<p>Western Massachusetts is comprised of 101 cities and towns, which were incorporated between 1636 and 1894. Some of these are fairly self-explanatory, but others are a little more unusual. Ever wonder why there is a Florida in Massachusetts? Or Peru? Belchertown? Ware? And what happened to Murrayfield, Gagetown, Norwich, and Partridgefield? This episode explores the history and politics of municipal nomenclature in Western Massachusetts, looking at how - and why - the towns got their names.</p> <p>For more information, check out these resources:</p> <p><a href="https://www.geo.umass.edu/faculty/wilkie/Wilkie/maps.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Historical Atlas of Massachusetts</a></p> <p><a href="https://archive.org/details/essayonoriginofn00whit_0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">An Essay on the Origin of the Names of the Towns in Massachusetts</a></p> <p>Cover image from <a href="https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:xg94j267x" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">New Map of Massachusetts by Nathaniel Dearborn (1840)</a></p>