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Gidney N Cloyd

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10. The southern tip of Illinois is nicknamed 'Little Egypt'

Sat Mar 2, 2013, 12:15 PM

Mar 2013

Origin of "Little Egypt" name

Southern Illinois is also known as "Little Egypt".
The nickname "Egypt" may have arisen in the 1830s, when poor harvests in the north of the state drove people to Southern Illinois to buy grain. Others say it was because the land of the great Mississippi and Ohio River valleys were like that of Egypt’s Nile delta. According to Hubbs, the nickname may date back to 1818, when a huge tract of land was purchased at the confluence of the rivers and its developers named it Cairo (/ˈkɛəroʊ/) Today, the town of Cairo still stands on the peninsula where the Ohio River joins the Mississippi.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Illinois

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There is an Egypt in Georgia. [View all] alphafemale Mar 2013 OP

Climax in New York In_The_Wind Mar 2013 #1

Climax, Texas, too. kentauros Mar 2013 #51

Texas is funny that way. In_The_Wind Mar 2013 #52

I haven't seen the Lord Byron thread yet. kentauros Mar 2013 #55

Over 30 views. I guess it isn't worth a bump. In_The_Wind Mar 2013 #56

Well, there is a Turkey, Texas. ananda Mar 2013 #2

There's a Turkey in Uranus.... NYC_SKP Mar 2013 #3

! In_The_Wind Mar 2013 #5

Helen Ga is a replica of a Bavarian alpine town. nt onehandle Mar 2013 #4

been there...it is lovely. nt alphafemale Mar 2013 #8

Me too. I live in Georgia and have been there many times. RebelOne Mar 2013 #14

I reckon you never saw this iconic photo from Maine. bluedigger Mar 2013 #6

Awesome! In_The_Wind Mar 2013 #7

like nt alphafemale Mar 2013 #9

We have a Denmark her in South Carolina. GoCubsGo Mar 2013 #25

Actually, there are two iconic signs in Maine. Brother Buzz Mar 2013 #32

Yeah, I was thinking there was another. bluedigger Mar 2013 #35

I've logged some hours on two lane roads through Smallvilles. alphafemale Mar 2013 #58

The southern tip of Illinois is nicknamed 'Little Egypt' Gidney N Cloyd Mar 2013 #10

Darcy O'Brien's book "Murder in Little Egypt" was my first introduction to that area Tom Ripley Mar 2013 #17

In less than an hour you could drive from my house to Arkansas Granny Mar 2013 #11

Missouri has towns named Cuba, Mexico, California, Nevada, Paris, Versailles, Moscow..... lastlib Mar 2013 #12

* In_The_Wind Mar 2013 #61

Georgia also has Cairo, but it's pronounced ... dawg Mar 2013 #13

Georgia also has Woodstock where I live. n/t RebelOne Mar 2013 #15

My grandfather grew up in Woodstock, ME. n/t bluedigger Mar 2013 #27

Cairo - Like the syrup...and it's All-Ben'-Ee alphafemale Mar 2013 #16

I hear it as All-binny. Phentex Mar 2013 #18

My accent is a mixture, but it's definitely influenced by Appalachia. dawg Mar 2013 #20

My students in Oklahoma used to ask me to do... a la izquierda Mar 2013 #37

Same pronunciation with IL's Cairo. I once mispronounced it on the radio down there and caught hell. Gidney N Cloyd Mar 2013 #23

lol. and if it ever happens... alphafemale Mar 2013 #24

I was born and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. In_The_Wind Mar 2013 #26

You mean Etlanna, right? dawg Mar 2013 #33

HotLanta In_The_Wind Mar 2013 #34

Oh, I know where you're talking about now. dawg Mar 2013 #36

The one with the Underground. In_The_Wind Mar 2013 #59

PE-ru and MAD-rid, Maine. bluedigger Mar 2013 #28

There's also a Milan, Ga(pronounced My- lan) NightWatcher Mar 2013 #45

In Mass we have... pipi_k Mar 2013 #19

Can't forget the Lebanons LeftInTX Mar 2013 #21

There's a Lebanon in Virginia too tabbycat31 Mar 2013 #22

And in Maine. bluedigger Mar 2013 #29

I've seen this sign in Maine. Brother Buzz Mar 2013 #30

Ireland, Texas derby378 Mar 2013 #31

There's Dublin, Texas, also. Used to drive through it regularly on my way to somewhere else. freshwest Mar 2013 #38

Formerly the home of Dublin Dr. Pepper derby378 Mar 2013 #39

Have they finally taken down the old signs? I'd like to visit some people down there once again. freshwest Mar 2013 #40

I honestly don't know derby378 Mar 2013 #41

Sorry about Ginny (don't know who that is). Haven't been through Ft. Hood in a score of years. freshwest Mar 2013 #44

Pancake, TX? derby378 Mar 2013 #62

Paris, TX. Texasgal Mar 2013 #42

The population is 25K Major Nikon Mar 2013 #49

Wasn't there a movie...? nt alphafemale Mar 2013 #53

Was there? Texasgal Mar 2013 #54

The original Memphis was in Egypt too. nolabear Mar 2013 #43

Not an exotic foreign land, and I don't think it's even an incorporated town, but Rabbittown ... dawg Mar 2013 #46

Love the purtty red shiny thing the most. In_The_Wind Mar 2013 #60

Palestine, Texas Major Nikon Mar 2013 #47

I was there. In_The_Wind Mar 2013 #48

My grandfather was from Versailles, Ohio. kwassa Mar 2013 #50

Here are the ones I've managed to find (and sift through) for Texas: kentauros Mar 2013 #57