It wasn’t until I lived outside the Metropolitan area that I truly appreciated the cool names of many of the towns in Westchester County. You have to imagine being on a commuter train and having the MTA guy shout out the stop in the local tongue.
- Yonkers- YAHNK-ahs! Or, as my mom used to ask, “what are Yonkers?”
- Mamaroneck- Rolls off the tongue.
- Ardsley- I love that hard A in the ARD.
- Armonk- Ditto
- Tuckahoe-No comment needed.
- Ossining- Would be Top Dog if it were still known as Sing Sing.
- Sleepy Hollow- Formerly North Tarrytown. Thank God they changed the name. Legendary.
- Rye- Succinct.
- Dobbs Ferry- On the Hudson, but I never actually saw a ferry here.
- Port Chester- It actually has a port, too.
Neighboring Rockland County has some great names too: Nyack (love that), Ramapo, Haverstraw, and Tappan (or is it TapPAN?).
Some other honorable mentions from around the region:
- Lake Ronkonkoma, Suffolk County, Long Island
- Ho-ho-kus and Mahwah, NJ. I like Whippany too.
- Pouqhquag, Dutchess County. Good luck pronouncing it.
- Mahopac, Putnam County. In the town of Carmel, if you have a sweet tooth.
- Tuxedo, Orange County. No penguins, but seems like there should be.
- Cos Cob, Fairfield County, CT. Classic.
- Massapequa, Nassau County, Long Island. Like Lake Ronkonkoma, a great indigenous name.
- Flushing, Queens. Watch it, Bub. Jamaica and Ozone Park are pretty good too.
- THE BRONX
I don’t live there anymore but outside Rochester, NY they have the town of Irondequoit. Say that 5 times fast.
Good stuff, and anything but boring.