Published: Wednesday, November 4, 2009
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
It’s all about the branding
With the Olympics coming to Vancouver, B.C., the city of Vancouver is again wrestling with its identity crisis — officials are debating whether to ask voters for a fourth time since 1967 if they want to change the city’s name — in this case to Fort Vancouver.
The effort is, in today’s parlance, an attempt to “rebrand” Clark County, in which Vancouver resides. (Naturally, in 1844, Clark County started out as the District of Vancouver.)
Budget constraints mean an entirely new name won’t be considered. Which kind of defeats the purpose, if it’s to clear up confusion. Fort Vancouver, formerly Vancouver, formerly Fort Vancouver, but still not Vancouver B.C., the one you are looking for, dear tourist.
Was there some law back in the territorial days that mandated city and county names be boring, repetitive and derivative? Oregon City? Portland? Salem? Vancouver?
Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard is adamant against a change. In 2000, he predicted:
“In 10 to 20 years, Vancouver, B.C., will be looking over its shoulder at us,” Pollard told The Columbian newspaper. Residents meeting confused outsiders should “...look these people in the eye and tell them they are from Vancouver USA, or America’s Vancouver.”
“There are no other Vancouvers in the United States,” Pollard said.
Right. But there’s that little international village just up I-5, in British Columbia. If Vancouver, B.C., is looking over its shoulder at Vancouver USA, it’s because it’s so big all it has to do is turn its head a little bit.
Meanwhile, cities not grappling with monikers are dreaming up ways to bring in much-needed funds. In Portland, Ore., citizens can now pay to light up Morrison Bridge in whatever colors they want for a week.
Pete Buck, a 1991 University of Washington graduate who grew up in Portland and now lives in Seattle, paid $500 to have the lights on the bridge shine purple and gold preceding the week of the Oregon-Washington football game. (Did a Duck fan follow with a week of neener-neener green?)
Here in Everett (where some residents would like to change the city’s name to Port Gardner), we have a similar opportunity. For a fee, citizens could have colors of their choosing shine on the cool masts atop Comcast Arena.
And stealing from an idea coming from Times Square (in New York, New York) citizens could pay to have their photo and a message appear on Comcast Arena’s big electronic sign for a short time. Perhaps during the Olympics, as a public service announcement, it could simply read: You are halfway between Vancouver and Vancouver.
The effort is, in today’s parlance, an attempt to “rebrand” Clark County, in which Vancouver resides. (Naturally, in 1844, Clark County started out as the District of Vancouver.)
Budget constraints mean an entirely new name won’t be considered. Which kind of defeats the purpose, if it’s to clear up confusion. Fort Vancouver, formerly Vancouver, formerly Fort Vancouver, but still not Vancouver B.C., the one you are looking for, dear tourist.
Was there some law back in the territorial days that mandated city and county names be boring, repetitive and derivative? Oregon City? Portland? Salem? Vancouver?
Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard is adamant against a change. In 2000, he predicted:
“In 10 to 20 years, Vancouver, B.C., will be looking over its shoulder at us,” Pollard told The Columbian newspaper. Residents meeting confused outsiders should “...look these people in the eye and tell them they are from Vancouver USA, or America’s Vancouver.”
“There are no other Vancouvers in the United States,” Pollard said.
Right. But there’s that little international village just up I-5, in British Columbia. If Vancouver, B.C., is looking over its shoulder at Vancouver USA, it’s because it’s so big all it has to do is turn its head a little bit.
Meanwhile, cities not grappling with monikers are dreaming up ways to bring in much-needed funds. In Portland, Ore., citizens can now pay to light up Morrison Bridge in whatever colors they want for a week.
Pete Buck, a 1991 University of Washington graduate who grew up in Portland and now lives in Seattle, paid $500 to have the lights on the bridge shine purple and gold preceding the week of the Oregon-Washington football game. (Did a Duck fan follow with a week of neener-neener green?)
Here in Everett (where some residents would like to change the city’s name to Port Gardner), we have a similar opportunity. For a fee, citizens could have colors of their choosing shine on the cool masts atop Comcast Arena.
And stealing from an idea coming from Times Square (in New York, New York) citizens could pay to have their photo and a message appear on Comcast Arena’s big electronic sign for a short time. Perhaps during the Olympics, as a public service announcement, it could simply read: You are halfway between Vancouver and Vancouver.
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