A SHORT HISTORY TO THE NAMING OF DEVELOPMENTS

DENVER INFILL - When Denver's original subdivisions were platted in the
late 1800s and early 1900s, the subdivisions were usually named after
the developer himself, a famous person like a president, or an existing
urban or natural element at that location. As the city grew,
neighborhood names were eventually used to identify one or more
subdivisions that had emerged as a unique area within the city. These
early neighborhoods generally had names that reflected something literal
about the area: a nearby park, institution, or topographical feature.
Thus, we have city center neighborhoods like Capitol Hill, Country Club,
Curtis Park, and Sloan's Lake.

As the post-war suburban era dawned, subdivisions and neighborhoods
became one and the same, and new residential plats were given names
intended to help market the development. These monikers were relatively
modest at first, typically two word names that conveyed a pleasant, if
partially invented locale. A glance at the Denver metro map gives us
many such examples, including Columbine Knolls, Pleasant View, Western
Hills, and Heather Ridge.

Over the years, as new subdivisions have stretched farther and farther
out onto the plains, their names have become wordier, more elaborate,
and more pretentious. Today, there is an obvious trend in the naming of
new subdivisions in metro Denver. Developers now use a variety of
semantic tricks in their attempt to increase the perceived exclusivity
of the development. No longer would something simple and unassuming like
"Columbine Knolls" suffice. These days, the first part of the name must
clearly identify that the development is not only a residential
community, but also one of great distinction, and that these homes of
great distinction are located at a place of even greater distinction.
Thus, new suburban development names now begin with phrases like "The
Estates at..." or "The Preserve at..." or "The Retreat at..." followed
by not just one or two words to describe the incredibly special patch of
prairie on which these homes have been built, but three words or more.

Suburban developers evidently believe that everyone in Colorado would
prefer to live in a secluded alpine hide-away. Consequently, the words
they use to describe the invented "place" these dwellings are "at"
typically have no historical or physical context to the actual site
itself. Instead, various flora, fauna, landform or Western folklore
terms are used in clever combinations to evoke a rustic Colorado setting
of unparallelled beauty and tranquility. So, when you put it all
together, your typical new suburban Denver subdivision will follow a
template that gives us fabulously fake names like "The Enclave at
Panorama Canyon Meadows" or "The Sanctuary at Antelope Bluff Vista." Of
course, there is no canyon or antelope or bluff or meadow, but that's
beside the point.

Just in case there may be some of you out there considering a career in
subdivision naming, I've created [a] handy guide for crafting your own
spectacular suburban Denver neighborhood names. . . Mix and match to
find just the right name for your mountain paradise on the grassy plain.

http://www.denverinfill.com/blog/2006/09/guide-to-suburban-denver-subdivision.html


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