Some people in western KS pronounce the Kansas in Arkansas River as Ar-KAN-sas. We also held dry-river canoe races on it during Dodge City Days. Dear lord, it truly was the middle of nowhere.
I guess I shouldn’t say all Canadians pronounce it that way, but it always amazes me to hear, e.g. CBC saying it that way when they really should know better.
Can any American enlighten me how Des Moines (IL) is pronounced? I was just wondering about it the other day.
While some people I have encountered pronounce it exactly as it looks – des moyns – most people say Deh moyn.
A street in Houston (that’s HYOOSE tun ;)):
San Felipe - pronounced San FILL-uh-pee
A town in Texas:
Mexia - pronounced Muh-HAY-uh
In southern Ohio there’s a town called Rio Grande. The I is long, the E is silent.
Mantua (actually called Mantova in Italian, but never mind that) - becomes “Man away” in Ohio.
Medina in Arabia is ma-DEE-na… but in Ohio it’s ma-DYE-na.
You mean Iowa?
Around here (and there), it’s kind of like D’Moyn.
Now ask about Des Plaines, IL. 
There’s a Lincoln Streen near where I live in Tel Aviv (it’s part of a mini-neighborhood where all the streets are named after U.S. presidents). As the name is transcribed letter-by-letter to Hebrew, and as Hebrew as no silent letters, people always call it LEEN-coh-len Street, which drives me crazy.
Yep, and we all get a giggle when a new traffic announcer tries some of the names of Houston streets.
Fuqua - fyoo-kway
Chenevert - shin a vert
Kuykendahl - kerken doll
Oooh, ooh, I know this one…Sorry, the street is older than the city in Texas, and was named after someone who pronounced it House-ton.
What do I win?
Devon Street in Chicago isn’t pronounced DEVV-un like in England… it’s dee-VON. The first time I heard it mentioned was by a guy from India, and I thought he had substituted the Urdu pronunciation of divan–because Urdu, like English, also got the word divan from Persian, and pronounces it dee-VAHN. Then I found out that even non-Urdu-speaking native Chicagoans pronounce Devon St. that way.
Heck, I think every card-carrying Kansan pronounces it that way. I hear the same pronunciation prevails in Colorado (speaking of which - if Colorado wouldn’t use up so much Arkansas River water the folks in Dodge wouldn’t have to resort to dry-river canoe races). Once it passes Arkansas City, Kans. (usually pronounced Ark City), then the Ahr-kan-sah pronunciation prevails.
Possom Trot, eh? For some reason the name Possom Trot Creek is popular in these parts.
Way I heard tell, in Ark’nsaw the state, it’s always ArKANsus the river. But ICBW.
Pierre, SD is pronounced PEER
Madrid, CA is pronounced MAD-rid
San Antonio, TX is San Antone to the locals
Oregon, WI is or-uh-GONE
On the BBC, I always get a laugh when the announcer tries to pronounce Tucson in Arizona. Admittedly, it does not come up often, usually only on the world weather report and in the summer, because of the heat.
Which reminds me: This is spelling, not pronunciation, but it’s still good. The English-language newspapers here use a mix of British and US usage, leaning more towards British. As a result, one story in the newspaper had it coming out of “Arisona.”
My mother was from a small town on the Arkansas River in Arkansas, so we’d go there a lot in my youth. I don’t recall anyone pronouncing the river that way, but it’s been awhile.