My hometown. :)
I'll be interested in hearing how some of the pundits and newscasters from the east coast pronounce Spokane - I've heard many pronounce it as spok-cane - we pronounce it as spok-can.
Same with Oregon - folks in the Pacific NW pronounce it as or-e-gun - not or-e-gone.
Same with Nevada - it's ne-va-da, not ne-vAH-da
We have a lot of towns and areas with NW Native American (Indian) names - folks not in the area sometimes struggle to pronounce them (which is understandable).
Seattle – named after Chief Seattle, whose Lushootseed name was Siʔáł.[159]
Tacoma – from Lushootseed [təqʷúbəʔ] (earlier *təqʷúməʔ), "snow-covered mountain".[46]
Yakima
Puyallup
Kitsap Peninsula, Kitsap County – named after Chief Kitsap
Alki Beach
Snohomish – Lushootseed [sduhúbʃ], the name of a Salishan group (earlier *snuhúmʃ).[160]
Chiwawa River
Chinook, Chinook Pass
Cle Elum, Cle Elum River
Cowlitz County, Cowlitz River
Dosewallips River
Duckabush River
Duwamish River
Entiat, Entiat River
Hamma Hamma River
Hoh River
Hoquiam
Humptulips, Humptulips River
Hyak
Issaquah
Kachess Lake
Kittitas County, Kittitas
Neah Bay
Palouse
Pysht River
Sol Duc River
Spokane – from the Spokane dialect of Interior Salish spoqín.[161]
Tillicum
Tonasket
Tulalip Bay
Tumwater
Twisp, Twisp River
Wishkah River
Walla Walla
Stehekin
Okanogan
Omak
Orondo
Sammamish
Sequim
Skagit River
Skookumchuck River
Squaxin Island
Stillaguamish River
Suquamish
Nooksack River
Nisqually River
Chehalis, Chehalis River
Wenatchee, Wenatchee River
La Push – lapoos or labush is the Chinook Jargon adaptation of the fr. la bouche ("mouth")
Nespelem
Chelan, Lake Chelan
Pasayten River, Pasayten Wilderness
Snoqualmie, Snoqualmie Pass, Snoqualmie River
Skykomish River
Wenatchee
Toppenish
Wapato
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_place_names_in_the_United_States_of_Native_American_origin#Washington
My family is from Rathdrum, ID. My cousin has a beautiful spa in Couer D’ Alene, and nikos1121 is a graduate of the University of Idaho.
Love the list, remind folks how Puyallup is pronounced as one syllable. lol
Well, this makes me homesick! Lived in Washington for a little over 20 years - started out in Kirkland in the 1980’s, but got “crowded out” to Lake Chelan in the mid-90’s. Love the Puget Sound area, but the traffic and the shifting political winds prompted us to look to eastern WA and purchase a home there. My children still live in the greater Seattle area.
Big fan of Benaroya Hall and the Seattle Center; went to many events at each. Thanks for the memories!
It makes me happy somehow that so many places around the USA still have their Indian names.
Go Trump today in WA!
My hometown. :)