The town I grew up in,
Gaston, Oregon, was named for the first president of the Oregon Central Railroad,
Joseph P. Gaston. He drained a swamp that became part of the town area, although today the town is mostly on the hill to the west of the drained area. At the time it was named, there was passenger rail service to Portland, about 25 miles away, but today there aren't even tracks although as a boy I would occasionally find old railroad spikes. He has a pretty significant place in Oregon history, especially the Portland area, but is relatively unknown today.
The name of the city I was born in,
Boise, Idaho, is derived from the French words for the trees or woods that exist along the river of the same name that runs through it. Exactly who named it is not known for certain but all plausible stories do include someone of French-speaking origin starting the tradition - a French guide in some stories, just unnamed French-Canadian trappers in others. For many miles in every direction, there is very limited woodland, so the woodland surrounding the Boise River in the area where the City now stands was a significant feature for Europeans arriving in the area in the early days.
The name of the city where I've spent the majority of my life,
Chicago, is (per
Wikipedia) "derived from a French rendering of the indigenous Miami-Illinois word shikaakwa for a wild relative of the onion; it is known to botanists as Allium tricoccum and known more commonly as 'ramps'." And, even today, it's not uncommon to find ramps on dinner menus of Chicago-area fine dining restaurants when they're in season.