TIL: Today I Learned

[Timsup2nothin]

Well, I'm not sure about the history of the Kansas Cities, but Newark was not named Newark because they wanted something that sounded like New York but wasn't quite actually New York. It was originally a totally separate town, and it's unclear whether it was named after a town in England called Newark or whether it was a direct reference to "New Ark of the Covenant" because the people who founded it were religious nutjobs. At any rate in 1666 (When Newark NJ was founded) New York City was confined to a tiny bit of southern Manhattan, they didn't start just across the river from each other or anything like that.

And yet they are now. I wasn't really going for them sounding the same, by the way, because it didn't occur to me that they do. I just looked to see what the New Jersey city that is effectively a suburb of New York was called, since I knew there would be one.

The point is that that's typical. The two Kansas Cities formed on opposite sides of a river that the technology of the times made mostly impassable, at a location where it was passable. So they were independent of each other. Eventually technology allowed a bridge and effectively swallowed Kansas City, Kansas into the suburban sprawl of Kansas City Missouri. Just like a bridge sucked Newark into the sprawl of New York City, and another sucked East St Louis into the sprawl of St Louis. The St Louis Missouri city airport is in East St Louis, which is in Illinois.

 

[warpus]

You aren't wrong, but what you're pointing out is that the only thing strange about Kansas City is the naming.

Yep, that's the point! That's what lead to the original confusion

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Yep, that's the point! That's what lead to the original confusion

I've been looking for a place where cities across a border have exactly the same name, but it isn't named after one of the states, to see if that is regarded as less confusing. Like if East St Louis, Illinois was just named St Louis. I haven't found any though.

 

[rah]

There aren't any others.

 

[warpus]

Kansas is a unique case that confuses outsiders because you first assume Kansas City is in Kansas. Then you notice it's in a different state. Then later you see there's a Kansas City in Kansas after all, which confuses you further.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

There aren't any others.

I am going to accept this based on your known skill as a data cruncher and the certainty with which you said it. Besides, I'm tired of looking.

 

[rah]

I have a dB of US cities so I was using an analytical tool. I'm too lazy to look. But taking 20 minutes to write the proper query, sure. Of course maybe the query sucked. I've been wrong before. None with the same name as the state for sure.

 

[rah]

Here's the list of the cities with state names

CITY......./STATE
California Kentucky
California Maryland
California Missouri
California Pennsylvania
Delaware Arkansas
Delaware Iowa
Delaware New Jersey
Delaware Ohio
Delaware Oklahoma
Florida New York
Florida Puerto Rico
Indiana Pennsylvania
Iowa Louisiana
Kansas Alabama
Kansas Illinois
Kansas Ohio
Kansas Oklahoma
Louisiana Missouri
Maine New York
Maryland New York
Michigan North Dakota
Nevada Iowa
Nevada Missouri
Nevada Ohio
Nevada Texas
New Hampshire Ohio
New York New York
Ohio Illinois
Oregon Illinois
Oregon Missouri
Oregon Ohio
Oregon Wisconsin
Palau Palau
Tennessee Illinois
Vermont Illinois
Virginia Illinois
Virginia Minnesota
Virginia Nebraska
Washington Arkansas
Washington California
Washington Connecticut
Washington District of Columbia
Washington Georgia
Washington Illinois
Washington Indiana
Washington Iowa
Washington Kansas
Washington Kentucky
Washington Louisiana
Washington Maine
Washington Michigan
Washington Mississippi
Washington Missouri
Washington Nebraska
Washington New Hampshire
Washington New Jersey
Washington North Carolina
Washington Oklahoma
Washington Pennsylvania
Washington Texas
Washington Utah
Washington Vermont
Washington Virginia
Washington West Virginia
Wyoming Illinois
Wyoming Iowa
Wyoming Michigan
Wyoming Minnesota
Wyoming New York
Wyoming Pennsylvania
Wyoming Rhode Island
Wyoming West Virginia

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Identify cities with same name in adjacent states and output them, determine if locations are adjacent. As long as the data includes map coordinates and you use an effective value for determining adjacent that should work.

 

[rah]

I've got geo coordinates and an algorithm to calc distance but it's Friday afternoon on an extended weekend so my brain is starting to shut off so, maybe next week.

 

[Lexicus]

so my brain is starting to shut off

What a coincidence, mine too

 

[rah]

Yeah shutting down so fast that that first query should have only taken a few minutes but ended up taking considerably longer than it had any right taking.
Either that, or I"M JUST GETTING OLD AND FEEBLE.

 

[Arakhor]

Yes, I am a data rat.

Not a data rah?

 

[hobbsyoyo]

And yet they are now. I wasn't really going for them sounding the same, by the way, because it didn't occur to me that they do. I just looked to see what the New Jersey city that is effectively a suburb of New York was called, since I knew there would be one.

The point is that that's typical. The two Kansas Cities formed on opposite sides of a river that the technology of the times made mostly impassable, at a location where it was passable. So they were independent of each other. Eventually technology allowed a bridge and effectively swallowed Kansas City, Kansas into the suburban sprawl of Kansas City Missouri. Just like a bridge sucked Newark into the sprawl of New York City, and another sucked East St Louis into the sprawl of St Louis. The St Louis Missouri city airport is in East St Louis, which is in Illinois.

Lambert international is in Missouri, not Illinois.

East St Louis has St Louis's main strip club district

 

[Takhisis]

East St Louis has St Louis's main strip club district

You are well-informed in matters abstract as well as mundane, I see.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Wyoming Rhode Island
Wyoming New York
Wyoming Pennsylvania
Wyoming West Virginia
Wyoming Michigan
Wyoming Illinois
Wyoming Minnesota
Wyoming Iowa
And finally Wyoming a state!

 

[HoloDoc]

You are well-informed in matters abstract as well as mundane, I see.

I'm sure he's sampled every single one of those clubs. For research purposes.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Lambert international is in Missouri, not Illinois.

East St Louis has St Louis's main strip club district

East St Louis also has a pretty nice airport that is called St Louis Downtown. It's not the international airport, but if you are flying your own plane it's a really good field. Plus it's closer to the strip club district than Lambert.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I mean there are airports like that all over the country. I was just saying the main one that 99%* of people fly out of or into is not in Illinois.

*Rectal extraction

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I mean there are airports like that all over the country. I was just saying the main one that 99%* of people fly out of or into is not in Illinois.

*Rectal extraction

I get it...I was just interested in it being called "St Louis Downtown." I mean, the Van Nuys Airport, which is a similar thing, is in fact in Van Nuys. Upon examination, I don't think St Louis Downtown is in East St Louis even. I think it is the next suburb to the south.

It has just struck me that St Louis was probably there as a city, on both sides of the river, before there was a state on either side of the river...same for Kansas City.