Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: naming a group

[John Willson (John.Willson]

>In my view, the name should be short (or shorten-able), and probably innocuous,
>in the sense of *not* trying to get an idea across, since it will probably be
>misinterpreted.  Our name (Monterey CoHousing Community) was chosen because we
>are on Monterey Avenue . In the Twin Cities, several groups have chosen
>geographical reference - typ- names (Seward for Seward neighborhood, Bryn Mawr
>for Bryn Mawr Neighborhood, Anderson Lane for the  street.  It at leasts gives
>you a local location referent.  
>       In retrospect, the problem with Monterey is that it suggests California
>to many, but it's too late to change.  And MoCoCo seems to be a nice short
>version (we also say "monterey").
>       I think the thing to avoid is a name that needs an explanation, like
>"Best of Both Worlds" which was looking for a site between urban and rural. 
>
>I don't think the name is a big deal, but it does appear to be very hard to
>change once it is chosen.

A name certainly isn't a big deal, however people should be comfortable with
it.

The problem you suggested with Monterey is a problem with most names - do
you want the reference to be very local, regional global etc.  As you go
away from a local reference to a more global name you make life much
harder for yourself.

Our name of Cascade CoHousing is a very local name and probably doesn't
translate very well to global areas.  The reason for the name is much
the same as for Monterery - the area is known as Cascades and a short
distance away (1/2 mile) there is a brewery called Cascade Brewery.
Outside our city the name starts to loose meaning, outside the State the
reference probably has a different meaning - but who cares.

John Willson
Cascade CoHousing