| The name "Racine" is the French word meaning Root. "Root" is the English translation for the word that the Native Americans called the river in the area. In the 1830s the the city of Racine was called "Port Gilbert" after Gilbert Knapp, early settler and founder of the city. |
| Bohners Lake | |
| Browns Lake | |
| Burlington (City) | Named for Burlington, Vermont by E. D. Putnam, early settler. Name changed to Burlington on July 15, 1839. |
| Cedar Park | |
| Foxville | Earlier name for Burlington. A post office was established here with the name Foxville on March 21, 1837. Moses Smith was the first postmaster. |
| Karcher Marsh | A natural area on the Racine-Kenosha County border in Racine. |
Town of Caledonia
| Caledonia (Village) | A name the Romans called Scotland in ancient times. Perhaps early Scottish settlers gave this area of Racine its name. (Formerly known as "Stern's Crossing" |
| Caledonia Centre | Now called Caledonia. (submitted by Doris Demet) |
| Crestview | |
| Franksville | Earliest settlement of this area was in 1791 by Jacques Vieau, who opened a trading post. At that time, the place was called Skunk Grove. The place was named Franksville in the 1870s when the Chicago and North Western Railroad had a switching point here. Supposedly an employee of the railroad was a brakeman by the name of Frank and he used to leave the train at this location to go a-courting a girl. Frank's Villa became Franksville. |
| Hoosier Creek | Old name for Husher. |
| Husher | Original name was Hoosier or Hoosier Creek. When the name was officially registered, it was misspelled "Hisher". Perhaps through pronunciation through the years Hisher became Husher. Located in Sections 9 & 10, Township 4, Range 22. NOTE: In one old record I have seen this place called "Washer" erroneously. |
| Ives Station | This village was surveyed on Nov. 23, 1896 by Harry Orwig. |
| Kilbournville | Located in Section 18. It was the site of a post office, church, school, store, and several houses in early days. |
| Lamberton | Named after an early settler. A post office was located here. |
| Linwood | Located in Section 23 Township 4 Range 22. It was never officially plotted as a village. Name origin unknown. |
| North Bay | Name was given to the village by Louis F. Pope. The land was platted in 1926. |
| North Racine | Area surveyed and platted by Edward Leidel on Sept. 21, 1905. Located in sections 15, 21 and 22. |
| Rushville | |
| Skunk Grove | Now called Franksville |
| Stern's Crossing | Early name for the village of Caledonia. |
| Tabor | Possibly named by Bohemian settlers around the 1850s after the gypsy word for "gathering place" |
| Thompsonville | Located on the border between Caledonia and Raymond townships. It was named after early settlers named Thompson. A post office was located here. |
| Willow Creek | Neighborhood southeast of Tabor. Was never plotted as a village. |
| Wind Point | Supposedly named after a large wind blown tree that was, in early times, used for navigation by Lake Michigan sailors. A lighthouse replaced the tree in 1880. |
| Beaumont | A post office was established here on Nov. 17, 1893. Elisha Lewis was the first postmaster. The post office was discontinued in 1904. Origin of name unknown. |
| Brighton | Former name for the Town of Dover or for Kansasville |
| Dover (Village) | |
| Eagle Lake | |
| Kansasville | There are two possible origins. Possibly named after the Kansas-Nebraska Bill in Washington D. C. Another story has it that an early settler family moved from here to Kansas but moved back because of a drought and the village was named in their honor. |
| Pan Yan | A post office was established here in Section 14 in 1864. Origin of name unknown. |
| Rosewood | |
| Trowbridge | Plot of land where the Town of Dover's first resident settled in 1858. It was the site of his home and an Inn. Location of the site in the present day is Highway 11 and Sheard Road. This location was also known as "Captain Trowbridge's Place". |
| Cooper | |
| Corliss | Former name for Sturtevant - named in 1901 after the Corliss Engine Works was established there. The land was surveyed August 13, 1901, incorporated as a village Oct. 28, 1907. The name changed to Sturtevant on Oct. 1, 1923 after the Sturtevant Company located here. |
| Elmwood Park | Incorporated June 27, 1960. |
| Forest Park | see Sanders Park - named for the natural hardwood forests in the area. |
| Gatliff | |
| Horlicksville | Located in the north eastern part of the town. This place is named after Horlick's Food Co. and Horlick's Malted Milk Co. established by William and James Horlick. |
| Johnson | Former name for Sturtevant. In 1875 William M. Johnson was established as the first postmaster. |
| Lakeside | |
| Mygatt's Corners | Homestead established by Wallace Mygatt at the junction of Green Bay Road (Highway 31) and Highway 20. |
| Parkersville | Platted in 1873 by Mr. Stillman Parker - land next to Western Union Junction. |
| Pike Grove | Located in the southern part of the town near Green Bay Road. Settlers were mainly of Welsh descent. |
| Racine Junction | |
| Rapids | A place on the "rapids" of the Root River where the first Mount Pleasant pioneers established a settlement. |
| Sanders Park | Formerly Forest Park - named for naturalist Edwin F. Sanders. |
| Sturtevant | Formerly named Parkersville, Western Union Junction, and Corliss. Named Sturtevant in Oct. 1, 1923 when the B. F. Sturtevant Co. was established there. |
| Sylvania | (borders Yorkville) |
| Waxdale | Home of the S. C. Johnson company |
| Western Union Junction | Former name for Sturtevant during the establishment of the railroad Junction at the place. Called by this name until 1900. |
Town of Norway
| Blackhawk Corner | Named after Chief Blackhawk, a famous Native American Chief. Located on the corner of Hwy K and Hwy S. |
| Minister Lake | Another name for Waubesee Lake. It was called this by members of the Norway Lutheran Church when the parsonage was located there. |
| North Cape | Named by Mons K. Adland who was born in Norway (the country) in 1795 and settled in this area in 1840. |
| Old Muskego | |
| Union Church | Named after several religious denominations got together to build a church. |
| Waubeesee Lake | Name currently used for this lake. The name is a Native American word possibly meaning "mark in the center of the hair for clan mark, yellow or red", "swan lake" or "a white bird flys along". |
| Wind Lake |
Town of Raymond
Town History
| Kilbournville | |
| Kneeland | |
| Raymond (Village) | Named after early settler families of Elisha Raymond and son Alvin |
| Thompsonville | see Town of Caledonia - former name was Whitesville |
| Whitesville | former name for Thompsonville |
Town of Rochester
| Rochester (Village) | Name chosen by early pioneers to this area from Rochester, New York |
Town of Waterford
| Buena Park | |
| Caldwell's Prairie (or Caldwell) | Named after early settlers Joseph and Tyler Caldwell, who settled the area in 1836. A post office was established there by this name. |
| North Rochester | Another name for Caldwell's Prairie |
| Schmidt's Corners | Early name for Tichigan |
| Tichigan (or Tischigan) | Named after a Native American grave site. The word is an Indian name meaning "Home of the Dead" in English. |
| Waterford (Village) | There are two possible origins to this name. Supposedly, early settlers from New York named it after Waterford, New York. Also, it was a place where the Native American population in the area would commonly "ford" the Fox River. |
| Waterford Woods | A wooded area on the west bank of the Fox River. It was developed by Willis J. Mehan and S. H. Harris in 1927 and further developed into neighborhoods with homes in the 1940s and 1950s. |
Town of Yorkville
| Ive's Grove | Named after early settlers to the area Stephen N. Ives and Roland Ives. A post office was established here by this name. |
| Old Settler's Park | Named after the Old Settlers' Society in 1870, meeting place for the Old Settlers' picnic and later the Racine County Fair. |
| Quarles | early name for Union Grove |
| Sylvania | (borders Mt. Pleasant) |
| Union Grove | Supposedly named by then state Governor Dodge for the school in the area named Union School which was built in 1846. He combined it with "Grove" for the beautiful grove of trees in the vicinity of the school. Formerly known as "Quarles" |
| Waite's Corners | Area settled by Charles C. Wait and father Reuben who came here from Vermont in 1835 and 1838. |
| Windsor Station | another name for Sylvania |
| Yorkville (Village) | Formerly Waite's Corners. |
Other Nearby Places
| East Troy | (Located in Walworth County) Named by early settlers from Troy, New York who settled the area. Asa Blood and a Mr. Roberts were first settlers. Originally known as simply "Troy" the townships were divided into "Troy" and "East Troy" by 1845. |
| "English Settlment" | Areas of the county in which the predominant ethnic group of settlers were of English descent: Burlington, Dover and Rochester |
| Hoadley | Now in Kenosha County. Also known as Cypress. |
| Honey Creek | Just over the border in Walworth County. Named by settlers after a large number of bee trees next to a stream in the area in 1836. |
| Parisville | Now in Kenosha County. Also known as Town of Paris (submitted by Doris Demet) |
| Prairie | Now in Kenosha County. Also known as Pleasant Prairie. (submitted by Doris Demet) |
| "Scotch Settlement" | Areas of the county in which the predominant ethnic group of settlers were of Scottish descent: Parts of Dover, Yorkville and Raymond |
| Troy | see East Troy |
| Information gleaned from books including "History of Racine and Kenosha Counties..." (1879), Commemorative Biographical Record of Racine and Kenosha Counties..." (1906) and "Romance of Wisconsin Placenames" |