Virginia Placenames Pronunciation *1-3
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content by Don Desrosiers
wordsmithed by Adam Helman
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Standard pronunciation symbols are not used because most readers are unfamiliar with them.
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Virginia Voice note: From a guide intended for hikers, from a North Carolina group, looking for
“highpoints” along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Virginia Voice has added a few other place names that
might be of help to our readers. See county map at end of document.
How to Talk Virginian
While all areas of the country have various idiosyncrasies when it comes to the names of places and
things, this guide may help when stopping to speak with some of the local population so they don't
spot you as an obvious out of town tourist. A few of these pronunciations have been previously
mentioned in trip reports.
As with much regional pronunciation, when in doubt, reduce the word to as few syllables as possible
and you will generally be pronouncing correctly. I will omit obvious instances where front teeth are
missing or where as the police report says, "alcohol was involved." In such cases, you are on your own,
although using any pronunciation rules from home will generally suffice. As occurs in most locales, a
place like Waynesboro is frequently rendered close to "Waynes-burro", while Bedford often comes
out as "Bed-ferd". These are left as an exercise for the reader.
Places you’ll come across in the paper, local and beyond
Amissville - On US 211 between Warrenton and Skyline Drive. Rhymes with "Famous-ville".
Appalachian - North of I-64 go with "App-a-LAY-chun". South of there you would want to opt
for "App-a-LATCH-un", although that dividing line is dotted. You probably won't be called on this
one either way.
Botetourt - "BOT-a-tot". Possibly the most non-obvious pronunciation in the bunch.
The nice thing is that is sort of rhymes within itself.
Boulevard - A large street in Richmond with its own exit from I-95. This road is a single name. Thus,
one might say they live at "on Boulevard". Nobody lives "on The Boulevard". If you are from the
upper mid-west you will be familiar with this construct. People there eat "hot dish".
Buchanan - This one depends on context. First is Buchanan County, home of Big A Mtn. It is properly
pronounced "buh-CAN-on" (almost "buh-cannon"). Next is the town of Buchanan, in Botetourt
County. Again pronounced "bu-CAN-on". Finally, there is James Buchanan, 15th US president, and
pronounced "BEW-can-on". Some things are not easily explained. Similarly, exactly why Buchanan
is in Botetourt County is not obvious, but then again Dickensonville is in Russell County.
Buena Vista - "BEW-na VIS-ta" or "BV". Pronounced as "BWAY-na VEES-ta" or "BWAY-na
VIS-ta"
and you are talking about somewhere else.
Charlottesville - Home of "You-vee-ay". You can go with the full name or shorten to "See-ville".
Callao – East of Tappahannock on the Northern Neck, pronounced "CAL-ee-oh".
Chincoteague - Where Misty was from. Pronounced "CHINK-o-teeg".
Covington - First syllable rhymes with "love".
Crozet - Just west of Charlottesville on I-64. Pronounced in the French manner, "Crow-ZAY".
Rhymes with "José".
Falmouth - Near I-95 and US 17 and Fredericksburg. First syllable rhymes with "pal". In
contrast, "Fall-muth" is in Massachusetts.
Fauquier - Two syllables or three? "Faw-KEER" or "FAW-key-er"?
Remember your basic rules from above and this one is easy.
Fluvanna - "flew-VAN-a". Generally obvious, but maybe not.
Galax - "GAY-lax"
Giles - soft "G"
Gloucester - "GLOSS-ter" (same as in Massachusetts)
Henrico - "hen-RYE-ko"
Jahnke Road – South of the James, location of Chippenham Hospital and The Boulders, pronounced
“Jank” to rhyme with “Yank.”
Loudoun - "LOW-dun" (first syllable rhymes with “How”)
Luray - County seat of Page County. Goes against the basic rules of Virginia pronunciation whereby
you take out syllables. Properly pronounced as if it were two words, "Lou - Ray".
Mattaponi – a river formed by three others, the Matta, the Po and the Ni, and a Native American tribe
of the same name in King William County. “matta-poe-NIGH”
Monroe - The county in West Virginia just to the west of Craig County, VA and the town outside
Danville made famous by the song, "Wreck of the Old 97". Pronounced "MON-row". Rhymes
with "JOHN-doe". North of I-64 you can pretty much go with "mun-ROW". The fifth president will
likewise change according to location.
Norfolk - Frequently mispronounced. Properly "NAW-fuk". Really. And make the second syllable as
short as possible, almost "fk". Think of, "We don't drink. We don't smoke. Norfolk. Norfolk." If you
can make that come out in a humorous manner, you have it exactly right.
Onancock - North of Accomack County on the Eastern Shore. Pronounced exactly like you either
figured or feared.
Oriskany - Small town in Botetourt County. Pronounced "ERS-ku-nee".
Pearisburg - On US 460 west of Giles County. Pronounced "Paris-burg".
Poquoson - Mostly this is just spelled a little strangely. Go with "puh-CO-zin",
although taking out the second hyphen would be a plus.
Powhatan – Indian Chief famous as the father of Pocahontas. “POW –ah-tan”. First syllable rhymes
with “how”.
Powhite – the officially declared pronunciation, no matter what else you may hear, is “POW-hite.”
First syllable rhymes with “how.”
Pulaski - "pew-LAS-key". Both the town and the surrounding county.
Purcellville - On VA 7 in Loudoun County. Pronounced "Purse-ville".
Roanoke - The "A" is silent: "ROW-noke". Rhymes with "slow poke". It has been noted that
the "upper classes" will pronounce all three syllables. This is true. My sister-in-law graduated from a
high school in "Row-noke", went to a prestigious school in the eastern part of the state (with two first
names), and after graduation came back to live in "Row-a-noke". We still love her.
Staunton - "STAN-ton". Rhymes with "plan fun".
Talliferro – A street name in Norfolk, or the name of a resident of long (WASP) lineage in Virginia,
it’s "Tolliver". Just go with it. For everyone else, you can give it the original Italian pronunciation.
Totopotomoy – Hanover County, Totopotomoy Creek was the sight of a Civil War Battle. Pronounced
“toe-POT-oh-me” – yes, you counted correctly, it’s a syllable or two shorter than it appears.
Tysons Corner – Massive high end mall in Fairfax County. The second word is silent. Locals work
at "Tysons".
Weyers Cave - You will see this one while tooling down I-81 just south of Harrisonburg. The first
word rhymes with "Veers".
Wytheville in Wythe County - "WITH-ville in YTH County". This is admittedly another unusual one
since both places refer to the same person, George Wythe, a former Virginia governor. I used to work
with someone from Wytheville. He also found this dichotomy of pronunciation quite humorous. You
will also hear "WITH” county.
The Geography of Virginia
Not that hard, really. The state is shaped roughly in a triangle and things are pretty much named in a
logical manner. However, there are a few terms that it is best to get right, particularly when talking to
the indigenous population.
Northern Virginia - The stuff at the top of the triangle. Washington DC area over to about Winchester
and down to about Fredericksburg. However, this changes depending on where you are. I was once
down in Lee County (as far southwest as you can get in the state and in fact farther west than Detroit)
and spoke with someone who was going to a party in"Northern Virginia". Turned out what he meant
was Roanoke (which is maybe 150 miles south of Washington DC).
Southside - The triangular area south of Richmond. Bounded roughly by the James River and US-29
(more or less), and the North Carolina border.
The (Shenandoah) Valley - The area roughly parallel to I-81 from about Lexington up to Harpers
Ferry, WV.
Northern Neck - The counties between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers about as far west as I95. Includes Lancaster, Richmond, Westmoreland, Northumberland, and King George. Maybe a little
of Spotsylvania, but don't push your luck.
Middle Peninsula - The counties between the Rappahannock and the York Rivers. Sometimes
mistakenly referred to as the "Northern Neck" (see above). Don't even think of using that
phraseology if my brother-in-law is around.
The Peninsula - Find I-64 on the map. Find Hampton. Follow I-64 NW as far as I-295. Between the
York and the James, that is the Peninsula. McClellan led an ill-fated offensive up the Peninsula during
the Civil War. The British got caught there during the Revolutionary War.
Eastern Shore - The area hanging just under Maryland over on the far right. Accomack and
Northampton Counties are included.
Tidewater - The lower right corner of the triangle. The Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Newport News
area. You could argue for as far up as Williamsburg if you are so inclined.
The Shore - Part of New Jersey. I tossed this in to keep you on your toes.
Central Virginia - Pretty much everything else if it isn't in the mountains.
“The Rivah” – Where Richmonders go on the weekend. Could be the James, the York, the
Rappahannock, possibly even the edge of the Chesapeake Bay.