California town thought (incorrectly) to be named from a backward "bakery" sign

YREKA

This Northern California mining town’s name is a palindrome and sits along the historic Siskiyou Trail near the Oregon border.

This clue plays on a popular myth about Yreka, a small town in Northern California. The story goes that its name came from a "bakery" sign being read backward, though that’s not actually true—the name is derived from the Shasta word for "white mountain." The clue hints at this urban legend by suggesting the backward-reading trick, which spells "YREKA" when you flip "bakery." It’s a fun bit of wordplay that relies on the quirky (but false) origin tale.