ohio cities {july 27, 2023}

A recent NYT Mini Crossword clue: State with cities/towns named Lisbon, Milan, London, Moscow and Athens. 

For this Buckeye girl, easy peasy. Answer: Ohio.

Ohio holds a rich history, infused with various cultures from all over the world. From France to Russia to Peru, settlers from across the globe have made an impact on the towns Ohioans live in today — specifically, their names. While the names may seem easy to pronounce, they're frequently said incorrectly.

Here's a few for your entertainment:

Versailles (ver SALES) The town was founded in 1819 with the original name of Jacksonville. It was later changed to Versailles in 1837 due to the large amount of French members in the community.

Lima (LYE-muh) Named after Lima, Peru.

Milan from the crossword clue is pronounced MY-len.

We also have Berlin (BER-lin), Vienna Townshop (vie-EH-nuh), Mount Orab (Mount OAR-uhb), Cadiz (KA-dis), Medina (meh-DYE-nuh)

Gallipolis (gal ih POLICE)

The city’s name is derived from the Latin “Galli” for Gaul or France and the Greek “polis” meaning city. The city is commonly known as “The City of the Gauls” from the first 500 settlers who were French.

There's a town named after a country, Russia, but is pronounced ROO-she.

Welcome to Ohio, where you can "Find It Here," in "The Heart of It All." (We're in the midst of changing our tourism slogan).