This debate seems to be one of the few truly enduring traditions that some parts of the US inherited and retained from the Brits.

I once lived in Boston on a street where the "proper pronunciation of the street name had divided residents for decades. The city had somewhat ameliorated the bitterness of the debate by placing a street sign at the end of the block, where those who lived on one side would likely enter so they could park in front without a U-turn, could use their favorite ROSS-e-ter, while at the other end of the block those of other inclination could see their preferred ros-ETT-er. One elderly person persistently went to the other end of the block, walked half way down and crossed in the middle because he said they put his sign on the wrong end of the block.

A short way down the road, the divisions in sentiment and "certain and indisputible historical knowledge" had force the city to erect SEVEN separate signs, each with a different spelling, to identify the "roundabout" called Kosciuzko Circle. Locals all had their firmly held convictions about which was the correct spelling, although not all who agreed on the spelling had the same pronunciation. Significantly, none of them could tell you who "Ol' Kozzy" was, or why they named the circle after him.

John