Buena, the Name

To whom it may concern:

I am writing you this letter after years of confusion. With all due respect, should not the proper pronunciation of the name of your town be Buena "pronounced Bwayna" and not Bewna "pronounced Byoona"? I have always understood Buena Vista to mean Beautiful View in Spanish. Am I wrong? If I am not wrong, may I inquire as to why the majority of people in southern New Jersey mispronounce the word Buena? I am thinking that there must be a reason for this. Do you have any history on the naming of the town? Just curious. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Robin

Dear Robin:

It has been quite some time since you wrote to us regarding the name and pronunciation of our community. First, you can find a lot out about us at www.buenavistatownship.org . Our history and other interesting things are on our site. I'm thinking of adding your letter and my response if that's OK? I apologize for the delay in answering--but I wanted to respond directly to you.

As per "Bwayna" vs. "Bewna" that's local slang and interpretation. I'm told the early Italian farmers in this area originally said "Bona" instead of Bwayna--and so it evolved. I've heard "good view" and "beautiful view" for Buena Vista and so on--you pick. "Bona" eventually became "Beyoona" (Buena). Someone else may even have another story to tell.

The area also has the "Morris" River spelled Maurice River. Atlantic City always had "Ar-Kansas" Avenue right where "Ar-kan-saw" Avenue (Arkansas) was located (when I was a kid). Go figure!! We know the proper origins but you can't change history--or sometimes you don't want to! We also know who the "out-of-towners" are when they say the name of our town--which we are very proud of ! I hope this has been of some help.

Mayor Chuck Chiarello

Buena Vista Township, NJ

Dear Mayor,

Thank you for your response. As a Mayor, I know that you must be very busy, so It was nice of you to take the time to write me directly. I have just always been confused by the pronunciation of the name of the town. I understand what you mean by how pronunciations of names change. It is the same with Atzion Lake, which many people pronounce as Adzine. Well, I was just curious. The name of your town seems to be European in nature, and I was just wondering why the pronunciation was so a skewed. My last name is an Italian name and people in this country try to pronounce it phonetically, and then say that they are pronouncing it that way because the are in America. I never did quite understand that theory, I don't know why it would change according to my locale. Oh well, again, thank you for taking the time to answer me. That is very kind of you. And please, if you wouldn't mind, forward me a copy of my original letter, as I no longer have it.

Sincerely,

Robin Bianchi