Why Does Google Say Topeka?

If you’re looking to crawl the web via Google, you’re in for a rude awakening: the company has changed its name to Topeka, in honor of the Kansas city by the same name.

(Today is also April Fool’s Day. We’ll leave the speculating up to you.)

So, what’s the Topeka Google connection? It all started with the search engine’s “Fiber for Communities” program, which is going to endow select U.S. communities with blazing fast broadband cables.

In an effort to become one sure community, Topeka, Kansas, unofficially changed its name to Google, Kansas for all of March. Brownnoser much?

Anyway, the search engine was so touched by the gesture that it is returning the favor by means of this Google April Fool prank. The company even changed its outdoor sign to reflect the Google name change.

Tomorrow, though, we expect to see that famous Google logo back in its rightful place.