Copyright Notice: This content is from the North Carolina Gazetteer, edited by William S. Powell and Michael Hill. Copyright © 2010 by the University of North Carolina Press. Used by permission of the publisher. For personal use and not for further distribution. Please submit permission requests for other use directly to the publisher.

This content is from the North Carolina Gazetteer, edited by William S. Powell and Michael Hill. Copyright © 2010 by the University of North Carolina Press. Used by permission of the publisher. For personal use and not for further distribution. Please submit permission requests for other use directly to the publisher.

Some place names included in The North Carolina Gazetteer contain terms that are considered offensive.

Preface to the 2nd edition
Preface to the 1st edition
Acknowledgments

"The North Carolina Gazetteer is a geographical dictionary in which an attempt has been made to list all of the geographic features of the state in one alphabet. It is current, and it is historical as well. Many features and places that no longer exist are included; many towns and counties for which plans were made but which never materialized are also included. Some names appearing on old maps may have been imaginary, but many of them also appear in this gazetteer.

Each entry is located according to the county in which it is found. I have not felt obliged to keep entries uniform. The altitude of a place, the date of incorporation of a city or town, may appear in the beginning of one entry and at the end of another. Some entries may appear more complete than others. I have included whatever information I could find. If there is no comment on the origin or meaning of a name, it is because the information was not available. In some cases, however, resort to an unabridged dictionary may suggest the meaning of many names."

--From The North Carolina Gazetteer, 1st edition, preface by William S. Powell

Alphabetical Glossary Filter

"
3
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Reset
Place Description
Cana

community in N Davie County. Made a post office in 1875 and named for James H. Cain, first postmaster.
Canada Township

SE Jackson County.
Canadian Hole

deep trough just offshore in Pamlico Sound, N of Buxton, E Dare County. Frequented by windsurfers, many of them Canadian. Term also used by N.C. Department of Transportation to describe section of highway 12 subject to frequent washouts.
Canadian Top

peak in W Haywood County, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, near lat. 35°38'55" N., long. 83°06'13" W.
Canady Creek

rises in N Guilford County and flows NW into Rockingham County. Name is a variation of Thomas Kennedy, pioneer settler.
Canal A

in central Washington County, drains NE from East Dismal Swamp into Main Canal.
Canal B

in central Washington County, drains NE from East Dismal Swamp into Main Canal.
Canal Gut

rises in SW Bertie County and flows S into Roanoke River.
Canal Swamp

rises in E Northampton County and flows SE into Hertford County, where it enters Potecasi Creek.
Canby

community in S Montgomery County on Thickety Creek. Served by post office, 1900-1932. Named by Chesley Greene for Fort Canby, Wash., where he served during the Spanish-American War.