've chosen to exclude:

Arkana, AR (besides the one I've listed above, there's another one in the north part of the state. It's near the Missouri line, but not the Louisiana line.)

Illiana, IL (besides the one I've listed above, there was another historic one further south, in Elgin County.)

Michillinda, MI (so distant from Illinois and Indiana, it makes me wonder whether its name refers to something other than those states.)

Ovapa, WV (not particularly close to Ohio, and probably closer to Kentucky than Pennsylvania.)

Penndel, PA (the "-del" appears to refer to the nearby river, not the state.)

Tennala, AL (close to Georgia, but not close to Tennessee.)

Uvada, NV (besides the one I've listed above, there was another historic one further north, in White Pine County.)

Viropa, WV (not particularly close to Ohio, and probably as close to Maryland as it is to Pennsylvania.)

Lake Wissota, WI (not particularly close to Minnesota.)

Wyodak, WY (not close to South Dakota - even by Wyoming standards - and actually closer to Montana.)

Contributors to this page are listed here (click that link, then do a text search for "Stateline").