20 Cities and Towns with Dubious Claims to Fame

Many world capitals have distinctive and evocative nicknames; examples include Paris (The City of Lights), New York (The Big Apple), and Beijing (The Forbidden City). These nicknames may come about solely through a historical quirk, or may refer to something specific to that city. The same is true of smaller cities and towns, whose residents may find a source of pride in a local specialty. While most claims to fame are meant to impress those who are strangers to the town/city, some, like the ones below, may be difficult for outsiders to appreciate fully.

• Barbed Wire Capital of the World—La Crosse, Kansas
• Bimbo Town—Leipzig, Germany
• Boring Capital of the World—Las Cruces, New Mexico
• Cherry Pit Spitting Capital of the World—Eau Claire, Michigan
• Chimneyville—Jackson, Mississippi
• Cow Chip Throwing Capital of the World—Beaver, Oklahoma
• Curtain Rod Capital of the World—Sturgis, Michigan
• Drunk Driving Capital of the World—Gallup, New Mexico
• Indoor Foliage Capital of the World—Apopka, Florida
• Lightning Capital of the World—Tampa Bay Area, Florida
• Loader/Backhoe Capital of the World—Burlington, Iowa
• Moonshine Capital of the World—Franklin County, Virginia
• Porn and Fireworks Capital of Australia—Canberra, Australia
• Slaughterhouse to the World—Chicago, Illinois
• Slurpee Capital of the World—Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
• Storm Capital of the World—Bandon, Oregon
• Streaking Capital of the World—Knoxville, Tennessee
• Swearing Capital of the World—Colorado Springs, Colorado
• The City of Blinding Lights—Seoul, South Korea
• Toilet Paper Capital of the World—Green Bay, Wisconsin

Sources: Wikipedia, Trivia Asylum, and Doug’s List of Lists