There are said to be 38 Milans in the world. There are towns named Milan in 14 countries and 15 in America attesting to a large number of Italian immigrants. Most of the Milans have been named for the Milan in Italy, a city of more than 3 million people. If this plethora of Milans is true, there are more Milans in the world than Romes, and it’s the most used Italian town name outside of Italy. There are more Milans than Turins too. It is certainly the best documented use of a town name in my experience. All of the towns named Milan in the US are well recorded and on maps. Most of the US MiIans have been named after the city in Italy where the world’s most famous opera venue, La Scala, is.
The Milan in Wisconsin is unincorporated. It’s a town of more than 1,000 people on most maps and about 30 miles west of Wausau. The town of Milan, WA in my current home state is north of the city of Spokane. It’s a town of more than 5,000 people even though it’s unincorporated. It’s listed as having been named after the Milan in Italy. It was once a city of sawmills supplying Spokane with wood. There are towns named Milan in Tennessee and Pennsylvania. Both are very small. The Pennsylvania Milan is near towns named Rome. The Milan in Ohio is near the birthplace of Thomas Edison and on a canal. Ruth and I have driven through it recently. The Milan in New York is 90 miles from New York City. It’s a town of 2,300 people. The Milan in New Mexico is said to be a village near Grants, and it claims to be the carrot capital of the US.
There are still 8 towns named Milan with vivid stories. There is a town named Milan in New Hampshire in the northern part of the state. It’s 8 miles north of Berlin and has a ski jump and a population in excess of 1,300 people. The Milan in Missouri is especially interesting to me. It’s a town of about 2,000 named for Milan, Italy. Missourians pronounce it my-lun. Milan in Missouri’s neighbor Kansas was also named for the Italian city. There’s a Milan in Minnesota founded by Norwegian immigrants. Milan, IN is growing. Its population has gone from less than 2,000 in 2010 to 2,114 in 2020. A winemaker lives there, and it too was named after the Milan in Italy. Milan, Italy, has a very busy train station in its heart and a major cathedral. The Milan in Illinois is interesting too. In Rock County with a population of more than 5,000 Milan, IL contains the 2nd largest Native American community in the US. It has a major John Deere presence too. Milan, GA has been around since the 1880s and was named for the Milan in Italy. And finally there’s a noted Milan in Michigan. It’s a town of more than 6,000 and was settled in 1831 south of Ann Arbor.
The international Milans consist in 5 towns in South America’s Colombia, one in China of all places, 2 in Mexico and one in South Africa that I can’t find on any map.
Hank
Security Conscious 