CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — Some of the best town names in West Virginia (entertainment-wise), including Big Ugly, Booger Hole, and Odd, were included in our story “West Virginia’s weirdest town names.” But surprise, we missed some, so here’s part two.
Bean Settlement
Bean Settlement, which according to the Geographic Names Information System has also gone by the simplified name “Bean’s”, is an unincorporated community in Hardy County. No signs for the community seem to exist in Bean Settlement and residents likely have an address for Baker instead. There is, however, a church that holds the town’s name, the Bean Settlement Church of the Brethren which is located several miles away from what Google says is the community of Bean Settlement.
Piss Pot Island
Located in Hampshire County within the Potomac River, Piss Pot Island is just West of Romney, West Virginia. The island is not inhabited and cannot be visited by way of any roads, but in 2017, there was Geocache on the island, but it is currently under archive status. If you want to see Piss Pot Island, it can be easily viewed from U.S. Route 50, and you can even stay just across the river from Piss Pot Island at the Big Anchor Campground.
Flipping
You might have heard of the city of Flippin, Arkansas, but how about Flipping, West Virginia? Not many people have. It’s a small unincorporated community in Mercer County that is made of only one unlined road. It sits between Montcalm and Bramwell. To give you an idea of how many travelers Flipping sees regularly, Google Maps footage of the road doesn’t exist and nearby areas haven’t been filmed since August 2009.
Devil’s Backbone
Surprisingly, there are actually several places called “Devil’s Backbone” in West Virginia. In Pocahontas County, a rock formation off Huntersville Road holds the name, and it’s actually pretty neat looking. You can view Google photos of it here. There is also a twisty gravel road near Odd, West Virginia in Raleigh County called Devils Backbone Road. There are no businesses or landmarks listed on Devil’s Backbone Road, but it does connect to Backbone Ridge which has a mysteriously marked “Devils Backbone” location. Maps does not indicate what kind of landmark Devils Backbone is, though it is likely a mountain or rock.
Gooney Otter Creek
Gooney Otter Creek, or Gooneyotter Creek, runs near Mullens and Montecarlo in Wyoming County along WV Route 10 and runs through Herndon and Covel before coming to an end in the Wyoming County wilderness. Some records suggest that the creek might have originally been called “Gone Otter Creek,” but we think Gooney Otter is much more fun. It is also near another weird West Virginia place name, the unincorporated community of Bud.
Uneeda
Uneeda…what? This is probably the largest town on this list; though unincorporated, Uneeda has a Post Office, a pharmacy and several stores and is at least relatively close to a hospital on WV Route 85. Uneeda even has its own zip code—25205.
These weird names aren’t good enough for you? Check out another list of weird town names here.