One good way to ignite a spirited discussion (if not a rowdy argument) in Clark County is to suggest a name change.
Mention the mere possibility … in the distant future … of maybe changing Vancouver to “Fort Vancouver” or — egads! — “The ‘Couv” and opinionated folks on both sides start fussin’.We doubt if the Vancouver name-change dispute will ever go away, which is a good thing because the discussion promotes creative thought and stokes community pride. It’s kind of like the designated hitter in baseball: something we were meant to forever argue about but never resolve.
Two more local name changes worth debating pertain to the Columbia River Crossing and the Salmon Creek neighborhood. If we ever get a new bridge built, keeping the “Interstate 5 Bridge” name sure seems mundane. Gosh, aren’t we more creative than that? Longview has its Lewis and Clark Bridge and Cascade Locks has its Bridge of the Gods, but we’re stuck with our I-5 Bridge. Bor-r-r-r-r-ing. A new bridge might be many years in the future, but it’s not too soon to start fussin’ abut a new name.
As for Salmon Creek, lots of people wonder why one street has five names: Bliss Road, Northwest 139th Street, Northeast Tenney Road, Northeast 134th Street and Northeast Salmon Creek Avenue. Why not give it one name — say, Boldt Boulevard or Madore Parkway — and clear up all the confusion?