US town with a name so rude cops took action to prevent sign from being stolen

Some towns have names that raise eyebrows from visitors, or elicit a chuckle from passersby. These are among five of the rudest town names across the USA.

Horneytown, North Carolina

This small town is located on the outskirts of the more well-known Winston-Salem, NC, and has a population of about 200 people — all 200 of which are either completely charmed by their place of residence’s moniker or fully mortified by it.

While Horneytown once boasted a large textile mill and railroad, it’s currently marked by gardens, boutiques, a courthouse, and tons of picturesque restaurants.

In 2016, it was reported that locals were alarmed by the fact that their road signs, plainly reading “Horneytown,” kept getting stolen and ending up as a jokester’s novelty toy.

It was such a concern that cops were forced to install RFID and GPS tracking, along with a warning sign for thieves.

Climax, Minnesota

Climax was founded in 1896 and is actually named after a chewing tobacco company. People soon caught on to the hilarity of its name, however, and they’ve been joking about it ever since.

The official slogan for Climax’s centennial was “Climax. More than just a feeling.”

Hooker, Oklahoma

This city apparently can’t get enough of double entendres, since its very own baseball team is named the Horny Toads. Hooker is the second largest city in its county (Texas County) and is described by the official website as a “thriving community with strong rural values, superb schools, and growth potential.”

Residents have fun with their locale’s name and are, in fact, making bank off of it. Merchandise with clever spins on the hooker theme is sold in stores (including a shirt made during the peak of Covid which reads “Practice Safe Six” and depicts two stick figures keeping a safe distance of six feet).

Gayville, South Dakota

Gayville is the self-proclaimed Hay Capital of the World. It has all the markers of a Midwest town, including churches, parks, a community center, and family-friendly neighborhoods. Gayville’s name actually honors Elkanah Gay, an early postmaster. It has no direct connection to the LGBTQ+ community (even official statistics on the number of queer people living in Gayville are, as of yet, undisclosed).

Intercourse, Pennsylvania

Intercourse is a town of dualities, it seems — one “proud that who [it is] keeps folks coming back again and again,” according to its website, and where you can apparently eat side-by-side with the conservative Amish population. It was likely named at a time when “intercourse” meant social interaction in a faith-based community.

One shop even sells shirts with phrases like “Virginia is for lovers… but Pennsylvania has Intercourse.”