Why Does Michigan Have So Many Places Named After Foreign Places?

Drive around Michigan and the map reads like a world atlas that fell down the stairs. There’s a Paris, a Moscow, a Hamburg, a Berlin, a Vienna, an Athens, a Rome, a Hanover, a Dublin, and yes — famously — a town that locals pronounce nothing like the country. Why does Michigan have a Charlotte that’s “shar-LOT,” a Milan that’s “MY-lun,” and a Pinckney all within driving distance?

The plain answer: the 1800s naming boom. When Michigan was being settled and platted in the early-to-mid 19th century, hundreds of new townships and villages needed names all at once. Settlers grabbed names from everywhere — the European cities they or their families came from, classical places they admired (there was a craze for ancient Greek and Roman names, which is why Michigan has an Athens, a Sparta, a Romeo, and a Rome), Bible places, and the names of land speculators and early postmasters. Some were tributes to the old country; some were pure marketing, meant to make a brand-new frontier settlement sound established and grand.

The fun twist for outsiders is that Michigan towns almost always say these names their own way, ignoring the original pronunciation entirely. Michigan’s Milan is “MY-lun,” not “mi-LAHN.” Charlotte is “shar-LOT.” Pompeii, over in Gratiot County, is “pom-pay-eye.” It catches visitors every time. The rule, once again: in Michigan, a familiar-looking name is probably pronounced in an unfamiliar way.