I know we’re probably pronouncing it wrong but on our trip to North Carolina, Cory and I found it fairly hilarious that there was actually a po’ white parkway in Virginia.
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That must be how my Southern ancestors gor from the Tidewater to Tennessee.
OMG, that is too funny- and I pronounced it exactly the same way!
I have some friends in Mt. Airy, NC. Must be the route to their house.
lol, I live in Richmond (from CO originally) and have always found that road name really weird. Just one semester left and I can get back to CO for good!
I live in NC, where ya going?
great shot! I’d be laughing my ass off too if I saw that
wait, that pic is from the website “Interstate guide“, was sort of hoping you guys had snapped that pic. Anyway, glad there IS a shot of it though so we know what you’re talking about. Reminds me of the (likely photoshopped) Batcave sign
Nicolas: The Bat Cave sign is real. I’ve seen it. It’s in North Carolina.
I’ve also seen the Powhite Parkway sign. My wife and I also laughed when we saw it on a trip to DC a few years back. As for how to pronounce it, I have no idea. I pronounced it ‘Po white’, too.
Nick, our camera wasn’t accessible the first time we saw the sign and it was night when we came back.
Bob, I know racists, and you, sir, are a “racist”.
Everyone knows that whites can’t be poor, or rather, po’.
Bat Cave indeed exists — it’s about a mile up the mountain from me. It’s near Hendersonville. Both NC and SC have some very interesting town names and my favorite is just down the road from me — Possum Kingdom. Imagine how proud their population must be.
Palmetto:
It could be worse. They could be living in Hell…
Michigan
As someone who lived in that area for 20 some years I can tell you your pronunciation is correct. Now, I have no idea on the origin. It is funny for sure when you think about it.
ah, ok Bob. Good thing you found a picture of it though. what a great sign!
PoWhite parkway
Can’t be any worse than Big Bone Lick State Park. I have pix of that, cause I stopped and bought a hat with that on in.
On I-5 near Vancouver WA there’s an exit for Dike Access Rd.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powhite_Parkway
I was always under the impression that it is an Indian, er, excuse me, Native American, name.
“Pronunciation
The Powhite Parkway is named for the nearby Powhite Creek which is likely an eponym for the Indian chief or tribe Powhatan. References to the creek by this name have been found in records more than 300 years old, and the creek probably was named by Native Americans who were in the area long before colonial settlers arrived in the 17th century. Known to have strong opinions about the proper pronunciation of this expressway and creek, native Richmonders have developed two forms for saying the name:
PAU-hite (in the same pronunciation and emphasis as the word “powder”)
PO-white (in the same pronunciation and emphasis as the word “potion”)
Though radio station traffic reporters tend to favor the former pronunciation (which is closer to the contemporary, though not historic, pronunciation of Powhatan), most native Richmonders hold firmly onto the latter.
In particular, those who prefer the former pronunciation sometimes deride the other as suggestive of “white trash,” as the sound resembles certain dialects’ articulation of the words “poor white”. (See the etymology of poboy for an analogous situation.)
The Richmond Metropolitan Authority (RMA), owner of the toll road section that falls within the City of Richmond, promotes “POW-hite” as the official pronunciation of the parkway. “
It’s pronounced Pow-hite like The Machines explains it. I lived in the Richmond area most of my life.
Speaking of strange place-names ….
One of my grandfathers was from French Lick, Indiana.
Then, in western Pennsylvania, there is a small town called Blue Ball … you get to that town (apparently) if you make a wrong turn on you way to the town of Intercourse, PA.
I bet there is a “Pofolks” on Powhite Pkwy! (http://www.pofolks.com/)
Also, here in Northern VA we have a main road by the name of “Backlick”.
So yeah, Virginia.. land of funny named roads.
And near Bat Cave is the French Broad River. This one cracked my brother up the first time he drove down to visit. He wanted to know what the French Broad’s name was.