Indigenous
Topeka
Kansas (KS)est. 1854pop. 125,475/tuh-PEE-kuh/
The meaning
“A good place to dig wild potatoes”
How it got the name
The founders wanted a name that was short, easy to say, and unlike any other town's. A local resident offered Topeka, a Kansa-Osage phrase for a spot where the edible tuber known as the prairie potato could be dug. It is one of the few state capitals named for a vegetable.