‘Burnt Porcupine’ Has To Be The Most Awesome Island Name In Maine

Maine is a strange place.

While I will guarantee that if you go to other states, and start examining their town names, there are weird ones everywhere. But Maine must really just take the cake at times. Not only are some just flat-out strange, but others are also impossibly hard to pronounce if you haven't lived here your whole life.

There are even a few we take for granted all the time. Like the pronunciation of Bangor... you'll never get it right if you're not from here. How about Orono? Have you ever met someone that actually used the extra O? Or how about South Arm? Or Eggemoggin? And so on...

But some places are weirder than others.

But according to MentalFloss.com, the island of Burnt Porcupine, off the Bar Harbor coast, tops their list of the weirdest town names in each state. But personally, I think it's pretty awesome, if not a bit dark. I mean, most town/island names have some kind of history behind the name. So what's the history behind that one?

Was it a sight? A smell? For that matter, who would ever want to be familiar enough with the smell of a burnt porcupine, to feel they should name anything after it? And all the islands around it are similarly named... Bald Porcupine, Long Porcupine, and Sheep Porcupine...

Who's abusing all these porcupines throughout history?

And honestly, those names don't make me feel much more comfortable either. Who shaves one bald? What defines a "long" porcupine? And what on God's green Earth is a sheep porcupine?!?!

I feel this entry on this list creates more questions than it answers. But, I'm not in charge of the internet. And some of the towns in other states that made the list are just as crazy. Go check 'em out. You're just killing time at your desk anyway, right? Thought so.