Fwd: Pronunciation of Houston Street (NYC)

[Gerald Cohen]

    A query from one of my students appears below; might someone out
there have the answer?  (Actually, maybe the real question isn't why
New Yorkers say "House-ton" Street but why the Texas city is
pronounced "Hyooston").

Gerald Cohen

[Student query]:
   While traveling to New York City for a business conference last
fall my traveling partner pointed out a few key pronunciations so as
to seem like I was native to the area.  What confused me, and to this
day confuses me, is the way Houston St. is pronounced.

     Why do New Yorkers say House-ton (first syllable rhymes with
"mouse") Street, vs. the pronunciation of the Texas city (Hyoos-ton)?
I even experimented in the area.  In a cab I asked for Hyooston St.
and only received a confused look, although as soon as I pronounced
it "House-ton," the cabdriver knew where I wanted to go.