What’s In A Name? 5 Misnamed Michigan Cities

When Michigan became the 26th state in the Union January 26th, 1837 some of these towns were settlements or villages and would later become cities. These five places seem misnamed… some with very unfortunate misnaming:

COLON, MI: Near Coldwater, MI Colon has been around since 1844. The US Congress recognizes Colon as “The Magic Capital of the World” because magician supplies are manufactured there and famous magician Harry Blackstone is buried there. (Or is he?) Considering the name is pronounced like a well known internal organ, why not rename it Magic City? After all, the High School mascot is named “Magi”-a white rabbit wearing a black top hat.

FLUSHING, MI: Don’t get me wrong, I have family in Flushing. It’s a great place. That said, “Flushing” implies toilets or flushing fluids from pipes or car parts. Saying “flushing” hits like the word “moist” — cringe-worthy.

FRANKENMUTH, MI: German heritage aside, Frankenmuth is well-known for Bronner’s & all things Christmas, right?! What’s baffling is there’s a Christmas, Michigan in the U.P! Simple fix for this one: Swap names!

JUGVILLE, MI: This small town situated in Newaygo County, north of Grand Rapids has been around since the early 1900’s. Back in the day, people thought of jugs only as storage containers. Fast-forward to modern times and the name sounds unfortunate given society’s penchant for juvenile humor.

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HELL, MI: It’s always fun to tell people there’s a Hell, MI and have jokes ensue. This city is misnamed, in my opinion, given of our state history. Michigan’s admission to the Union was delayed by the Toledo War. In short, we gave up Toledo and the Upper Peninsula became part of Michigan. Since Ohio put us through “hell,” we should swap that name for Toledo and call it even.

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