California Place Names

This anniversary edition concentrates on the origins of the names currently used for the cities, towns, settlements, mountains, and streams of California, with engrossing accounts of the history of their usage. The dictionary includes a glossary and a bibliography.

"The story behind the naming of important mountains, counties, rivers, cities, lakes, capes, bays"--Cover.

This handbook focuses on two sorts of names: those that are well-known as destinations or as geographical features of the state, and those that demand attention because of their problematic origins, whether Spanish, such as Bodega and Chamisal, or Native American, like Aguanga and Siskiyou. Map.

This is the new "pocket" version of the classic California Place Names, first published by California in 1949. Erwin G. Gudde's monumental work, which went through several editions during its author's lifetime, has now been released in an expanded and updated edition by William Bright. The abridged version, originally called 1000 California Place Names, has grown to a dynamic 1500 California Place Names in Bright's hands. Those who have used and enjoyed 1000 California Place Names through the decades will be glad to know that 1500 California Place Names is not only bigger but better. This handbook focuses on two sorts of names: those that are well-known as destinations or geographical features of the state, such as La Jolla, Tahoe, and Alcatraz, and those that demand attention because of their problematic origins, whether Spanish like Bodega and Chamisal or Native American like Aguanga and Siskiyou. Names of the major Indian tribes of California are included, since some of them have been directly adapted as place names and others have been the source of a variety of names. Bright incorporates his own recent research and that of other linguists and local historians, giving us a much deeper appreciation of the tangled ancestry many California names embody. Featuring phonetic pronunciations for all the Golden State's tongue-twisting names, this is in effect a brand new book, indispensable to California residents and visitors alike.

Over 1,500 place names in San Diego County. Each listing gives general location and specific citation of place name origin.

The author of this book believes that every placename contains its unique history and romantics. By viewing toponyms as footprints of the distant epochs, Nellie Sanchez collects the names of the Spanish and Indian origin in the areas around San-Francisco and Los-Angeles and provides a fascinating historical insight into their roots. For example, a reader learns that a Mercy River obtained its name, as it was the first river met by thirsty men who had traveled over 40 miles over a dry valley.

What makes a place? Rebecca Solnit reinvents the traditional atlas, searching for layers of meaning & connections of experience across San Francisco.