See if you can guess the original names of these 16 iconic US cities

Matthew WilsonMay 20, 2020, 01:20 IST

New York.Gary Hershorn / Getty Images

US cities like New York and Los Angeles have long and storied histories.
Before they were the iconic cities everyone knows, they had different names.
A penny toss determined the name of Portland, Oregon, while the English named Boston and New York after English cities.

New York wasn't always an island of tightly wound cars and skyscrapers. Los Angeles wasn't always a sprawl covering California in bright lights. Over time, cities are founded, and then go on to change and evolve.

Ever heard of Terminus or New Amsterdam? What about Swilling's Mill? While you might not know those names, we're sure you know their modern-day monikers.

Can you guess what your favorite city used to be called?

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What city was almost incorporated under the name Flagler?

Flagler. Hulton Deutsch/Getty Images

The city is now called ... Miami, Florida.

Miami skyline. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

What city was known as Charles Town from 1670 to 1783?

The city in 1851. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

The city is now known by the shortened name of ... Charleston, South Carolina.

Charleston, South Carolina. f11photo/Shutterstock

What US city was once known as New Amsterdam?

1895. The New York Historical Society/Getty Images

New Amsterdam is now known as ... New York City.

Present-day NYC. Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

What city was known in Spanish as "the town of the Queen of Angels"?

1930s. American Stock/ClassicStock/Getty Images

It's none other than the City of Angels ... Los Angeles, California.

Present-day Los Angeles. APU GOMES/Getty Images

What city was known to colonists as Trimount?

1960s. Boston Globe/Getty Images

Trimount was renamed ... Boston, Massachusetts.

Getty/Steve Marsel

What city was called Losantiville in the 1700s?

1915. Universal History Archive/Getty Images

It's now known as ... Cincinnati, Ohio.

Present-day Cincinnati. Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

What city was once known as Terminus, and then later as Marthasville?

Marthasville. Bettmann/Getty Images

Marthasville became ... Atlanta, Georgia.

Present-day Atlanta. Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

What city formed around the neighborhood called Vieux Carré in the 1700s?

19th century. DEA/J. L. CHARMET/Getty Images

Maybe the French gave it away ... it's New Orleans, Louisiana.

Present-day New Orleans. The Washington Post/Getty Images

What city was originally known as Jernigan?

1999. ullstein bild/Getty Images

Jernigan is now better known as ... Orlando, Florida.

Present-day Orlando. Jeff Greenberg/Getty Images

What city was once known as Swilling's Mill?

1960s. ClassicStock/Getty Images

It now has the more mythical name of ... Phoenix, Arizona.

Present-day Phoenix. Joe Sohm/Visions of America /Getty Images

What city formed from a small settlement called The Clearing?

1935. Three Lions/Getty Images

That coin toss led to ... Portland, Oregon.

Present-day Portland. Education Images/Getty Images

What US city originally went by the name Yerba Buena?

1950s. Bettmann/Getty Images

Yerba Buena is now called ... San Francisco, California.

Present-day San Francisco. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

What city originally went by the name San Miguel?

1950s. American Stock/ClassicStock/Getty Images

It's now known as ... San Diego, California.

Present-day San Diego. ullstein bild/Getty Images

What city originated as the riverside village of Waterloo?

The skyline. Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Getty Images

The city is now called ... Austin, Texas.

Present-day Austin. Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Getty Images

What city developed from a settlement called Cowford?