Tacoma neighborhood fails to come up with exciting new name
Aug 5, 2016, 2:02 PM | Updated: 4:37 pm
KIRO Radio's Jason Rantz says it's going to be tough to rename the Tacoma Mall Neighborhood. What else is there? he asks. (AP)
(AP)
The Tacoma Mall Neighborhood has arguably one of the most dull names in Western Washington.
It’s a neighborhood in Tacoma that has a mall, KIRO Radio’s Jason Rantz pointed out sarcastically. There are also car dealerships.
But you don’t need to tell the people who live there how boring the name is. Tacoma News Tribune columnist Matt Driscoll writes that about three-quarters of people who responded to a survey want to rename the neighborhood. Unfortunately for them, nobody knows what to call it and the suggestions haven’t been much better. Suggestions have included: Cascade Park, SoTac, Oakes District, Midtown, Tacoma South, and Travers Green.
Related: Tacoma council, residents debate plastic bags for 3 hours
“They have no consensus on what the name should be,” Rantz quipped. “We want a new name, but have no idea what we want to call it.”
Here are a few neighborhood name suggestions from the Jason Rantz Show: Chuck E. Cheese District, Neighborhood McNeighborhoodface; the Neighborhood Formerly Known as the Tacoma Mall Neighborhood.
As for the local suggestions, Midtown does seem to be the most popular. But there’s no indication of a winner. According to Driscoll, the effort to “re-imagine“ the neighborhood has been going on for “the better part of a year.” Re-naming the area is part of a larger effort to develop a “vision, goals and strategies to guide growth and development.”
Rantz points out that a new name is not going to save a struggling neighborhood.
“There’s nothing that makes it pop,” he said. “If the neighborhood was an amazing neighborhood, it wouldn’t matter what it was called.”
All the popular neighborhoods, Rantz argues, are known for what they have to offer, not for their name.
“If you don’t upgrade or cater to the image you’re going for it doesn’t matter what you call it,” he added.
Tacoma wants to change the name of "Tacoma Mall Neighborhood" – what should it become?
— (((Jason Rantz))) (@jasonrantz) August 5, 2016
Follow @https://twitter.com/mynorthwest
-
Tune in to Seattle Red AM 770 weekdays at 3-7pm to The Jason Rantz Show.
