When you hear "Hollywood," you probably think of the glitzy Los Angeles neighborhood with its famous sign, movie studios, and star-studded sidewalks. But California doesn't have a monopoly on the name. There are actually 24 places called Hollywood in the United States, making America the country with the most Hollywoods in the world.

These towns are scattered across nearly every corner of the country—from Hollywood, Alabama to Hollywood, West Virginia, with stops in Florida, Maryland, South Carolina, and even Idaho along the way. Some are tiny unincorporated communities with just a handful of residents, while others are legitimate cities. Hollywood, Florida, for instance, is a coastal city of over 140,000 people, making it larger than many state capitals.

The Trademark Battle

In 1994, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in Los Angeles tried to trademark the name "Hollywood" to protect its brand. Eleven towns named Hollywood banded together to fight the trademark attempt—and they won. The courts ruled that "Hollywood" had become too generic to trademark, partly because so many communities across America had been using the name for decades.

It was a rare case of small-town America standing up to the entertainment capital and winning. Hollywood, Alabama and its fellow Hollywoods successfully argued that they had just as much right to the name as the famous California neighborhood.

Why So Many Hollywoods?

Most of these towns predate the California Hollywood's rise to fame. Many were named for holly trees that grew in the area—"Hollywood" simply means "forest of holly." Others adopted the name hoping to capture some of that California glamour once Los Angeles became synonymous with the film industry.

The next time someone mentions Hollywood, you might want to ask which one. Odds are pretty good there's one closer to you than you think.

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