Which Of America’s Most Racist Town Names Are In Your State?

Racial slurs criss-cross the United States, appearing in placenames in every single state in America, a Vocativ data analysis of millions of records has found. From Dead Negro Hollow, Tennessee, to Wetback Tank, New Mexico, to Dead Injun Creek, at least 1,441 federally recognized places across the nation include slurs in their official name.

Those placenames are gradually disappearing, but hundreds remain, mostly tied to geographical features in rural areas. The largest clusters are in the West and the South. California has at least 159 place names that are offensive to Native Americans, African Americans, Chinese people and Italians.

Vocativ used our technology to cross-reference every derogatory term listed in The Racial Slur Database with the 2.2 million official names of locations listed in the U.S. Geological Survey’s Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Vocativ tallied and mapped hundreds of places with names that evoke racial oppression and a legacy of hatred.

Now you can find the closest racist landmark to you, using our interactive map. Simply select your state, and click through the place names to see the marker move from one racist location to another.