[[quoteright:320:[[VideoGame/BalloonKid https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pencilvania.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:320:Another day in Pencilvania.]]

Welcome to Premiseville, Fictionland, where every city has a MeaningfulName. In certain works, especially kids shows or more whimsical SpeculativeFiction the CityOfAdventure, the place where our heroes live has a name that fits the premise, feel or ethos of the show. The city has a thematic name that describes its residents or culture.

Sometimes a name is chosen against the theme of the show, which is still an example of this trope rather than a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]] because it is still using this trope but in an ironic manner.

See also: MeaningfulName, ThemeNaming, CityOfAdventure, {{Descriptiveville}}, IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace.

----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* Kibougahana ("flower of hope" in Japanese) from the [[FlowerMotifs flower-themed]] series ''Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure''.
* Otogibanashi ("Fairy Tale City") in ''Literature/OkamiSan''. The series has fairy tale motifs out the wazoo, so the name is quite fitting.
* Daten City (Datenshi /"Fallen Angel") in ''Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt'', in reference to the two main characters.
* Cosplay City from ''New Anime/CuteyHoney'', the 1990s {{OVA}} revival series of the title quick-changing heroine.
* The planet of ''Anime/{{Trigun}}'' is named Gunsmoke. The series is SpaceWestern.
* Dream Town from ''Anime/{{Tamagotchi}}! Yume Kira Dream'' most likely gets its name from the story arc being about Mametchi and co learning about their dream jobs.
* ''Anime/OsomatsuSan'' takes place in Akatsuka Ward, signalling its focus on beloved characters created by Creator/FujioAkatsuka.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Asian Animation]]
* ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'': Goat Village is, as its name implies, a village populated by goats.
* ''Animation/RobocarPoli'': Broomsville is named that because its rescue team is made of [[SentientVehicle sentient vehicles]], and "broom" sounds like the sound cars make.
* ''Animation/SimpleSamosa'' takes place in a town called Chatpata Nagar, whose name is Hindi for "Spicy Town" as a reference to how all the characters are AnthropomorphicFood.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Creator/DCComics:
** Gotham and Metropolis are both named thematically as well as being [[IstanbulNotConstantinople substitute names for somewhere else]] (both UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity). Gotham evokes dark and grim imagery, Metropolis (which means Mother City) evokes more bright and hopeful feelings.
** Smallville. Is a small town.
** Keystone City (home of ComicBook/TheFlash) also fits. The name implies construction and manual labor, and Keystone is the blue-collar capital of DC's America (essentially an idealized Detroit).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* The eponymous town of ''Film/{{Pleasantville}}'' is an interesting one between playing it straight and playing it for irony. Pleasantville is indeed pleasant, but it is also generic.
* ''Film/SinCity'' in its film and comic book forms is one example. The name is a shortened form of Basin City and accurately reflects the denizens.
* ''Film/TheAmityvilleHorror1979'' and its sequels take the ironic route with its friendly name. Although it should be pointed out that there really is a city on Long Island called Amityville, and the supposedly true events did happen at a real house in the real Amityville.
* Amity Island from ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' is a similar example.
* ''Film/MeanCreek'' certainly is a creek where mean things take place.
* ''Film/{{Dogville}}'': There's a dog. Get it? Well, also the people act rather base. Rather, [[spoiler:as Grace's father would say,]] like dogs, as it were.
* Champion City in ''Film/MysteryMen'' -- a [[InvokedTrope parody version]] of this trope.
* ''Film/NotAnotherTeenMovie'' takes place in Creator/JohnHughes High, signalling its students being references to common teen movie tropes.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In ''The Queen and I'' and ''Queen Camilla'' by Sue Townsend, Britain becomes a republic and the Royal Family is forced to live on a terrifying council estate named "Hell Close" (short for Hellebore Close.)
* The ''Literature/{{Uglies}}'' series by Scott Westerfeld has New Pretty Town, Uglyville, and Crumblyville. In the guidebook, ''From Bogus to Bubbly'', Westerfeld explains that this was done on purpose to show that every age group (pretties, uglies, crumbles, etc.) stays in its place.
* Literature/TheHardyBoys hometown, Bayport, qualifies.
* The trope is played with by Duncan Ball in his ''Selby'' series. Selby lives in "Bogusville" - so named by the author to protect Selby's "true identity".
* Chickentown in ''Literature/{{Abarat}}''. They breed chickens there. Boring.
* The country ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'' takes place in is named Queensland. It's ruled by several queens, sisters. More specific locations, like Annaboro or the capital city Mayfair, avert this trope.
* Hobbiton in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''.
* Several geology textbooks use online disaster-planning simulations set in the fictional Hazard City, which is vulnerable to various natural hazards. It's near Ocean Village, which is near the ocean, and Lava Mountain, which is a volcano. They don't seem to be big on creative naming in that region.
* Scholastic’s 2000s ''Spy University'' activity books once featured a fake news story about the country of [[ObviouslyEvil Badlandia]] invading neighboring Notsobadlandia.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. Sunnydale plays the trope for irony; it sounds like a lovely pretty safe place... and is where the Hellmouth is. Not to mention that the sun is supposed to be a ''weakness'' to vampires. The area's earlier Spanish name played the trope straight: it was Boca del Infierno.
* The eponymous town of ''Series/{{Eureka}}'', populated by scientists.
* ''Series/EerieIndiana'', where the happenings are of an unusual nature.
* Fuuto,[[note]]風都, meaning "windy city"[[/note]] ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'''s hometown, fits with both his own [[BlowYouAway wind element powers]] and the underpinning theme of nature and the environment.
* Mission Creek from ''Series/LabRats'', where the bionic teens go on ''missions''.
* In ''Series/OnceUponATime'' there's the town of Storybrooke (an extra pun as it sounds like a "storybook", where a lot of fairy tale characters were sent by a curse from [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen the Evil Queen]]. While the curse is broken and characters end up going everywhere, Storybrooke remains their base and becomes home to ''all'' the Realms of Story in the series finale.
* Cour de Cours from ''Series/PushingDaisies'', which translates to "heart of hearts", where both Ned and Chuck lived in childhood. Their romance as adults is a core part of the show's premise. It's incredibly cutesy name could also refer to the incredibly cutesy architecture of the show's world, though that quirk isn't really isolated to Cour de Cours.
* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''. "Give it all up to Homelessville!"
* ''Series/TheThundermans'': The series takes place in Hiddenville, where the Thundermans go to ''hide'' their identities.
* The Australian kids' show ''Series/{{Wormwood}}'' is set in a town called Wormwood where the main industry is the worm farm producing worm castings. Wormwood can also mean something bitter or unpleasant, and the town is at the center of a lot of supernatural strangeness.
* ''Series/TheBigGarage'' takes place in Taxitown, which is populated by {{Sentient Vehicle}}s. Most of the sentient vehicle characters are taxis, hence the name.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/BatBoyTheMusical'': The hugely tragic story is set in Hope Falls.
* ''Theatre/ZombieProm'': Enrico Fermi High is right next door to the Francis Gary Powers nuclear power plant.
* The ''Franchise/{{Hatchetfield}}'' series is about a town that suffers through various horror plots.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Raccoon City of ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' is named after an animal popularly known for being the most likely victim of rabies, a disease-causing insane hostility spread by bites and scratches. And it's a ZombieApocalypse GroundZero.
* Twilight Town from ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' is where it is always early evening. Likewise, Traverse Town, which is a common hub for travel between worlds.
* Many ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' places are examples. Examples include "[[VideoGame/SuperMario64 Lethal Lava Land]]", "[[VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld Forest of Illusion]]", "[[VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine Bianco Hills]]", "[[VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy Honeyhive Galaxy]]", "[[VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor Rogueport]]", "[[VideoGame/PaperMario64 Dry Dry Desert]]", etc. [[VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine Isle Delfino]] is an interesting one -- it's got nothing to do with dolphins, but it's shaped like one.
* The EagleLand cities in ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound|1994}}'' are named after numbers that match the order that you encounter the cities in.
* ''VideoGame/TheSims''
** ''VideoGame/TheSims2'' ships with pre-packaged towns Pleasantview (much like Film/{{Pleasantville}} above), Strangetown (AlienAbduction and {{Mad Scientist}}s) and Veronaville (based on Creator/WilliamShakespeare plays). Later expansions introduce other Premiseville neighborhoods with themes appropriate to the expansion's new functionality.
** ''VideoGame/TheSims3'' has the downloadable alternate city Riverview, which is distinguished from the default city of Sunset Valley by the big river running through it, and the [[GangplankGalleon pirate-themed]] town of Barnacle Bay. The ''Ambitions'' expansion ships with Twinbrook, which has a ''forked'' river running through it.
** In ''VideoGame/TheSimsMedieval'', you can name your own kingdom whatever you like, but the other territories in the world are Premisevilles. For example, pirates come from [[TalkLikeAPirate Aarbyville]] and craftsmen come from, well, Crafthole. Some are a ''little'' more subtle; adventurers come from Advorton and [[OurElvesAreDifferent elves]] from Effenmont.
* A few of the games in the ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series feature Hyrule's capital city of Castle Town...so named because it's the town around the royal residence.
* Rapture from ''VideoGame/BioShock'' was supposed to be this as it represents a city not controlled by the government or religion, only the people that make it run. But those ideals were easily twisted and manipulated that caused the city to fall into ruin and its namesake is now nothing but an ironic mockery.
* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton''
** ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheCuriousVillage'': St. Mystere wasn't called that [[OnlySmartPeopleMayPass for nothing]].
** ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheDiabolicalBox'': Folsence [[SharedMassHallucination as well.]]
* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' takes place largely in a small California city called Santa Destroy.
* 90% of all Facebook games made by Zynga, Inc. follow this trope. The most notorious is ''VideoGame/FarmVille'', but they also have ''VideoGame/FrontierVille'', ''[=PetVille=]'', ''[=CityVille=]'', ''[=CastleVille=]'', etc.
* In the ''Cake Mania'' series, the town where the bakery is located is called Bakersfield.
* In the action-packed ''VideoGame/KunioKun'' series, Kunio's school is Nekketsu (HotBlooded) High.
* ''VideoGame/FashionPoliceSquad'', a fashion-based game, takes place in Trendopolis.
* ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'':
** This series all about cephalopods that can spread and turn into ink takes place around the cities Inkopolis, located in Inkadia, and Splatsville, which is in the Splatlands. The Japanese name for Inkopolis, Haikara City, refers to the local youth's extremely customizable style (''haikara''/high-collar means "trendy").
** Two known settlements for the octopus-like Octarians are Octo Valley and Octo Canyon.
* Grimsborough, the main setting of ''VideoGame/CriminalCaseGrimsborough'' and ''VideoGame/CriminalCaseTheConspiracy'', is a city where murder, criminal activity, and either [[AncientConspiracy ancient conspiracies]] (in the former) or [[EvilInc corrupt companies]] and {{Covert Group}}s (in the latter) control the city. In other words, a very '''grim''' place to live.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'': The Hope's Peak Saga stars students that attend or graduated from Hope's Peak Academy; the story focuses on how students from such a prestegious school, touted as the "Ultimate" in their field, are knocked from their "peak" into the pits of despair through {{Deadly Game}}s or the schooling system itself.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/MysterySkullsAnimated'', a series of {{Animated Music Video}}s with plenty of MickeyMousing, takes place in and around the town of Tempo, Texas.
* Artpear Entertainment's [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DI7FN5AM_7A&vl=en "Fanfictasia"]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Moperville from ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' is downright confusing as to whether it is fitting or not. It depends on the story arc.
* A nice example is the lovely town of [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace Murderville]] from the ''Webcomic/{{Hackgirl}}'' webcomic. Wanna guess what a large portion of the story is about?
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Dimmsdale from ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'', because the residents are pretty dim. Subverted in the fact that there is a RealLife Dimmsdale, in Staffordshire, England, which means "dark nook of land". Also named for founder Dale Dimm, who was pretty dim anyway.
* ''WesternAnimation/WelcomeToTonkaTown'': Tonka Town is inhabited by {{Sentient Vehicle}}s based on Tonka toys. “Race Day In Tonka Town” also mentions V8ville, another Premiseville for {{Sentient Vehicle}}s.
* Soap City from ''WesternAnimation/TheCrampTwins'', probably called that in-universe because of the local soap factory. It fits because of the cleanliness obsession the residents (especially Mrs. Cramp) almost all have.
* Endsville from ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' relates to "the end" (death, that is).
* Retroville from ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'' as the town is a RetroUniverse.
* ''Franchise/DuckTales'':
** St. Canard from ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' because the residents are (mostly) [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic ducks]], (Canard is French for duck).
** And before that, there was Duckburg in ''WesternAnimation/{{DuckTales|1987}}''... and before even that, in the comics it was based on.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsATeenageRobot'' has an amusingly subtle one: Tremonton, California. It's named either for the earth-shaking events that seem to happen there on a suspiciously regular basis or for its proximity to the San Andreas Faultline. TheMovie shows they built the town there when a split in the Earth open there until it stopped, and that had since had no seismic activity.
* Aron City in ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'', though this is a hard one to get -- Elvis Presley's middle name was Aaron.
* Frostbite Falls from ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'', which is cold.
* "Nowhere" in ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'', with Courage and his family housed right "in the middle of" it.[[note]]Get it?[[/note]] Named because, well, other than Courage's house, there's nothing there... except for the ghosts...
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''
** Ba Sing Se, a [[CitadelCity heavily-fortified city]], which is written in Chinese as "Perpetually Strong City". It was actually remarked upon in-show as meaning ''Impenetrable city'': "After all, it's not called ''Na'' Sing Se. ''({{Beat}})'' That means ''penetrable'' city."
** They also have [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown "Chin Village,"]] whose mayor is named [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tong_%28organization%29 "Tong."]]
* Littleton from ''WesternAnimation/PollyPocket'', where Polly uses a locket to make herself ''little.''
* ''WesternAnimation/StrawberryShortcake''
** Strawberryland
** Berry Bitty City
* WesternAnimation/RainbowBrite lives, appropriately enough, in Rainbowland.
* ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'':
** Ponyland is a place where talking ponies live. It's featured in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials'' and ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends'' (though the main area is specifically Dream Valley).
** The Glo Friends segments from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends'' are set in Glo Land.
** Equestria from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. Many of the town and place names are horse puns as well, such as Fillydelphia, Manehattan, and Cloudsdale (a floating city that's a play on "Clydesdale", coupling it with FlintstoneTheming).
* Miseryville of ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'', set in a Hell-like world where the demonic populace is forced to be unhappy by the ruling Misery Inc. and its tyrannical CEO [[LouisCypher Lucius Heinous VII]]. Unfortunately for Lucius, the one person who can't be made miserable is Jimmy himself.
* Most of ''WesternAnimation/TeamUmizoomi'' takes place in Umi City.
* ''WesternAnimation/PinkaliciousAndPeterrific'' takes place in Pinkville, where everyone loves pink, even the males. Pink peonies grow in the park, and the local soccer team and marching band both wear pink uniforms.
* The bizarre and obviously-named Anytown from ''WesternAnimation/TheZhuZhus''.
* Amity Park from ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'', whose name comes from ''Literature/TheAmityvilleHorror'' and, by extension, the city of Amityville, New York.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Is sometimes TruthInTelevision, for settlements that are named after the main industry or some other aspect of the area, such as the mining town Silverton and any town name starting with "Port".
** Colorado offers the following examples in addition to Silverton: Leadville, Agate, Basalt, and Marble. Guess what the major mining industries in each of those towns were? (Marble is particularly notable as the sole source of the very pure white Yule Marble, which was used--among other things--for the Lincoln Memorial and Tomb of the Unknowns.)
** Similarly, Uranium City in Saskatchewan and Antimony in Utah.
** Argentina, founded on silver[[note]]Latin: ''argentum''[[/note]] mining, is a country-wide example.
** UsefulNotes/{{Slovakia}} has the small industrial town of Svit under the Tatras. It's one of the newest cities in the country, founded during [[GenteelInterbellumSetting inter-war]] Czechoslovakia by then wealthy Czech industrialist Tomáš Baťa. The town's name is both a PunnyName and an example of FunWithAcronyms : "Svit" can mean "Shine, Glare" or (to an extent) even "Dawn" in both Czech and Slovak. The name itself comes from the hilarious acronym (SVIT) of the town's main industrial plant ("Slovenská viskózová továreň = Slovak Viscose Plant/Factory").
** Unfortunately we cannot say if this trope applies to Idiotville, Oregon, because it is a ghost town nowadays.
* Towns of Magnitogorsk (town of magnetite mountain), Nikel (nickel), Apatity (apatites), Lesosibirsk (timber of Siberia), Elektrostal (electricity and steel) in Russia.
* The small town of Pepperell, MA has a paper mill in it, and is frequently, mistakenly called Peppermill or even Papermill because of it.
* Captain Cook's party named the bay that would later become Sydney, Australia 'Botany Bay' in reference to the wealth of previously unknown (to Europeans) plant life they discovered there.
[[/folder]]
----