When I started this blog, I added the weather widget for Buda, Texas, as that’s where I hang out a lot, usually at B&B Quilting and Gifts. When I checked the weather on my iPhone, I noticed it brought up Buda, Texas and Buda, Illinois. What a coincidence! Another town called Buda.
Around these here parts (Texas), we pronounce it “BEEYOU-duh.” You can tease the tourists and your out-of-town family members if you tell them it’s “Boo-DAY” or even “BOO-duh” (as in Buddha). There’s a couple of theories as to how Buda, Texas got its name but I’m not sure if any one theory is accepted as definitive.
Then I wondered about Buda, Illinois. How is it pronounced there? How did it get its name? Looking it up on the Internet, I found that both Budas have a Wikipedia page. The Buda, Texas page mentions the regionally famous Wiener Dog Races. The Wikipedia page for Buda, Illinois doesn’t mention any such sport.
I briefly considered randomly phoning people in Buda, Illinois and asking if they knew how the town got their name and it is pronounced. I decided against it, probably for the better. Instead, I added that weather widget to my blog as a nod to our northern sister city (lower right side of the blog).
Hello, Buda, Illinois!
It’s a lot colder there. And I won’t be surprised that in the summer, it’s a lot hotter here.
It's a long story ... 
Thought you might like this.
Buda, Illinois 61312
Buda has a history that is unforgettable. In the early 1900s, Buda, which was then called ‘Lost Grove’, was experiencing rapid growth and development. Many companies set up shop to profit from the people flocking to the jobs at the coal mines in this area of Illinois. The businesses included a mattress factory, beer brewery, numerous restaurants, a brothel, and many others. The mayor at the time was from New York, and changed the town’s name to Buda, after the town of Buda, NY. Buda was about the size of Peru, Illinois. On November 13, 1909, a fire in a mine shaft killed 259 miners, young and old, at the Cherry coal mine. Authorities sealed the mine to contain the fire, trapping many rescue workers inside. When the mine was opened a week later only twenty men had survived of the hundreds involved. This disaster influenced early worker’s compensation laws and labor practices in the coal mining industry. At the time Illinois had no laws governing working conditions for miners. Buda’s growth slowed drastically after this occurrence.