Refinery Meadows

I am always amused at the trend in our culture to recast suburbia and urban sprawl in the warm, pastoral glow of rural America. In Salt Lake, for example, we have a nice condominium/townhouse development called Old Farm, which is neither old, nor is it a farm. Bill Vaughn summed it up best:

Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names the streets after them.

Names say a lot about a place, and it's interesting what we associate to a place like New York, Paris, or Baghdad, just by hearing its name. Planners, developers, real estate professionals, and marketing people are keenly aware of this. For example, Sugar House is a neighborhood in Salt Lake City that is full of these beautiful little arts-and-crafts homes and neat postwar bungalows. It also has a successful commercial center that is one-half bohemian, and one-half big retail. Because of its success, realtors are labeling homes for sale upwards of three miles away from Sugar House as being in Sugar House.

...and I always thought that Sugar House ended where the monument signs say it does.

Here's another example: I just read in this morning's Salt Lake Tribune that there is a movement afoot to rename the suburb of North Salt Lake to Orchard Hills. North Salt Lake is really known for two things: oil refineries, and traffic jams. That may not be fair, because there is plenty of decent housing up on the foothills and a great golf course. But this is the perception that the North Salt Lakers are trying to fight. But Orchard Hills? To the best of my knowledge, there aren't any orchards on those hills - there haven't been for some time.

When a name change is so transparent like that, it becomes silly and a bit absurd. Why not rename North Salt Lake - Refinery Meadows? At least that's an accurate description of the west end of town.

Incidentally, Rob and I bought one of those houses that some realtors will tell you are in "Sugarhouse" but really are not. We live in South Salt Lake, another city of industry with nice houses to the east and a seamy side to the west. I'm not afraid to admit it: I live in the 'hood -- The Sugar hood.

The Tesoro Refinery Complex and Salt Lake Valley in the background - on the border of Salt Lake City and North Salt Lake
Photo credit: panoramafactory.net