When I was a kid, I read science fiction magazines, specifically Perry Rhodan. Alas, the series never really picked up in the US, but they had a concept I felt was really cool: Transmitters. People walked into a transmitter on one planet and walked out on another. This was limited to the local galaxy, but imagine how much this would help unclog our congested highways!

Rolling up and down the Autobahn at a leisurely but mind-numbing 100 mph, I pass by two towns called Grafenhausen and Gräfenhausen. But for two little dots, the names of these towns are identical, yet they are pretty much at the opposite ends of my 150 mile drive. Freewheeling in my mind, I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be cool if towns with identical names were linked by transmitters?" If you're in Austria and want to go to USA, just travel (by car, say) to Vienna and use the transmitter to Vienna, Virginia. If you're in France, take the transmitter to Paris, Texas. A trip of practically any size could be planned by finding a series of pairs of nearby towns with names like those of other towns closer to one's destination.

OK OK, I realize this is just fanciful thinking. Still, I like to think about the network that could be constructed and the trips that could be made. Maybe I'm alone with this silly idea, but then again, there are so many weirdos on this planet that I'm probably not. So, as a public service to anyone else on the same trip, I list some major cities with similar names - cities large enough to be able to afford a transmitter. Cities for your fanciful itinerary and mine.

A

  • Abbeville, in France and in Louisiana
  • Aberdeen, in Scotland, Maryland, South Dakota and Washington
  • Ada in the FYR and in Oklahoma
  • Adra, in India and in Spain
  • Airdre, in Canada and in Scotland
  • Akbarpur, in two different provinces of India
  • Aksu, in Kazakhstan and China
  • Al Bayda, in Libya and Yemen
  • Al Hillah, in Iraq and Saudi Arabia
  • Al Jawf, in Libya and Saudia Arabia
  • Albany, in Georgia, New York, Oregon, California, and Western Australia
  • Albertville, in France and Alabama
  • Alexandria, in Romania, Egypt, Louisiana, Virginia and Scotland
  • Alipur, two Indian provinces and Pakistan
  • Allen, Texas and in the Philippines
  • Alton, England, Illinois and Missouri
  • Amarpur, in two Indian provinces
  • Amherst, Ohio and Massachusetts
  • Amsterdam, the Netherlands and New York
  • Anderson, Indiana and South Carolina
  • Andong, South Korea and China
  • Andover, England and Minnesota
  • Andros, in [Greece[ and the Bahamas
  • Anyang, in China and South Korea
  • Apple Valley, in Minnesota and California
  • Ardmore, in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma
  • Arlington, New York, Virginia, Texas and Massachusetts
  • Arnold, England, Maryland and Missouri
  • Arona, Italy and the Canaries
  • Artesia, New Mexico and California
  • Asadabad, Iran and Afghanistan
  • Asaka, Japan and Uzbekistan
  • Ashland, Kentucky, Oregon, Ohio and California
  • Astorga, Spain and Brazil
  • Athens, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and Ohio
  • Auburn, Alabama, California, Maine, New York, Washington and Georgia
  • Augusta, Italy and Maine
  • Aurora in the Philippines and Brazil, Colorado and Illinois
  • Austin, Texas and Minnesota
  • Ayacucho, Peru and Argentinia
  • Azul, Chile and Argentinia

B

  • Baden, Austria and Switzerland
  • Baghmara, India and Bangladesh
  • Bali, India and Indonesia
  • Balta, Scotland and Ukraine
  • Bangar, Brunei and the Philippines
  • Bangor, Wales and Maine
  • Bangui, Philippines and the Central African Republic
  • Bani, India and the Philippines
  • Bar, Ukraine and FYR
  • Barcelona, Venezuela and Spain
  • Bari, Italy and India
  • Barra, Brazil and Scotland
  • Bartlett, Illinois and Tennessee
  • Bastia, Italy and France
  • Batavia, Illinois and New York
  • Bathurst, Canada and Australia
  • Bay City, Michigan and Texas
  • Bayan, China and Indonesia
  • Bayonne, France and New Jersey
  • Bedford, England and Canada, Texas, Ohio, Indiana and Massachusetts
  • Begamganj, India and Bangladesh
  • Bela, India and Pakistan
  • Belleville, Canada and New Jersey
  • Bellevue, Nebraska and Washington
  • Bellingham, Massachusetts and Washington
  • Belmont, Australia, California and Massachusetts
  • Beloeil, Belgium and Canada
  • Belton, Missouri and Texas
  • Beni, Congo and Bolivia
  • Benito Juarez, Mexico and Argentinia
  • Berea, Ohio and South Carolina
  • Bergen, Netherlands, Germany and Norway
  • Berkeley, California and Missouri
  • Berlin, Germany and New Hampshire
  • Bethlehem, West Bank, South Africa and Pennsylvania
  • Beverly Hills, Michigan and California
  • Bhatpara, Bangladesh and India
  • Birmingham, England, Michigan and Alabama
  • Bisai, Japan and India
  • Bloomington, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and California
  • Boa Vista, Brazil and Cape Verde
  • Bocholt, Germany and Belgium
  • Bochum, Germany and South Africa
  • Bogo, Denmark and the Philippines
  • Bolton, England and Canada
  • Boone, Iowa and North Carolina
  • Bor, Russian Federation, FYR, Sudan and Turkey
  • Boston, England and Massachusetts
  • Boulder, Australia and Colorado
  • Bowling Green, Kentucky and Ohio
  • Braganca, Brazil and Portugal
  • Braintree, England and Massachusetts
  • Brakel, Germany and Belgium
  • Brandon, Canada and Mississippi
  • Brentwood, England, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and New York
  • Brest, Belarus and France
  • Bridgeton, Missouri and New Jersey
  • Bridgetown, Barbados and Ohio
  • Brighton, England and Australia, Colorado and New York
  • Bristol, England, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Tennessee
  • Broad Sound, Wales and Australia
  • Brookfield, Illinois and Wisconsin
  • Brooklyn Park, Minnesota and Maryland
  • Brownsville, Tennessee and Texas
  • Brunswick, Maine, Georgia and Ohio
  • Brühl, two provinces in Germany
  • Burbank, California and Illinois
  • Burgdorf, Germany and Switzerland
  • Burlington, Canada, Massachusetts, Iowa, North Carolina and Vermont

I'm running out of steam here. I'm sorry. Maybe I'll complete the list when transmitter technology hits the market.

Credit where credit is due: The typing is all mine, by hand. But I got the major city names from a Web site called "Important places all over the world" at www.mapplanet.com.

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.