Help with Austin-isms for newbie (Pflugerville, Bastrop: apartment, university, airport)

[utmba95]

Hi,

I'm trying to lessen the frustration for my wife as she learns her way around Austin. Can you help me create a list of things like streets that have multiple names or change names, streets or places that old-timers call by names that don't exist anymore, streets that are usually pronounced differently than you would expect, etc.? (Hopefully this won't degenerate into a bashing thread. ) Are there any previous threads about this?

For example:
- Loop 1 isn't a loop and is also called MOPAC Expressway or MOPAC.
- SR-360 is called Loop 360 (also not a loop) or Capital of Texas Hwy. (Why is the change between N. COT Hwy and S. COT Hwy where it is?)
-183 has parts called Research Blvd., Ed Bluestein Blvd., Bastrop Hwy
-2222 has parts called Northland Dr. and Koenig Ln
-Airport Blvd goes to the old airport
-There's an East 1st Street, West 1st Street and South 1st Street.
-The "Y in Oak Hill" is where 71 and 290 meet, which at some point become Ben White Blvd. and then 290 shoots up I-35 leaving Ben White and 71 together.
- 40 acres refers to the University of Texas original campus.
- The pedernales is usually pronounced "PERD-ah-NAL-is"
- The P in Pflugerville is silent
- Balcones is pronounced "Bal-CONE-ees" and is the name of a geological fault in the area. A lot of things around Austin are named Balcones.

[centralaustinite]

"May-nor" road (and town) not Manor! My very first apartment in Austin was on Manor Rd many years ago. I got strange looks every time I gave my address!

Looks like you have all the biggies covered!

[twange]

Don't forget Man-Shack (Manchaca)...this one still leaves me head-scratchin...

[dburatti]

A "loop" in Texas highway definitions connects to highways.

If you take Airport Blvd. south, you can get to Bergstrom.

Cesar Chavez St. downtown used to be 1st St.
6th Street is also known as Old Pecan Street.
"Pecan" is pronounced puh-CAHN. Not PEE-cahn. Not PEE-can. A pee can is what you take with you on a long road trip.
15th Street west of Lamar is Enfield Road.
19th Street is MLK Jr.
26th Street in Dean Keeton.
Guadalupe is pronounced "GWAH-da-loop" and is also known as The Drag.
Buda is pronounced Byooda.
Keonig Lane is pronounced KEE-nig Lane.
Older Austinites refer to I-35 as IH-35, IH standing for International Highway.
Burnet is pronounced BURN-it, dern it, And not bur-NETT.

I'm sure I'll think of more....

D

[Moonlady]

Well, you got most of them! 2222 is called by several names too on it's journey from I-35 to 620 - Bull Creek and Koenig (pronounced kay-nig) are two of them but I can't recall the others at the moment.

The toll roads are confusing too. The frontage roads that run along side them are still named what they were before the toll roads came into existence. For example, 45 east of I-35 is Louis Henna Blvd.

Burnet Rd is pronounced "burn it", Manchaca is pronounced "Manshack" and Guadalupe is "gwad-a-loop".

North and South are sometines distinguished by a river or the Capitol but the 360 split appears to be random somewhere around Wild Basin. It's south of Westlake but north of Bee Cave Rd. (doesn't make much sense!).

[mimimomx3]

Sounds like you've got it pretty figured out, congrats.

[twange]

Oh yea, Austin is pronounced.......................AWE-stin.

[utmba95]

These are great! Keep them coming if there are any more.

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by twange

Oh yea, Austin is pronounced.......................AWE-stin.

As opposed to what? AustEEN?

[utmba95]

I think twange meant "Aaaaaawwwww-stin"