If you ask people in surrounding counties what they think of Cedar Creek Lake residents, adjectives like "different," "quirky" and "offbeat" are likely to enter the conversation.
And now it is official. Cedar Creek Lake's major city, Gun Barrel City, has made the list of the "Top 20 Most Oddly Named Towns in the South." The list was compiled by Country Outfitter Life, which ranked the lake town at number 19.
No other locale in the United States shares the name, which came to be because the road running through Mabank, Gun Barrel City and Payne Springs was long and straight, like the barrel of a rifle.
Other Texas towns making the list include Cut and Shoot, Bigfoot, Looneyville and Uncertain.
My personal favorite is Looneyville, which I may visit for no other reason than to say I've been there and to send a postcard with the postmark "Looneyville."