Illustration by James Yates
You can't call yourself a Texan till you learn to talk like one—and we don't just mean adopting the word "y'all." There's a slew of town names across the state that aren't what they seem. From Quitaque (KITTY-kway) in the Panhandle to Refugio (reh-FYOOR-ee-oh) on the Gulf Coast, it's anyone's guess how these pronunciations came to be. Chalk it up to the state's independent spirit or the blending of its Mexican, German, and Indigenous heritage. Either way, it's important for anyone who calls this state home to know how to say these town names the right way.
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Balmorhea
Bal-more-AY
Bexar
Bear, like the animal
Boerne
BURN-ee
Buda
BYOO-duh
Burnet
BURN-it
Dumas
DO-muss
Gruene
Green, like the color
Humble
UHM-bull
Iraan
Ira-Ann, after its founders, Ira and Ann Yates
Leakey
LAY-key
Llano
LAN-oh
Manor
MAIN-er
Mexia
Muh-HAY-uh
New Braunfels
New BRAWN-fulls
Palestine
PAL-es-steen
Waxahachie
WOK-suh-HATCH-ee
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