What’s in a Name?

When moving to a new house, one of the first things people ask is, "how's the neighborhood?" I tell them neighbors brought us fudge for Christmas, there is a park across the street, and the Washington region's best chili is only a block away. In short, I tell them I'm thrilled with the area.

But when I drive past signs marking the border of College Park, I think we may be too humble a community. Indeed, while many here think the world of their neighbors, their university and their local businesses, it appears the city and county are trying to set more modest expectations.

"A livable community, Prince George's County and the city of College Park."

Now, it's not that I don't want a community that is livable. I most certainly do. It's just that when I think of a community that is only livable, I think of a community hanging on to the last rung of the ladder. A community just above, I don't know, a war zone.

Do we need to remind visitors that, yes, people really do live here?

Don't get me wrong, the purpose behind Prince George's County's "Livable Communities Initiative" is admirable: making the county a cleaner, greener, healthier place to live.

But you have to wonder about the slogan. Being "livable" is a must, but it seems like a floor below which a community should not go, as opposed to a goal to which a city should aspire.

Consider, for example, a business that prides itself on doing the bare minimum.

How would you respond to the following auto advertisement? "The all new Ford Focus: you can drive it!"

Or this as a restaurant sign? "Dine here, we have food."

I don't want to be misleading. I don't want College Park or Prince George's County to oversell itself, but I thought we could have a slogan that sets us apart. Looking for inspiration, I searched the taglines of other towns, cities, and counties across the U.S.

One Oklahoma municipality made the best of a bad name. "Hooker, Oklahoma: It's a location, not a vocation."

Some slogans, however, were a little presumptuous. "Superior, Wisconsin: I'm a Superior lover."

Others were downright false. "Freeland, Pennsylvania: The most happening place on Earth."

Some, playful. "Manhattan, Kansas: The Little Apple"

My favorite is that of a small town in the mid-west, a place that did not play a large role in the American Civil War. "Gettysburg, South Dakota: Where the Battle Wasn't."

Maybe we need some puffery to really sell Prince George's County and College Park. A little pizzazz never hurt anybody. I'm still a newcomer here, so I'm not sure I have the credibility to dub my newfound home. Suggestions are welcome in the comments section, as long as they would fit on the brick signs flanking Rt. 1., marking the entrance to our livable community.