How many abnormal Midwestern town names do you know how to pronounce?
Words by Jenny Krane
Video by Levi Larson
Midwesterners take a few things very seriously: hotdishes, the Cubs and their hometowns.
Popping that silent “P” can get you in real trouble when you’re talking about someone’s roots. In towns with abnormally-spelled or pronounced names, the knowledge of the correct pronunciation is critical if you don’t want to be labeled an automatic out-of-towner.
This is the case in Wayzata (Why-ZET-ta), Minnesota. Take it from the town’s mayor, Ken Willcox.
“Minnesotans know how to pronounce [Wayzata], but no one else does,” Willcox said. “You can always tell if there is a new weather person on the news by how they butcher local town names.”
Willcox says he often corrects improper pronunciation “to keep [people] from embarrassing themselves in the future.”
Donald Rouse, city hall employee of 16 years in Nevada (Nah-VAY-dah), Iowa, follows a similar suit when it comes to lingering vowels.
“If it’s someone that is moving into [Nevada], I definitely let them know that they need to pronounce it correctly,” Rouse said. “Otherwise, people will still think that they’re from out of town.”
People often assume that the town of Nevada is pronounced like the state, but Rouse says 
Midwesterners could bank on the town of Nevada ten years before the casino-fueled Battle Born State was founded in 1864.
“It’s spelled exactly the same,” Rouse said. “But what we always say is that the city was established before the state was, so we say it right.”
The Illinois’ town of Vienna (vai-EH-nuh) faces a similar obstacle, sharing the spelling, but not the pronunciation, with the capital of Austria. Madrid (MAD-rid), Iowa, and New Prague (PRAY-g), Minnesota are in the same boat, using different pronunciations than those of the European cities.
Local knowledge is important to
Midwestern towns, especially in those with unconventionally pronounced names. But if you’re new in town and get stuck on a pronunciation, just ask. The “Midwestern nice” stereotype is true—the locals will be happy to help. Or smugly correct you while still maintaining a 100-watt smile. It could go either way.
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