Zanesville, Ohio
Photograph ©2019 by Brian Cohen.

10 Suggestive Names of Real Locations Worldwide — Part 15: Lick Version

Have you ever been to a place somewhere in this wonderful world in which we live which has a name that seems suggestive — or perhaps less than wholesome? In locations outside of the country where you are based, the names of locations may seem to have a different meaning to you than the actual origin — but when those strange names are found in the same country as yours, they may tend to have you scratching your head.

10 Suggestive Names of Real Locations Worldwide — Part 15: Lick Version

This article is the fifteenth in a series which give examples of suggestive names of real locations around the world; and as a form of proof that they actually exist, an interactive Google map is included with each entry — along with a brief description of the highlighted location — and the main focus of this article is licking.

Without further ado, let us begin. The locations are listed in this article in alphabetical order…

1. Black Lick, Pennsylvania, United States

Named after Blacklick Creek — which is a tributary of the Conemaugh River in western Pennsylvania and may have been named because the stream often passes over outcroppings of coal in its bed and its banks — Black Lick is located in Burrell Township in Indiana County. Not much information is available for Black Lick; so let us move on to the next entry — lickety split.

2. Clover Lick, West Virginia, United States

Clover Lick is located along the Greenbrier River approximately ten miles northeast of Marlinton in Pocahontas County in eastern West Virginia. Does that mean that the actual opening lyric to this 1927 song as written by Mort Dixon — and famously sang by Bugs Bunny both incorrectly in 1952 and correctly seven years later in 1959 — is I’m licking over a four-leaf clover that I overlicked before?

3. French Lick, Indiana, United States

Originally a French trading post which was built near a spring and salt lick, a fortified ranger post was established near the springs in 1811 in what is currently Orange County in southern Indiana; and eventually became the town of French Lick, which was officially founded in 1957. You can visit the childhood home of Larry Bird — who was a professional basketball player — or try your luck at the only casino in town.

4. Lick Creek, Illinois, United States

Approximately halfway between Saint Louis and Nashville in Union County in southern Illinois is Lick Creek, which is off exit 36 of Interstate 57. East of the tiny community is a company — and a farm — called Lick Creek Pork & Beef. One would think that most people would rather eat creek pork and beef than lick it…

5. Lick Skillet, Tennessee, United States

…but then again, after licking pork and beef, one might want to lick skillet afterwards. If you find yourself in this unincorporated community in Decatur County in southwestern Tennessee, then you have come to the right place. If you find that to be too controversial, then you might be inclined to pan Lick Skillet — though no evidence is available that a problem with pot exists. Let us let that one simmer for a while…

6. Lickdale, Pennsylvania, United States

Once known as Union Forge, Lickdale is located in Union Township in northern Lebanon County in south central Pennsylvania near the western terminus of Interstate 78 at its junction with Interstate 81 approximately 26 miles east northeast of Harrisburg. That the unincorporated community was supposedly named after its founder — who was reportedly Thomas J. Cossette, Junior, of Wallingford in Connecticut — seems to make absolutely no sense whatsoever. By the way, who is Dale; and why would anyone want to lick her — or him?!?

7. Licking, Missouri, United States

If the aforementioned licking of pork, beef, and skillets is not enough for you, how about Licking, Missouri? Named for a mineral lick which was located near the original site of the town, this city is located in Sherrill Township in Texas County in the Ozark Mountains of southern Missouri and is now home to a small Amish community.

8. Licking View, Ohio, United States

If you wish to fulfill your voyeuristic tendencies instead of doing all of that licking yourself, how about going to the Licking View in Muskingum County in eastern Ohio? This way, you can really heighten your fantasies by heading southeast to nearby Zanesville and enjoying a three-way on the bridge shaped like the letter Y, which is the only such structure in the United States which is currently in operation and crosses both the Licking River and Muskingum River. In the photograph at the top of this article — which was taken from the view from Putnam Hill Park — the main river is Muskingum River; while the river which begins on the left is Licking River. The unincorporated community of Licking View is in the distance at the upper left part of the photograph.

9. Lizard Lick, North Carolina, United States

A “passing observer who saw many lizards sunning and licking themselves on a rail fence” is purportedly how this unincorporated community in Wake County in central North Carolina — which is approximately 20 miles east of Raleigh — got its name. It is located near Interstate 87 — no, not the one in New York — which at a distance of only 12.9 miles is currently the shortest designated primary Interstate highway in the United States; and the highway is only four years old. You might have heard of the name Lizard Lick: it was supposedly the namesake for the television series Lizard Lick Towing — which became Lick Life — as well as the Nintendo 64 game Yoshi’s Story. You can’t lick that.

10. Mud Lick, Kentucky, United States

Believed to have been named for a salty stream which was frequently rendered muddy by animals who drank from it, Mud Lick is an unincorporated community which is located in Monroe County in southern Kentucky approximately 53 miles east southeast of Bowling Green and approximately 86 miles northeast of Nashville. Mud Lick is for those really kinky people who like to — nah…never mind. It is simply a quiet community. Let us just leave it at that.

Summary

I must embarrassingly admit that I had done the “three way” on the famous bridge shaped like the letter Y in Zanesville. I intend to write an up coming — pun intended — article pertaining to my experience.

If while reading this article you felt that so many more entries were missing and long overdue, know that dozens more examples of locations with suggestive names will be considered for future articles here at The Gate

…but in the meantime, please feel free to offer suggestions of your own in the Comments section below.

If you have not had enough in the meantime, please be sure to read the other articles in this series:

Photograph ©2019 by Brian Cohen.

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