I noticed a recent record in the website logs that geolocated to Mountain View, California. That’s hardly a unique occurrence. I’ve had plenty of readers from Mountain View in the past. The only difference is that I happened to wonder whether Mountain View actually had a mountain view this time. I don’t know why. That also led me to ponder if Mountain Home, Idaho is really a mountain home. And what about Rocky Top, Tennessee?
Mountain View, California
A quick look in Google Maps’ terrain setting confirms that mountains slope decidedly downward near the outskirts of Mountain View (map). These are the Santa Cruz Mountains clinging to the San Francisco peninsula on their way southward towards Salinas. They separate the Santa Clara Valley and the City of Mountain View from the Pacific Ocean. Loma Prieta Peak, the highpoint, reaches 3,786 feet (1,154 metres). That’s fairly impressive so close to the seacoast.
But does the city have a mountain view? I decided to check this claim within the downtown area next to City Hall. I opened an image at the intersection of Mercy Street and Castro Street. Indeed, mountains appear in the background. They aren’t a dominant scenic feature of the background but they certainly exist and they are clearly visible. Mountain View seems to be an accurate claim, assuming one means a view of mountains rather than a view from mountains.
Mountain Home, Idaho
In contrast, Mountain Home seems to require a wider stretch of the imagination than Mountain View. The terrain maps shows a city on a relatively flat plain (map). Certainly, there are mountains within the vicinity however the name of the town is Mountain Home not Mountains Nearby. It seems like a name made up by land speculators and real estate developers to attract those unfamiliar with the underlying geography.
If it’s going to be called Mountain Home, well, it should have homes on a mountain. I find the claim to be somewhat spurious.
Rocky Top, Tennessee
Give yourself a pat on the back if you knew instinctively that this one was a ringer. Tennessee doesn’t have a single town named Rocky Top according to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. It’s fictional. There are three peaks in Tennessee called Rocky Top, however.
For the uninitiated, Rocky Top is a song probably as closely associated with Tennessee as Country Roads is associated with West Virginia. It was written as a Bluegrass tune when composed by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant in 1967, but it’s often covered by Country musicians and of course the University of Tennessee marching band.
Rocky Top includes many of the usual Appalachian stereotypes prominently within its lyrics including moonshine, simpler times, and the inherent superiority of rural life. It also includes an infectious chorus.
“Rocky Top you’ll always be
Home sweet home to me
Good ole Rocky Top
Rocky Top, Tennessee
Rocky Top, Tennessee”
Now, that should stick in your head for the rest of the day. You’re welcome.
If there was a “real” Rocky Top it would probably be the one that’s part of Thunderhead Mountain along the Tennessee/North Carolina border, within Great Smoky Mountains National Park (map). The Bryants composed Rocky Top while living in nearby Gatlinburg
From the Mailbag
A tip of the circle to longtime reader Greg for making me aware of a cartoon featuring borders in a recent edition of Dinosaur Comics. Thanks Greg! This certainly meets the 12MC definition of humor.
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