The Italian city of Lodi is located in the northern region of Lombardy, southeast of Milan. It is an ancient village as old as the Roman empire filled with historic buildings and churches representing many periods of Italian history. The city was also the site of the Battle of Lodi. The 1796 battle between Napoleon Bonaparte and the Austrian army served as a crucial moment for the French general to regain the trust of his men by defeating a larger force. The battle was depicted in a painting by Baron Lejuene Louis-François showing the armies clashing on the famous Lodi Bridge. Five cities in the United States bear the name Lodi, each for different reasons.
Lodi, New Jersey
The Dutch first settled in northeastern New Jersey calling parts of what is now Essex, Bergen, and Hudson County New Barbadoes. Portions of these counties were eventually added to Lodi Township. Over two centuries, new boroughs were cut from the township, and finally, in 1894, all that was left was Lodi Borough. Local historians in Lodi claim the town is named after the city in Italy, and there is a large Italian American community living in Lodi. However, it is unclear today's borough is named for the former township that had once encompassed the area, and there is no evidence either way as to why the Dutch named the area after an Italian city. Today, about a third of residents identify as Italian American.
Lodi, New York
This Finger Lakes village was named for the Italian city because of the local geography. Created in 1826, but first surveyed in the years after the Revolutionary War, the high banks of nearby Seneca Lake were the inspiration for the name. They reminded surveyors of the fortress walls built to protect the Italian city of Lodi.
Lodi, Michigan
Incorporated in 1834, the town was named after Lodi, New York, and originally known as Lodi Plains. There was also an unincorporated community in Kalkaska County at one time called Lodi.
Lodi, Ohio
Originally settled as Harrisville, Lodi is one of the oldest settlements in Medina County. However, when it was incorporated in 1891, the town changed its name to Lodi to commemorate Napoleon's victory in 1796 in Lodi, Italy.
Lodi, California
At first the town was known as Mokelumne. Originally founded in 1869, five years later the name was officially changed in 1874. Locals dispute the reasons for the name change. One theory suggests the name was chosen because settlers from Lodi, Illinois arrived in California. However, further confusing the matter, Illinois no longer has a Lodi – the communities of Oswego, Maple Park, and Clark Center were all at one time known as Lodi. None of that might matter at all, because another theory is the town is named after the Lodi Bridge over the Adda river in Italy, the site of Napoleon's battle with the Austrians. The current Lodi Bridge dates to 1864, but in 1796 it represented a crucial crossing point along the river.
Ian MacAllen
Ian MacAllen is America Domani's Senior Correspondent and the author of Red Sauce: How Italian Food Became American. He is a writer, editor, and graphic designer living in Brooklyn. Connect with him at IanMacAllen.com or on Twitter @IanMacAllen.