History Main / DescriptiveVille

* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' takes place in Monstropolis, a city full of monsters. Immediately after naming it while imitating a morning radio broadcast, Mike describes it, essentially translating "Monstropolis" into plain English.

* ''Series/OurMissBrooks'' Madison High School of the eponymous [[EverytownAmerica City of Madison]] has, as its main rival Clay City High School of the eponymous Clay City. Clay City is first introduced in the early radio RoadTrip episode "Game at Clay City". Notably, in the second television season opener, "Clay City Chaperone", Miss Brooks is chaperone in Clay City for the Madison cheerleaders attending the big football game between the two arch-rivals. In these episodes, its never explained who or what clay is. It may well be the soil. The trope, however, is averted in some later episodes where the rival high school is named [[UsefulNotes/HenryClay Henry Clay High]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': The capital of [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield the state Springfield is in]] is named Capital (or [[SpellMyNameWithAnS sometimes]] Capitol) City.

* Franchise/TheDCU: Big City, Central City, [[Franchise/GreenLantern Coast City]], [[HaveAGayOldTime Gay City]], Gorilla City (in Africa, and ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin), Happy Harbour, [[Franchise/TheFlash Keystone City]], Midway City and Opal City, [[ComicBook/GreenArrow Star City]] and [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Smallville]]. Metropolis has a name that just means "City".
** Actually, if you translate the Greek in Metropolis, you get: Mother-City. Of course, it has lost that colonial meaning over time.
** Smallville is [[NamesakeGag named after its founder]], whose surname was Small.
* Duckburg, Calisota in the ''ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse'', originally named so by Creator/CarlBarks.
** Similarly, in the 1990s, Mickey's hometown was given the name Mouseton and has managed to keep that name since then (except [[DependingOnTheWriter when Mickey apparently lives in Duckburg]]).
** And the French names are worse: The cities are named after the main characters (Mickeyville, Donaldville), which is inexplicable in-story.

* Neopolis from Creator/AlanMoore's ''ComicBook/TopTen'' simply means [[NewNeoCity New (Neo) City (polis)]]. Of course, [[TruthInTelevision the same can be said]] of real life Naples (hence the adjective Neapolitan).

-->'''Brock''': That's Remoraid Mountain. It's got Remoraid Lake on top of it, it's near the Remoraidian Ruins which used to be inhabited by the ancient people called the Remoraidians, and you'll never guess what Pokemon are up there.
-->'''Ash''': [[DeadpanSnarker Octillery]].
-->'''Brock''': Probably.

* ''Franchise/TheIncredibles'' live in Metroville (a ShoutOut to ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' -- the name's a portmanteau of Metropolis and Series/{{Smallville}}). Judging by the name of the bank, the opening scene takes place in Municiberg.

** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' has its own version of Ponyville. Series creator Lauren Faust originally wanted it to take place in [[JustForPun Fillydelphia]], but she got the ExecutiveVeto on that idea. Fillydelphia and similarly equine-pun-on-real-place names [[note]]Baltimare, Manehatten, Las Pegasus, Canterlot and Trottenham for example [[/note]] are the rule. For bonus points, Ponyville is located in the kingdom of ''Equestria''.

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* Neighborville in the ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies'' series, first introduced in the ComicBookAdaptation, then used ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombiesBattleForNeighborville'' and ''3''.
* The main city of ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'' is called Seaside Town. Three guesses what major geographic feature is nearby. There's also Bordertown (located near The Border, south of which is South Of The Border) and Forest Village (in the forest), plus the clan dungeon, Hobopolis (which is, of course, full of hobos) and Crimbo Town (which only appears during [[YouMeanXmas the Crimbo season]]).
* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' has, among other things, the Human Village, the only location on the map that is truly safe for human residents.
* Goron City, from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', is, well, precisely that.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyMysticQuest'' has Foresta, Aquaria, Fireburg, and Windia--guess which crystal corresponds to each town?
* Panau City, the capital of the micro-state of Panau, in ''VideoGame/JustCause2''.
* ''VideoGame/TheSims2'' has Pleasantview (a seemingly idyllic town in reference to ''{{Film/Pleasantville}}''), Strangetown (a town with mad scientists, mysterious murders and an abundance of space aliens) and Veronaville (a town based on ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'', as well as some of [[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Shakespeare's]] other plays).
* ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'': Pretty much every other town name follows this trope: we have Sunshade (a desert town with a shady secret), Flamesgrace (the birthplace of the Church of the Sacred Flame), Noblecourt (a city inhabited mostly by wealthy aristocrats and other blueblood types) just to name a few.
* ''VideoGame/OctopathTravelerII'' continues to follow this trope: we have Canalbrine (The quintessential CityOfCanals), Timberain (a city surrounded by a verdant forest that specialises in exporting lumber), Orerush (a stereotypical Wild West BoomTown founded due a silver rush) to name a few.

* Similarly, ''Webcomic/EightBitTheatre'' has such vividly named locations as "Dwarfland" and the "Forest of Trees".

* Due to the GiantCorpseWorld setting of ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'', most locations on the Boiling Isles are named after the body parts that they're built on or nearby. For example, the two cities that we see in series are Bonesborough (which is nestled in a series of rib-like bones) and Latissa (which is in the armpit, just above the ''latissimus dorsi'').

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' is set in Beach City, which is on the beach, [[NonIndicativeName though it's nowhere near large enough to be a city]]. A [[NoodleIncident vaguely described disaster]] happened in a nearby placed called Ocean Town. Both are apparently named after [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_City,_Maryland Ocean City, Maryland]] (which isn't a city either), [[NoCommunitiesWereHarmed one of the places Beach City is based on]].

* ''WesternAnimation/CatDog'': The characters live in Nearburg, a town next to Farburg.

* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' has North City, South City, and so on. Eventually one of them gets wiped out by Cell and is rebuilt as Satan City (named after professional wrestler-turned-world's "[[FakeUltimateHero strongest]]" man, Mr. Satan/Hercule).
* Many of the islands in ''Manga/OnePiece'' get this treatment, both the manga and the anime, with Alabasta, a desert kingdom, lying on ''Sandy Island'', and ''[[ShapedLikeItself Hand Island]]''. Also, Marine HQ originally laid on the island of '''Marine'''ford, which is mostly a giant fortified Marine base.

** Actually, if you translate the greek in Metropolis, you get: Mother-City. Of course, it has lost that colonial meaning over time.

** To avoid this trope, [[Creator/MarvelComics Marvel]] mostly uses real cities, like UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity.

* Golden City in Creator/DarkHorseComics.
* ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' is both the comic book series and its main setting. Justified in that the city was originally Romeyn Falls, but was later renamed to honor the superhero Astro-Naut when he died saving it.

* Duckburg, Calisota in the ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse, originally named so by Creator/CarlBarks.
** Similarly, in the 1990s, Mickey's hometown was given the name Mouseton and has managed to keep that name since then (except [[DependingOnTheWriter when Mickey apparently lives in Duckburg]]).
** And the French names are worse: The cities are named after the main characters (Mickeyville, Donaldville), which is inexplicable in-story.
** ComicBook/DarkwingDuck lives in St. Canard (French for "duck").
* Numerous examples in BritishComics. Beanotown the main setting from ''ComicBook/TheBeano'', Dandytown the main setting from ''ComicBook/TheDandy'', Cactusville Desperate Dan's wild west hometown and Whizztown home of none other than Billy Whizz.

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

* Franchise/TheIncredibles live in Metroville (a ShoutOut to ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' -- the name's a portmanteau of Metropolis and Series/{{Smallville}}). Judging by the name of the bank, the opening scene takes place in Municiberg.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* ''Film/DarkCity'' in the film of the same name. It's dark. But not necessarily the actual name of the city (if indeed it has one... or indeed ''only'' one).
* Bartertown in ''Film/MadMaxBeyondThunderdome''. Justified in that it's supposed to have been founded pretty recently.
** Film/MadMaxFuryRoad has Gastown and the Bullet Farm
* The Town in ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' is named Hill Valley.

* ''Film/{{Metropolis}}''.
* ''Film/KingKong'': Skull Island, which is its shape.

* Emerald City in ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz''.
* ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' has Landing City, as in "the place where the first colonist's shuttle landed", as the capital of Manticore. Helen Zilwiki lampshades it in ''Storm from the Shadows''.
** It's noted in ''Crown of Slaves'' that Landing is the most popular name for the capital.

* Whenever Creator/RobertAHeinlein placed a colony on the Moon, it was called Luna City. (The Chinese colony in ''Literature/TheMoonIsAHarshMistress'' was called "Hong Kong Luna".)
* In ''Fattypuffs and Thinifers'', the capital of Fattypuff is Fattyborough, and the capital of Thinifer is Thiniville. This is given a LampshadeHanging by Terry, who has been learning the dissimilarly-named capitals of RealLife countries.

* In ''[[Literature/RangersApprentice The Emperor of Nihon-Ja]]'' protagonists encounter a village in the woods named "village in the woods" in nihonese, and one that translates "lakeside village" - guess what's nearby. Emperor implies that it's a naming convention for most of smaller settlements in Nihon-Ja.
* The protagonist of ''[[https://www.amazon.co.uk/Boogie-Up-River-Source-Thames-ebook/dp/B00MPMWP9K/ref=la_B0034OK19O_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1533679606&sr=1-3&refinements=p_82%3AB0034OK19O%2Cp_n_binding_browse-bin%3A368165031 Boogie Up The River: One Man and His Dog to the Source of the Thames]]'' briefly gets it into his head that the towns of Oxford, Muleford and Swinford got their names from the fact that people used to drive herds of oxen, mules and swine across a river ford in or very near them. Then he reaches Duxford, and is forced to reevaluate.

* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'' Madison High School of the eponymous [[EverytownAmerica City of Madison]] has, as its main rival Clay City High School of the eponymous Clay City. Clay City is first introduced in the early radio RoadTrip episode "Game at Clay City". Notably, in the second television season opener, "Clay City Chaperone", Miss Brooks is chaperone in Clay City for the Madison cheerleaders attending the big football game between the two arch-rivals. In these episodes, its never explained who or what clay is. It may well be the soil. The trope, however, is averted in some later episodes where the rival high school is named [[UsefulNotes/HenryClay Henry Clay High]].

* Brüteville in "BulletInTheFace". It doesn't help that almost everyone shown has tried to kill someone.

* Lampshaded in an episode of ''Series/{{Grimm}}'', but with a RealLife city this time, when Sean Renard's half-brother Eric visits Portland. He concludes that "Portland" must be an unimaginative LineOfSightName.

* Millenium City in ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}''.
* How about TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'s [[RodentsOfUnusualSize Skavenblight]]? [[ArbitrarySkepticism Not that the Skaven actually exist, of course...]]

* Liberty City and Vice City in the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' series.
* Empire Bay in ''VideoGame/MafiaII''.
* Raccoon City in the ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' series.
* Several EA Sports video-games take place in the same fictional city of Bay City.

* Patriot City in ''VideoGame/FreedomForce'' games.
* The MMORPG ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' is set in "Paragon City".
* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'': Castle Oblivion. When playing the game, you might assume the castle's name is derived from the way it takes away your memories, but [[spoiler: that's actually Namine's doing and the Castle existed long before she did]].
* ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'''s cities and locations almost always have this naming scheme. ''[[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork6CybeastGregarAndCybeastFalzar Battle Network 6]]''[='=]s are named Central Town, Seaside Town, Green Town and Sky Town, all part of Cyber City. The older games have ACDC Town and Elec Town. They're part of Den City ([[BilingualBonus Den meaning electric in japanese]]), itself part of the nation of Electopia. There's also other countries such as Netopia and Yumland (a country known for its good food).
* Rivet City in ''VideoGame/Fallout3''
* To an extent Ravenholm and City 17 in ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'', though the latter is justified, since human city names have been reduced to numbers by the Combine rulers.

* Similar to the French Disney comic example, [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry Donkey Kong's]] home island is named Donkey Kong Island. It has also gone by the names Kongoland (in ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster''), Kongo Bongo Island (in [[WesternAnimation/DonkeyKongCountry the DKC cartoon]]), and Kong Isle (in the ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'' manual).