US Spanish place names during war with Spain

hey, all. this thought occurred to me as i was going over my notes again and i just wanted to get some extra opinions. so, in my ASB ATL, there are multiple wars between the United States and Spain and at present i have it written that some place names are only temporary (for example, Los Angeles becomes Angel City) and they change back after the war is over. for some OTL context, plenty of places in the Entente during World War I changed their German names to disassociate themselves with Imperial Germany and, to my knowledge, didn't change back.

so my question is does anyone think that Spanish-language place names, especially those in OTL's Mexican border states, would change during repeated wars with Spain and not change back, or would they revert to the original names after the war ended, or would they not change at all?
 

TFSmith121

Banned
Don't think they'd change at all...

hey, all. this thought occurred to me as i was going over my notes again and i just wanted to get some extra opinions. so, in my ASB ATL, there are multiple wars between the United States and Spain and at present i have it written that some place names are only temporary (for example, Los Angeles becomes Angel City) and they change back after the war is over. for some OTL context, plenty of places in the Entente during World War I changed their German names to disassociate themselves with Imperial Germany and, to my knowledge, didn't change back. So my question is does anyone think that Spanish-language place names, especially those in OTL's Mexican border states, would change during repeated wars with Spain and not change back, or would they revert to the original names after the war ended, or would they not change at all?

Don't think they'd change at all... Bismarck, North Dakota is an obvious parallel, but given the number of "Berlins" in the US, there's another 20 or so.

Best,
 
I don't know if this would happen. During World War I, German Americans were suspected by some of being a potential fifth column, being a large, influential segment of the population, which prompted the backlash. In contrast, not that many Americans trace their ancestry directly to Spain, and people of Latin American origin wouldn't necessarily be inclined to sympathize with Spain (having had to fight for their own countries' independence). So I don't know if there would really be a perceived need to erase Spanish heritage from everywhere.

In any event, lots of Spanish place names in the U.S. were Americanized in pronunciation anyway.
 
Don't think they'd change at all... Bismarck, North Dakota is an obvious parallel, but given the number of "Berlins" in the US, there's another 20 or so.

Best,

I've heard that most US towns called "Berlin" are pronounced "BERlin" instead of "berLIN" because it was deliberately changed during WWI anti-German sentiment.
 

TFSmith121

Banned
Presumably just anglicization...

I've heard that most US towns called "Berlin" are pronounced "BERlin" instead of "berLIN" because it was deliberately changed during WWI anti-German sentiment.

Presumably just anglicization...

No one in Texas calls it Paree, for example.

Best,
 
Presumably just anglicization...

No one in Texas calls it Paree, for example.

Best,

Speaking as a well traveled Texan, I would not call that just a Texan thing, but an American thing as whole.

Anyways, I have to agree with funnyhat. The Hispanics are simply too large and integral part of the American populace for name changes like what you suggest to occur.
 

TFSmith121

Banned
True enough...

Speaking as a well traveled Texan, I would not call that just a Texan thing, but an American thing as whole. Anyways, I have to agree with funnyhat. The Hispanics are simply too large and integral part of the American populace for name changes like what you suggest to occur.

True enough...

There's a reason the state is "New Mexiko" and not "Nuevo Mehico," either.

Floor-i-dah, not Flor-ree-daa.

and etc.

Best,
 
for some OTL context, plenty of places in the Entente during World War I changed their German names to disassociate themselves with Imperial Germany and, to my knowledge, didn't change back.

Which cities, out of curiosity? The only city that changed its name that I know of is Kitchener, Ontario (formerly Berlin, Ontario). Were there any cities with German names in the US that changed their names?
 
Which cities, out of curiosity? The only city that changed its name that I know of is Kitchener, Ontario (formerly Berlin, Ontario). Were there any cities with German names in the US that changed their names?

Many Americans cities changed German place names during WW1. Saint Louis for example changed a number of street and park names to English ones. I believe there was a movement there to switch them back a few years ago. Also from what I've read WW1 was the beginning of the end for German as a home language in many American homes.
 
Well, if there is one place that reminds people much more of monarchism with a pickelhaube than mere Berlin it would be King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. And they did not change their name either.

And of course there are all the Hitler-named places of Pickaway County, Ohio. But they were local luminaries, like Gay Hitler, the dentist of Circleville.
 
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