I thought I knew how to pronounce Willamette Valley until I heard a fancy wine friend say it TOTALLY differently. Wait, what?!? Was I saying it wrong or were they. Turns out they were…and yes, I did a little happy dance in my head. So how do you pronounce Willamette Valley?

I did my own research on the topic when I visited the Valley this summer, speaking with locals, winemakers and wine tour guides. Everyone agreed with one saying and reiterated that people know you’re not a local or even from Oregon if you’re saying it the wrong way. So let’s get it straight, people.

What’s the correct pronunciation for Willamette Valley?

The Right Way: Will-lam-it. Rhymes with dammit. 

The Wrong Way: Will-a-met

I did a fun Instagram Reel on the correct pronunciation for Willamette Valley too, filled with winemakers and locals trying to get it right.

When I asked a few locals about the origin of the name, thinking it was French and that’s why people were pronouncing it the French way –  Will-a-met – I got a whole dissertation. I wish I had been taking notes when I was getting my history lesson from my waiter at the amazingly delicious, Anna’s Table in Cannon Beach who was a huge history buff…but I was also captivated by the pinot noir from Johan Vineyards I was sipping. I do know he told me it was not derived from the French but from the original Native American inhabitants including the Kalapuya and Chinook tribes. 

I did take notes and actually video taped my conversation with another history buff, local and wine tour guide, Helen Avery who also confirmed it did not come from the French. Instead the name comes from Native Americans who had lived in the North West – way before Lewis and Clark made their way there. The name Willamette Valley means, “A Valley with a river that runs through it and muddy green waters”. The muddy green waters come from the volcanic structured soils in the Cascade mountains, which border the Valley. The Willamette River’s headwaters caries down the volcanic soils from the Cascade Mountains, which are very silty and green in color. The river stays that color year-round, hence the name. 

However, my Google research found a lot of different meanings for the origin of the name Willamette…

– The name Willamette is of Indigenous origin meaning “still water,” describing a place on the river near Oregon City. Source

– The name Willamette is of Indigenous origin, deriving from the French pronunciation of the name of a Clackamas Native American village. Source

– Willamette means “Valley of Sickness” in some extinct Native American language. Source

– The name of the Willamette Valley comes from the Willamette River, which runs through it and was named for a tribal word thought to mean “spill water” for the waterfall near Oregon City. Source

Since I’m not a historian who knows how to truly fact-check this I think it’s safe to say the origin of the name Willamette comes from Native Americans who first lived in the area, and it has something to do with the river that runs through it.  Let’s keep it simple and pronounced correctly – dammit!

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Willamette Valley Wine Country Travel Guide