10 Illinois Towns With Weird Names and the Stories Behind Them

There are few states in America that excel so much at being odd than Illinois. That's why it's very appropriate that the Land of Lincoln is full of towns with weird names, but there are also some fascinating stories behind them.

I was born not that far from a tiny town known as Conception Junction, so I cast no stones when it comes to places with bizarre names and origins. Truthfully, I could have included 50 strange Illinois towns and cities, but let's limit it to 10 for starters.

My favorites on this list are Oblong and Birds. Birds, in particular, is amusing to me since nearly everyone who hears it will think it's honoring flying fowl, but it's really a pioneer family's name back when this Illinois place was born. Love it. Other than Normal, most of these Illinois towns are also small and not well known to outsiders. That's also appealing to me as off-the-beaten-path is more interesting in my book than stuff everyone and their dog knows. Like I said, strange and Illinois make great partners.