In a message dated 4/4/07 6:07:41 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > Most neighborhoods in the city have embraced neighborhood names..Fitler > Square, > Fairmount, Bella Vista, Strawberry Mansion, Society Hill..etc. ..so ..why > not sell > Spruce Hill, Walnut Hill, Cedar Park, Squirrel Hill, Garden Court? > > About 10 years ago, right about the same time Penn sponsored the first yard lighting program, someone at Penn (still there, by the way, and born and raised in the area now called University City) asked me what I thought of the idea of changing the area's name from "University City" to "Philly West." This is something the folks at Pennn were thinking about, seriously!
Of course, I hated it. My gut reaction, as someone who has lived here since 1971, was "NO WAY! They can't take away the name of our neighborhood!" But I was more diplomatic; I pointed out that the University City name is not only ours; it is also on SEPTA stops, Expressway exits, a high school, a post office, official maps (not necessarily with boundaries), the Arts League, the Swim Club, etc. A name sticks. It doesn't just go away if something else becomes fashionable. Over time, perhaps, it can be changed, but not instantly, by stickers. That is the same reaction, I believe, that an "old-timer" in this area of West Philadelphia might have had when the area started to be referred to as "University City." Some new "they" showed up and wanted to change the name of the place? NO WAY! But I suspect that the stickers aren't being put up by one of those "old-timers." I think they are most likely being put up by - how did we refer to them on the list in an earlier discussion - some young punk Trustafarians. An even more recent wave of arrivals here in our neighborhood. They have less history with the names than the rest of us do. And less ability to change it, though obviously more willingness to break the laws with their stickers. Melani Lamond Melani Lamond, Associate Broker Urban & Bye, Realtor 3529 Lancaster Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19104 cell phone 215-356-7266 office phone 215-222-4800, ext. 113 office fax 215-222-1101 2006 recipient of the Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors awards: - Diamond award for over $8 million in sales, and ALL SIX of the West Philadelphia awards: - Top Lister - Top Seller - Top Overall Combined Volume - Top Listing Units by Area - Top Selling Units by Area - Top Overall Combined Units by Area ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.
