With Thanksgiving in Canada this week and the US’s celebrations coming up at the end of November, our thoughts are turning to the places from where settlers came to the “New World” after a long voyage from the “Old”.
England / New England
Containing many of the oldest cities and towns in the USA, the six states making up New England saw some of the earliest European settlements in North America. Indeed, the historic Mayflower voyage departed from Plymouth, England to land at what would become Plymouth, Massachusetts. Although the prospect of a fresh start may have motivated their journey, they still sought a certain symmetry and found much familiar in the new land. In the architecture of national treasures such as Boston College, for instance, visitors may still see some of old England’s character in New England. Search and compare flights to New Plymouth or search and compare flights to Plymouth
Ireland / New Ireland
“One of the last natural frontiers” aptly describes New Ireland, one of the most diverse and untouched regions on earth.
York / New York
“So good they named it twice” (although it has known many names) the Big Apple is undoubtedly at the forefront of world cities, the quintessential sky-scraping, ever-busy metropolis. One of the USA’s oldest and grandest, it takes its name from a Yorkshire city that has itself existed in one form or another since at least 95AD. Both river cities – one the Hudson, the other the Ouse – the two Yorks may seem worlds apart but are both cultural hubs offering the likes of Carnegie Hall, the Met and the Cathedral of St John the Divine on one hand and the Theatre Royal, the Yorkshire Museum and York Minster on the other. Search and compare flights to New York City or search and compare flights to York
Amsterdam / New Amsterdam
New York’s title during its first iteration as 17th century Dutch colonial settlement, New Amsterdam was how it was known to crucial figures such as Peter Stuyvesant, after whom areas of modern NYC such as Bedford-Stuyvesant are named. Many place-names in the city are anglicised version of Dutch words, for instance Coney Island which is derived from “Konijn Eiland” or “Rabbit Island” in reference to the abundance of the animals found there in bygone times. With New York already having been listed, some may question this feature’s inclusion of New Amsterdam as well. We think it serves to further illustrate how fundamental multiculturalism is to ever-changing America, something to be celebrated and thanks given for at this time of year especially. Search and compare flights to Amsterdam
Jersey / New Jersey
With the antics of some of the more abrasive inhabitants of New Jersey gracing our screens of late, it may be easy to forget the Garden State’s long-standing charms as a holiday destination. Indeed, the Jersey Shore’s Atlantic City was a popular resort as far back as a century ago, its piers and boardwalk lined with amusements to delight holidaymakers. Across the Atlantic, meanwhile, “old” Jersey has a coastal charm of its own. The unique Anglo-French cultural mix of the Channel Islands makes Jersey a destination with much in common with the UK but a great deal to distinguish it. Search and compare flights to New Jersey or search and compare flights to Jersey
Scotland / Nova Scotia
It is perhaps fitting, in a geographical sense, that ‘New Scotland’ (to give it its English rather than Latin title) is so named. Nova Scotia’s Scottish identity runs deeper than this however, as the first documented Scottish settlement in the Americas and one that still has an estimated 2,000 Gaelic speakers among its population. The region even has its own provincial tartan – the first in Canada – which is officially recognized by Scotland’s heraldic regulators the Lyon Court. Search and compare flights to Nova Scotia or search and compare flights to Scotland
Brunswick / New Brunswick
The largest Maritimes province was named in 1784 in honour of King George III who was also Duke of Brunswick. The “old” Brunswick is in Lower Saxony, Germany. New Brunswick has three coastlines and the Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world. Old Brunswick is the largest city in the area between Hanover and Berlin, its attractions are less covered-bridges and lighthouses, more historic Old Town and richly decorated Gothic churches. Search and compare flights to New Brunswick or search and compare flights to Brunswick
Westminster / New Westminster
New Westminster, the city in Western Canada, was the capital of the Colony of British Columbia between 1858 and 1866. Victoria, now, is the political centre of the province, leaving New Westminster a charming river-side city with heritage sites and quaint Victorian-era houses. Westminster in London is where the political heart of the British Empire has beaten for centuries. The Gothic spires of the Houses of Parliament pierce the often leaden sky, Big Ben keeps time for the nation and streets of cliff-like Georgian houses have stood unchanging for hundreds of years. Search and compare flights to New Westminster or search and compare flights to Westminster, London.
South Wales / New South Wales
The state of New South Wales’s name isn’t all it has in common with its UK counterpart: Swansea, Cardiff, Neath and Aberdare are place-names that can be found on opposite sides of the planet too. Both are also notable for their abundance of natural beauty: New South Wales contains over 820 national parks and reserves, and around 20 per cent of old-world counterpart Wales’ landmass is composed of national parks Snowdonia, the Pembrokeshire Coast and Brecon Beacons. Search and compare flights to New South Wales or search and compare flights to South Wales
Zealand / New Zealand
The Dutch province from which New Zealand takes its name is also made up of a number of islands, which may go some way toward explaining why settlers found it appropriate to bestow the moniker, which means “sea-land”, upon the pacific archipelago as well. Both Zealands are popular with fans of water-sports such as surfing and other aquatic activities: in fact, the Netherlands province’s is widely regarded as one of the nation’s best scuba-diving areas. Search and compare flights to New Zealand or search and compare flights to the Netherlands
Orleans / New Orleans
Characteristic of the multi-ethnic patchwork that is the United States of America and like the gumbo that it is famous for, New Orleans is made up of a little bit of everything. The Big Easy’s Gallic aspects are particularly prominent, however: the city flaunts its unique Cajun and Creole heritage with pride, from its carnival and cooking to its mix of languages and its music. Such is its significance that the French Quarter, oldest neighbourhood in the city and its original centre, has even been designated a National Historic Landmark. Search and compare flights to New Orleans or search and compare flights to Orleans
