It’s got to be Linoleumville. Seriously, this was actually the name of a hamlet on the west shore of Staten Island.
Originally known as Long Neck in the 1600s, it eventually became Travisville, after a local landowner. Both are nice names.
But in 1872, the town was selected to be the home of the American Linoleum Manufacturing Company. The head of the company decided to rename it after the floor covering his factory produced, where two-thirds of its residents were soon employed.
In 1928, the factory closed. By 1930, the people of Linoleumville were ready for a change. “Imagine going into some of them big Manhattan department stores to buy and giving your home address as Linoleumville!” a Time magazine article that year quoted one resident.
So they took a vote. Four residents cast ballots to keep the name. They lost; more than 300 others decided to change the town name to Travis.
The neighborhood is still called Travis today.
Tags: American Linoleum Manufacturing Company, bad neighborhood names, Fresh Kills Landfill, Linoleumville, Long Neck Staten Island, neighborhoods in Staten Island, Staten Island towns, Travis Staten Island, Travisville Staten Island
January 28, 2010 at 2:41 pm |
And Travis is home of one of the oldest 4th of July parades in the area. It’s always a fun day.
January 28, 2010 at 7:39 pm |
great map!
January 29, 2010 at 4:45 pm |
Linoleumville is worse than Flushing? Travis sounds like a New Country singer with a bad haircut.
Nice story!
January 29, 2010 at 4:56 pm |
Thanks! Good point–Flushing is pretty bad. I was thinking Ozone Park is rather unpleasant as well.
January 29, 2010 at 9:01 pm |
Flushing is a corruption of the Dutch Vlissingen.
February 4, 2010 at 5:47 pm |
LOL! I have to try to find a bigger, frameable version of that map now.
November 4, 2010 at 4:28 am |
I’ve got to say, I would love to live in Linoleumville! I love Linoleum (totally different than vinyl, by the way).
April 11, 2012 at 6:06 pm |
[...] quickly in North America and the factory’s Staten Island home base became a company town called Linoleumville. In England 19th century Staines became the major producer of linoleum and was a main employer in [...]