Paris, London, Stratford, Zurich, Cambridge, Vienna, Copenhagen, Dublin, Lisbon, Brussels, Heidelberg...sounds like a jam-packed European vacation. Wrong! This is the itinerary for a lovely Ontario road trip. Have you ever been to (or lived) in any of these Ontario cities, towns or communities?

Many Ontario towns are named after European cities because of the historical ties to European settlement and colonization. Early settlers and explorers, particularly those from England, often named places after their homelands, either out of nostalgia or to establish a sense of familiar identity in a new land. For example, London, Ontario, was named after the English capital by John Graves Simcoe in 1793. Besides the ones mentioned in the first question, there is also Cambridge, Guelph and Kleinburg among others. However, when it comes to a European flair, Stratford does it best. Named for Shakespeare's birthplace, Stratford is a premier arts town, which is home to a thriving theatre scene. The preserved 19th-century architecture and acres of parks and gardens (along its own Avon River, no less) is as charming as its British namesake. Have you ever been to this Stratford for the theatres?

While we're on the subject of Ontario, many of you may be familiar with another Ontario -- the city in California. It was originally formed in 1882 with the establishment of a model colony by the Chaffey Brothers, who had bought the land and named it after their hometown of Ontario, Canada. Do you know of any other U.S. cities, towns or communities named after any provinces?

According to a common misconception, "there's a community called Springfield in all 50 states", but the U.S. Board on Geographic Names says that's not true: only 34 states have a Springfield. The real popular name is Riverside. Unless you live in Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana, or Oklahoma, there's at least one Riverside in your state. If you live in the U.S., have you ever lived in a Springfield or a Riverdale (reminds me of Archie comics)?