America is a land of stories, and stories have a way of being reduced to a shorthand everyone knows. Sometimes this shorthand isn't fair, and other times, if anything, it inflates reputations beyond all reason. America's geography isn't immune to this phenomenon. Every state has its state motto. Every highway has its nickname. Every city has its moniker.

How well-traveled are you in these United States? Most Americans barely move from the place of their birth, yet some have crossed the continent several times, learning of local communities far flung from their place of origin. Cities large and small have reputations for being a certain way - and it is the legends that are passed down, not the facts.

In music, literature, film and theater, we tell stories about the U.S. based in a preconceived notion about how things are here. America's stories are used as a sort of lexicon for places from Los Angeles to New York, so we can talk about things, places or people without ever directly referencing them.

In this quiz, your local knowledge will be put to the test. Can you name 35 famous American cities based on brief descriptions of them? This may sound easy, but how many major U.S. cities can you really name this way? Take the quiz and find out!