[atlanta]

Can someone from the area tell me how to pronounce 'Talladega'? Is it Tal-a-day-ga? Or is it tal-a-dig-a?

[harry chickpea]

With a mild to moderate drawl, Taal-uh-day-gaa seems most common.

[moneymoney]

As someone who has lived here all my life, I can assure you that your second pronunciation is correct. The first spelling is the pronunciation frequently used by the news media and repeated by outsiders. That is how locals can easily spot a non-native. It is amusing for most of us to at one time or the other to be corrected on our pronunciation by well-meaning, however misinformed, outsiders.