Which North American city has a name said to be derived from the local Native American word for "smelly onion"?

Chicago is said to be derived from the Algonquin word for wild onions, "chigagou". It is also claimed that the name origin is the Miami-Illinois word “shikaakwa,” which means “striped skunk” or “smelly onion”. "Allium tricoccum" is a North American species of wild onion widespread across eastern Canada and the eastern United States.

The “smelly onion” version gathers most favour amongst researchers because the original indigenous people of the area, the Miami-Illinois, were known for naming natural landmarks after plants that grew in or near them, while naming something after an animal was a rarity. The plant-based naming system was practical because it was a reminder of what plants grew where, providing an easy reference for gathering food. Plant-based naming is also prevalent in other Algonquin languages.

The Miami-Illinois people have also left their mark on several rivers in the area, including Indiana’s Salamonie River (from "oonsaalamooni siipiiwi", or bloodroot river) and Sugar Creek (from "ahsenaamisi siipiiwi", or maple tree sugar river).

It is, therefore, likely that “Shikaakwa” was the word for the a stream near Chicago because of the "allium tricoccum" that grew in the watershed. When the French began their explorations of the area, they took the word and “Frenchified” it, turning it into the “Chicago” we know today. The explorer Robert de la Salle is credited with recording the first precursor to Chicago, which he called “Checagou”.