If you live in Massachusetts, you're probably familiar with the nursery rhyme "Lynn, Lynn, City of Sin". In fact, Lynn's perception got so bad at one point that they considered changing the name to something more pleasant.

Lynn, Massachusetts

Lynn, Lynn, the city of sin
You never come out the way you came in.
You ask for water, yet they give you gin
The girls say no, but they always give in.
There are a couple ideas of where this little ditty may have came from. One theory was that it came out of prohibition, the other is related to sailors and women.

In 1997, they wanted to cancel "Lynn" and change it to "Ocean Park, MA".

It failed.

In 1997, Lynn's solicitor, Michael Barry, proposed changing the name of the city to Ocean Park, but voters turned him down.

“Thought they wanted to change the name to Ocean Park some years ago? So it was Ocean Park Ocean Park never go out after dark?!”

I had forgotten about that, but it’s true. That was one of the movements afoot the year I covered the city as a reporter in 1997. I thought it was a stupid idea from the start, and I’m glad most people didn’t take it seriously. -theocddiaries.com

The only city or town I can think of that changed its name in Massachusetts was Manchester By The Sea. Due to its confusion with nearby Manchester, NH, they changed Manchester, MA to Manchester By The Sea in 1989

Lynn's Reputation Was Bad At One Time, But A Name Change Was Not The Solution

Lynn has a lot of great history, it isn't all murder, crime and drugs.

  • 2,200 acre Lynn Woods forest
  • The country's first jet engine (G.E.)
  • Historic shoe manufacturing
  • Beautiful beaches
  • Cuisine
  • Manning Bowl

LOOK: Controversial songs from the year you were born

Stacker celebrates history's most boundary-pushing—and thereby controversial—songs from 1930 through today.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

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