Thread 213391420

>Athens (Georgia)
>Olympia (Washington)
>Helena
>Phoenix
>Ithaca
>Syracuse
>Memphis
>Atlanta
>Philadelphia
>Arkadelphia
>Indianapolis
>Annapolis
>Minneapolis
Why are US such Greekaboos? You don't see names like this in Australia or Canada

americans also have greek busts in capital buildings like cleisthenes, draco and solon, early americans love greek, even later americans loved greek things, collected a lot of statues and amphorae

here is solon at the supreme court

>>213391420 (OP)

Neoclassicism as an architectural style was something that Americans latched onto in the late 18th and generally throughout the 19th century. American place names in general are just a recycling/blending of European place names and local Native language. For example, "Minneapolis" is just a kludging together of a local Indian (Dakota) word for "water", and of course the Greek Polis, city. Water-city.

Of course "just copy the Greeks/Romans" looks tedious on the continent, but it was part of trying to form a national identity. Ben Franklin realized that the Continentals saw us as the backward hicks that we are, so he leaned into it by wearing a coonskin hat like it's our national costume. The French ate it up.

The really important local neoclassical buildings place a heavy emphasis on Corinthinan columns. I wish we had some more Ionic columns, those are my favorite.

solon at library of congress

>>213391420 (OP)
The American system of government is modeled after Rome so I would say overall the US governmental interest was more roman focused but I would say philhellenic sentiment was also there though not as forthright. it is not until the late 1800s that i would say American focus on ancient Greece peaked into infatuation.
as for the naming just look at the military tract system that divided up the land. its why palces are inundated with such names. in that specific instance of new york those names are due to the clerk being also an educator

>>213391774
ithaca is also the name of ulysses' home

>>213391420 (OP)
Memphis was Egyptian howbeit. Also, you forgot Alexandria (Virginia), Tempe (Arizona), and many others.

>>213391420 (OP)
In Brazil we also add -polis to a ton of cities, it just sounds good.