Over 2,000,0000 place names available from the GNIS     (Geographic Names Information System) developed by the USGS.

Type	Description
All Types	selects all the defined types
airport	manmade facility maintained for the use of aircraft (airfield, airstrip, landing field, landing strip).
arch	natural arch like opening in a rock mass (bridge, natural bridge, sea arch).
area	any one of several areally extensive natural features not included in other categories (badlands, barren, delta, fan, garden).
arroyo	watercourse or channel through which water may occasionally flow (coulee, draw, gully, wash).
bar	natural accumulation of sand, gravel, or alluvium forming an underwater or exposed embankment (ledge, reef, sandbar, shoal, spit).
basin	natural depression or relatively low area enclosed by higher land (amphitheater, cirque, pit, sink).
bay	indentation of a coastline or shoreline enclosing a part of a body of water; a body of water partly surrounded by land (arm, bight, cove, estuary, gulf, inlet, sound).
beach	the sloping shore along a body of water that is washed by waves or tides and is usually covered by sand or gravel (coast, shore, strand).
bench	area of relatively level land on the flank of an elevation such as a hill, ridge, or mountain where the slope of the land rises on one side and descends on the opposite side (level).
bend	curve in the course of a stream and (or) the land within the curve; a curve in a linear body of water (bottom, loop, meander).
bridge	manmade structure carrying a trail, road, or other transportation system across a body of water or depression (causeway, overpass, trestle).
building	a manmade structure with walls and a roof for protection of people and (or) materials, but not including church, hospital, or school.
canal	manmade waterway used by watercraft or for drainage, irrigation, mining, or water power (ditch, lateral).
cape	projection of land extending into a body of water (lea, neck, peninsula, point).
cave	natural underground passageway or chamber, or a hollowed out cavity in the side of a cliff (cavern, grotto).
cemetery	a place or area for burying the dead (burial, burying ground, grave, memorial garden).
census	A statistical area delineated locally specifically for the tabulation of Census Bureau data (census designated place, census county division, unorganized territory, various types of American Indian/Alaska Native statistical areas). Distinct from Civil and Populated Place.
channel	linear deep part of a body of water through which the main volume of water flows and is frequently used as a route for watercraft (passage, reach, strait, thoroughfare, throughfare).
church	building used for religious worship (chapel, mosque, synagogue, tabernacle, temple).
city	same as populated place
civil	a political division formed for administrative purposes (borough, county, municipio, parish, town, township).
cliff	very steep or vertical slope (bluff, crag, head, headland, nose, palisades, precipice, promontory, rim, rimrock).
crater	circular-shaped depression at the summit of a volcanic cone or one on the surface of the land caused by the impact of a meteorite; a manmade depression caused by an explosion (caldera, lua).
crossing	a place where two or more routes of transportation form a junction or intersection (overpass, underpass).
dam	water barrier or embankment built across the course of a stream or into a body of water to control and (or) impound the flow of water (breakwater, dike, jetty).
falls	perpendicular or very steep fall of water in the course of a stream (cascade, cataract, waterfall).
flat	relative level area within a region of greater relief (clearing, glade, playa).
forest	bounded area of woods, forest, or grassland under the administration of a political agency (see woods) (national forest, national grasslands, State forest).
gap	low point or opening between hills or mountains or in a ridge or mountain range (col, notch, pass, saddle, water gap, wind gap).
geyser	eruptive spring from which hot water and (or) steam and in some cases mud are periodically thrown.
glacier	body or stream of ice moving outward and downslope from an area of accumulation; an area of relatively permanent snow or ice on the top or side of a mountain or mountainous area (icefield, ice patch, snow patch).
gut	relatively small coastal waterway connecting larger bodies of water or other waterways (creek, inlet, slough).
harbor	sheltered area of water where ships or other watercraft can anchor or dock (hono, port, roads, roadstead).
hospital	building where the sick or injured may receive medical or surgical attention (infirmary).
island	area of dry or relatively dry land surrounded by water or low wetland (archipelago, atoll, cay, hammock, hummock, isla, isle, key, moku, rock).
isthmus	narrow section of land in a body of water connecting two larger land areas.
lake	natural body of inland water (backwater, lac, lagoon, laguna, pond, pool, resaca, waterhole).
lava	formations resulting from the consolidation of molten rock on the surface of the Earth (kepula, lava flow).
levee	natural or manmade embankment flanking a stream (bank, berm).
locale	place at which there is or was human activity; it does not include populated places, mines, and dams (battlefield, crossroad, camp, farm, ghost town, landing, railroad siding, ranch, ruins, site, station, windmill).
military	Place or facility used for various aspects of or relating to military activity.
mine	place or area from which commercial minerals are or were removed from the Earth; not including oilfield (pit, quarry, shaft).
oilfield	area where petroleum is or was removed from the Earth.
other	category for miscellaneous named manmade entities that cannot readily be placed in the other feature classes listed here.
park	place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a cultural or natural resource and under some form of government administration; not including National or State forests or Reserves (national historical landmark, national park, State park).
pillar	vertical, standing, often spire shaped, natural rock formation (chimney, monument, pinnacle, pohaku, rock tower).
plain	a region of general uniform slope, comparatively level and of considerable extent (grassland, highland, kula, plateau, upland).
post office	United States post office
populated place	place or area with clustered or scattered buildings and a permanent human population (city, settlement, town, village).
range	chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra).
rapids	fast flowing section of a stream, often shallow and with exposed rock or boulders (riffle, ripple).
reserve	a tract of land set aside for a specific use (does not include forests, civil divisions, parks).
reservoir	artificially impounded body of water (lake, tank).
ridge	elevation with a narrow, elongated crest which can be part of a hill or mountain (crest, cuesta, escarpment, hogback, lae, rim, spur).
school	building or group of buildings used as an institution for study, teaching, and learning (academy, college, high school, university).
sea	large body of salt water (gulf, ocean).
slope	a gently inclined part of the Earth's surface (grade, pitch).
spring	place where underground water flows naturally to the surface of the Earth (seep).
stream	linear body of water flowing on the Earth's surface (anabranch, awawa, bayou, branch, brook, creek, distributary, fork, kill, pup, rio, river, run, slough).
summit	prominent elevation rising above the surrounding level of the Earth's surface; does not include pillars, ridges, or ranges (ahu, berg, bald, butte, cerro, colina, cone, cumbre, dome, head, hill, horn, knob, knoll, mauna, mesa, mesita, mound, mount)
swamp	poorly drained wetland, fresh or saltwater, wooded or grassy, possibly covered with open water (bog, cienega, marais, marsh, pocosin).
tower	a manmade structure, higher than its diameter, generally used for observation, storage, or electronic transmission.
trail	route for passage from one point to another; does not include roads or highways (jeep trail, path, ski trail).
tunnel	linear underground passageway open at both ends.
unknown	This class is assigned to legacy data only. It will not be assigned to new or edited records.
valley	linear depression in the Earth's surface that generally slopes from one end to the other (barranca, canyon, chasm, cove, draw, glen, gorge, gulch, gulf, hollow, ravine).
well	manmade shaft or hole in the Earth's surface used to obtain fluid or gaseous materials.
woods	small area covered with a dense growth of trees; does not include an area of trees under the administration of a political agency (see forest).