[al_c]

The "th" simply vanishes from names like "South Side."

A common Texas occurance. Take the town Smithville, for example. The locals call it Smi'ville. The Fayetteville locals call their town Fedville.

Very heavy Czech and German population down that way. If I'm not mistaken, your area is heavy on German heritage, is it not? Perhaps some Czech, too?

[SoothingDave]

The Fayetteville locals call their town Fedville.

Well that's almost downright British. You ever see some place names in England and then see how they're pronounced. You can start with "Worcestershire."

Very heavy Czech and German population down that way. If I'm not mistaken, your area is heavy on German heritage, is it not? Perhaps some Czech, too?

Anybody with a strong back who wanted to dig in the mines or work in the mills. Lots of Irish, Italian, German, Polish, and Eastern European (collectively "hunkies")

SD

[malakhi]

Very heavy Czech and German population down that way. If I'm not mistaken, your area is heavy on German heritage, is it not? Perhaps some Czech, too?

I'm surrounded by Germans, Poles and Dutch. I'm about the only Italian in the phone book. I'm probably the only Sicilian Jew in the state of Wisconsin!