In 2007, Cuba, MO flew its 150th anniversary flag.
There are eight Cubas in the U.S. besides Cuba, Missouri: Cuba, Alabama; Cuba, Illinois; Cuba, Kansas; Cuba, New Mexico; Cuba (village), New York; Cuba, (town), New York; Cuba City, Wisconsin; and Cuba Township, Minnesota
Cuba, Alabama is about 71 miles SW of Tuscaloosa and has a population of about 320. Although Cuba, Alabama is small, it has a museum just as Cuba, MO does. An enterprising person sells Kinterbish Tiger sportswear online. I could not figure out what or who a Kinterbish was, but the word is attached to all the schools and the volunteer fire department. There may be a separate town called Kinterbish as well.
The Cuba, Alabama Post Office
Cuba, Illinois has a 1400 population and their sports team is the Cuba Cardinals. I could not find much about this town other than statistics. I hope someone can use the comment section below to give more info.
Cuba, Kansas has a population of a little over 200. American southerners traveling westward after the Civil War founded the town in 1868. The city got its name from a settler who had once lived on the isle of Cuba. Other early settlers were Czech immigrants from Bohemia who settled in the 1870s. There were also Austrian settlers. The town has received attention due to its small town America nature documented by photographer Jim Richardson. Cuba, Kansas and Jim Richardson were highlighted on the “CBS News Sunday Morning Show” in 1983 and May 9, 2004 as well as in the May 2004 issue of National Geographic Magazine.
The town of Cuba, New York holds the village of Cuba within its boundaries. According to the Cuba New York Chamber of Commerce, they are known for their Garlic Festival, they were founded in 1822, and in the 1900s, they were the Cheese Center of the World. They still have a Cuba Cheese Museum. A tribe of Seneca Indians lives on the western town line. The population is around 3400.
This informative sign promotes Cuba, New York.
According to wikipedia, the Cuba Village of New York has a population of 1633 and is the birthplace of Charles Ingalls, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s father (Pa). The village of Cuba is in the western part of the Town of Cuba. It also mentions that North Cuba and South Cuba are small communities north and south of the village.
It seems that in New York that you can’t have too many Cubas. There are Cubas within Cubas.
Cuba, New Mexico has a population of about 1000 although it serves an area of 5000. The many large private ranches make it a good place to hunt and see wildlife. It is also known for the beauty of the land and its sunsets. They raise cattle, sheep, and goats. Their website says there are several ideas about how they got their name. “One story claims that the name came from the Spanish word for water tank/trough, Cubeta. Cuba was once surrounded by a great deal of water. Another popular story claims that the name came from soldiers who had visited the island of Cuba and felt the landscape resembled that of the island.”
Just like Cuba, MO, Cuba City, Wisconsin has a caboose.
Cuba City, Wisconsin, population 2100, bills itself the City of Presidents because it has Presidential Banners displayed along Main Street. Their official website points out that they are a mere 17 miles from Dubuque, Iowa. They are surrounded by the Mississippi River, Wisconsin River, state parks, snowmobile trails, and ski resorts. It’s probably pretty cold in this Cuba in the winter.
Norwegians and Swedes settled the Cuba Township in Minnesota. It’s in Becker County and has a population of 208. It lists five lakes in the area, so there is probably some good fishing. One lake is called Stinking Lake–might not want to eat the fish from that one.
What could be said about Cuba, MO “Route 66 Mural City”? There is a lot of art in the Route 66 town, it has a Chamber of Commerce, and in the 1900s “Apple was king” because of its apple industry.The population is around 3200. There is a museum and a war memorial, and you can find a lot of information on-line. Both the chamber website and the Viva Cuba site give a lot of Cuba, MO info. The newspaper is the Cuba Free Press. Magazine articles and TV shows have featured the mural project. It must be a sweet town because it has its own candy bar.
Cuba, MO has its own candy bar and art cards of the murals.
Maybe we can send some of our candy bars to Cuba, New York and trade for Cuba Cheese.
It is easier to find out information about a town if it has a good on-line presence. I guess that is important if you want to draw tourism or development. The listing here is just that—a listing. It takes knowledge of the history, the culture, the economy, and the people of the town to tell a town’s story.
Not to confuse the issue, there is also a German rock band called Cuba, Missouri. They thought it was an exotic sounding title. You can find some of their music on YouTube.
If anyone knows more about the above towns, let us know in the comment section below. We are sure these towns have some great attributes that we didn’t find. It’s only half the story until we hear from you.
The Viva Cuba banner reflects interest in beautification and green projects.
To see how Cuba, Missouri got its name, check the comments section, here.
I am hoping to find a bell made by my great-grandfather, David Caughlan, which went to a school in Cuba, Missouri about 1857. A Dale Richardson wrote that the bell plus another larger C.S. Bell Co. bell were in the basement of the Cuba school. I’m researching. Something of a mystery!
Mary
After researching Mary’s request, we found that she had the wrong Cuba. It happens.
Cuba, Illinois is a small central Illinois town who’s mascot is the wildcats which changed from the the cardinals when the school co-op their sports program with Valley school district in 2000.
Thanks! We’d love to become a Friendship City with Cuba, IL. Is there a Chamber of Commerce or Office of Tourism you can direct me to for contact?
I visited Cuba, Missouri’s little historical museum and I was told that it was named by U.S. soldiers passing through Cuba during the Mexican American War 1846-1848.