Texas Town Makes the List of the South’s Strangest City Names—and It Might Ring a Bell!

Look, I love the South. I love the charm, the hospitality, and of course, the fried everything. But every now and then, you come across a town name so weird, so wonderfully bizarre, you just have to stop and ask, “Who approved this?”

Well, a new list of the South’s strangest city names just dropped, and sure enough, Texas made the cut—because of course we did. And the winner?

🎉 Ding Dong, Texas.

Yep. That’s not a joke. Ding Dong is a real town, located in—you guessed it—Bell County. Because where else would it be? As of the most recent census, 22 lucky folks call Ding Dong home, and honestly, I kind of envy them. That’s gotta be a great conversation when people ask where you're from!

Legend has it, the town got its name from a pair of store owners in the 1930s named Zulis and Bert Bell (again, Bell County). They commissioned a sign with two bells and the words “Ding Dong” underneath. The name stuck, and here we are nearly a century later, still laughing.

Here’s the thing: Ding Dong isn’t even close to being the weirdest on the list. Check out some of its Southern neighbors...

• Smut Eye, Alabama (yes, really)

• Weiner, Arkansas

• Two Egg, Florida (sunny-side up, I assume)

• Hopeulikit, Georgia

• Booger Branch, Kentucky

• Grosse Tête, Louisiana (that’s “big head” in French—no offense)

• It, Mississippi (though it sadly no longer exists… spooky)

• Seven Devils, North Carolina

• Slapout, Oklahoma

• Ketchuptown, South Carolina

• Sweet Lips, Tennessee

Now, let’s be honest—Texas has its share of interesting town names: Cut and Shoot, Dime Box, and No Trees come to mind. But Ding Dong? That’s just elite-level Southern silliness.

So next time you're out road-tripping across the great state of Texas, maybe take a detour through Bell County. Snap a pic with the Ding Dong sign. Because in a world of stress, chaos, and rising gas prices… we could all use a little Ding Dong in our day.