There are 8 towns of consequence named Vienna in the United States and 8 others so small as to barely be visible in places like Texas and Michigan. Most of the towns named Vienna were named after the capital of Austria, a city of almost 2 million people. There are also places named Vienna in unlikely spots like Vanuatu and Italy.
Most Viennas are not like the original. The Vienna in Missouri is a minuscule town about 22 miles north of Rolla. It was definitely named after the city in Austria. Rolla is about 100 miles west of St. Louis, and many St. Louisans have attended its School of Mines, a division of this state’s public institutions. Rolla is almost a city. The Vienna in Illinois is almost 3 times larger than the one in Missouri and the half way point on the infamous Trail of Tears. It’s in the southern part of a state not especially known for forests, but Vienna is not too far from Metropolis, IL and on the edge of a vast forest area. For years Metropolis has capitalized on its name and fostered a Superman connection. Vienna, GA is described as a Graceful Southern Lady due east of Americus, the home of ex-President Jimmy Carter. It’s large enough to be the home of the Georgia State Cotton Museum that can be seen by appointment. North Carolina’s Vienna is in the Winston-Salem area.
The 2 largest US Viennas are in Virginia and West Virginia. Vienna, VA is in the Washington, DC area, has a population of nearly 16,000, and has been highly rated on Money Magazine’s list of the best 100 places to live. It’s near both Tysons Corner Shopping Center and Wolf Trap, the famous entertainment venue. The West Virginia Vienna is across the Ohio River from Ohio and has become part of the Parkersburg area.
Two of the more interesting Viennas are in New Jersey and Maine. New Jersey doesn’t have much open land, but its Vienna is in the north central part of the state and fairly rural. It’s near Hackettstown, another unknown town to me. Vienna, ME is in Kennebec County near mountains and also rural.
Hank
