Flagstaff, Arizona

Flagstaff, now there's an odd name for a town. What's even more odd is that no one seems to know just how the name came to be. A number of different groups have laid claim to erecting the flagpole that was responsible for it, but the earliest claim comes from a group of New Englanders who were lured to the area by promises of lush valleys, plentiful water, and easy riches. On July 4, 1876, they ran a flag up a ponderosa pine pole to celebrate the nation's 100th birthday and then they left, giving the town nothing more than a name, but then that's giving it quite a bit.