Kappa. Illinois

[oldu]

In passing through Illinois I saw a sign for the town of "Kappa." Any connection?

[ISUKappa]

Nope. According to wiki:

In 1833, Thomas Dixon became the first settler in the Kappa area. Over the next few years, other settlers moved in around the area, and eventually a railroad was built through the area. On May 23, 1853 rail service began, and postal service began. The first postmaster, William Jones, appointed the name Montrose, but the Illinois Central Railroad preferred Kappa. Kappa is the tenth letter in the Greek alphabet, and was applied to the town because it was the tenth town between Dunleith (modern-day East Dubuque, Illinois) and Bloomington.

[I.C. a Pi Phi]

Illinois must like using Greek Letters for the name of towns! Near Monmouth/Galesburg there is a town called "Alpha".

[LucyKKG]

Kappa is also a word in Japanese. I've seen it on a sushi menu before. Kappa roll!

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by LucyKKG

Kappa is also a word in Japanese. I've seen it on a sushi menu before. Kappa roll!

A Kappa ("river child") is a kind of water sprite in Japanese folklore. JK Rowling put them in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.