Orangington?

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Orangington?

by Dan Malouff • June 22, 2009 4:02 pm

Arlington: The Rap is a hilarious spoof that lovingly pokes fun at Washington's even-more yuppie-filled western extension. The rap isn't really about Arlington, though; it's about that specific portion of Arlington lying along Metro's Orange line that over the past generation has morphed from sleepy suburb to central city destination. The rap got me thinking: That part of Arlington needs a unique name. People talk about it all the time. Why not give it a single identifier?

"Arlington," after all, refers to the whole 26 square mile county, from Chain Bridge on the north to Four Mile Run on the south, and west almost to Leesburg Pike. "North Arlington" also won't do, since it refers as much to the rolling suburbs north of Route 29 as it does to the Orange Line Corridor. "Orange Line Corridor" itself is too much of a mouthful, as are the other frequent substitutes, "Wilson Boulevard Corridor" and "Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor". Even shortening to "R-B" or "R-B Corridor" leaves much to be desired.

But how about "Orangington"? It spells a little awkward, but it sounds verbally clean, fits the blankington scheme used by both Washington, Arlington and Shirlington, and the connection between the neighborhoods in question and Metro's Orange Line is so strong that it's immediately obvious what the name refers to. Normally I'd be hesitant to try and force a contrived name on unwanting locals (Penn Quarter and NoMa, anyone?), but in this case there does seem to be a need and the name does seem to be pretty organic. Indeed, I've been dropping it in casual conversation lately and although I get some "I've never heard that" comments, everyone I've spoken to has understood the reference immediately. It seems a natural moniker for an area that increasingly needs one.

So how about it, folks? Orangington from now on?

Approximate boundaries of Orangington (in orange). View larger map.

Cross-posted at BeyondDC.

50 comments

Tags: Arlington, language, neighborhood names, Orange Line, Virginia

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Dan Malouff is a professional transportation planner for the Arlington County Department of Transportation. He has a degree in Urban Planning from the University of Colorado, and lives a car-free lifestyle in Northwest Washington. His posts are his own opinions and do not represent the views of his employer in any way. He runs the blog BeyondDC and also contributes to the Washington Post Local Opinions blog.

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What, you don't think it will get confused with the Cheverly-New Carrollton corridor? (Of course, I am joking).

Frankly I think it's a bit of an awkward moniker, but hey, that might make it all the more fitting.

by Dave Murphy on Jun 22, 2009 4:07 pm • link • report

How about Orangeton? No need for the "ing." Great thinking, though. The R-B corridor is grown up and has its own sense of place as a whole, in addition to it having the separate neighborhoods. It deserves a good name.

by Cavan on Jun 22, 2009 4:09 pm • link • report

Well, y'know, all new names sound weird at first. It was this or "Wilsonia" ;)

by BeyondDC on Jun 22, 2009 4:10 pm • link • report

I don't know. The word looks hard to pronounce, and that alone will leave people thinking Orangington is a dangerous place, at least if this one study is to be believed. However I will agrea saying the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor takes to long and the area needs a better name. Maybe Mid Arlington or Arlington Central?

by Joshua on Jun 22, 2009 4:13 pm • link • report

What if you add an "e"... Orangeington? Technically speaking it shouldn't be there, but IMO it reads easier.

by BeyondDC on Jun 22, 2009 4:14 pm • link • report

I vote for The O.L.C. (Orange Line Corridor) Or heck, even The O.C. Just think of all the drama that will ensue!

by Matt! on Jun 22, 2009 4:17 pm • link • report

Arlington High Street.

by Simon on Jun 22, 2009 4:17 pm • link • report

I think North Arlington is north of 50 (not 29). Unless you break off The O.C. from it.

by dcpatton on Jun 22, 2009 4:20 pm • link • report

To take a cue from Matt!, why not just The Corridor?

by iammrben on Jun 22, 2009 4:25 pm • link • report

You're right dcpatton. "North Arlington" means everything north of 50. I wasn't saying 29 is the border; I was saying the term isn't good for the R-B corridor because it covers such a vast area, *including* (but not *only*) the area north of 29.

by BeyondDC on Jun 22, 2009 4:26 pm • link • report

I vote for the O.L.C. It has that nice "LBC" rhythm to it.

by Chris Loos on Jun 22, 2009 4:26 pm • link • report

It looks too much like "Orangutan." Geographically (as part of Arlington County), would the appropriate name be "The Middle East"??

How about something that incorporates the letters of the 5 Metro stations: BVCCR? Of course, the only thing that comes immediately to mind is BoVine CanCeR, which probably doesn't pass the marketing muster... ;)

OK, how about Orangeburg?

by Roger on Jun 22, 2009 4:30 pm • link • report

I always refer to the orange line corridor as The R.B.C. - short for Rosslyn - Ballston Corridor.

by Mike Wagoner on Jun 22, 2009 4:31 pm • link • report

BeyondDC

Yeah that seems a little better. Without the e I thought it was pronounced like Orangutan before reading the post. Maybe Arlington should hold a contest to choose a name. That way they can get publicity for the name change.

by Joshua on Jun 22, 2009 4:31 pm • link • report

Arbie, or Arbieton.

One does wonder what it would really take to make the name stick...

by цarьchitect on Jun 22, 2009 4:32 pm • link • report

Sorry, but Orangington is a god awful choice. Beyond the fact that it's awkward to spell and pronounce, it'll take about 5 minutes before people start calling it "Orangutan."

by Justin on Jun 22, 2009 4:33 pm • link • report

I like where Ñ†arÑŒchitect is going with that, but I also like tying in the Arlington moniker: Arbington? Arbeengton? RBington?

by Arlen on Jun 22, 2009 4:38 pm • link • report

How about Tryingtoohardington?

by Jeff on Jun 22, 2009 4:45 pm • link • report

Harbington, because it is a harbinger of the smart growth that came after it?

by цarьchitect on Jun 22, 2009 4:46 pm • link • report

I'm with Justin.

Why does it need a name other than something like "central Arlington"?

What do people call the Red Line stretch from Woodley Park to Friendship Heights? It's about the same length, with comparably spaced stations. I usually just call that whole region "Upper Northwest".

by Joey on Jun 22, 2009 4:50 pm • link • report

What the hell Joey? Really, no Tenleytown? No Cleveland Park? No Tobago?

Or do you just mean that the corridor has no name?

by цarьchitect on Jun 22, 2009 4:55 pm • link • report

Another problem is the confusion that would be created with the existing neighborhood names. We already have Ballston, Clarendon, Courthouse and Rosslyn... these are distinct names and people pretty much know where they are. They don't need to be linked together with a catchy new name... Orange Line Corridor will do if you absolutely need to refer to the area as a whole.

by Justin on Jun 22, 2009 4:55 pm • link • report

Tenleytown refers to Tenleytown - not the entire Red Line corridor.

Likewise, each of the station areas has its own name and identity already. Hell, the rap alone emphasized this - the clizzle dizzle.

I can't really think of any other areas of a similar scale with just one name.

by Alex B. on Jun 22, 2009 5:00 pm • link • report

I think that line would have better been "The Bozzle, Razzle, Cozzle, and the Clizzle Dizzle"

by Aaron on Jun 22, 2009 5:04 pm • link • report

How is it hard to pronounce? Orange-ing-ton. Easy. Same number of syllables as Washington, Arlington or Shirlington, and similar vowel-consonant arrangement.

It is definitely awkward to spell, but I don't concede at all that it's hard to pronounce.

by BeyondDC on Jun 22, 2009 5:06 pm • link • report

Orangington is unimaginative and awkward to pronounce. Far worse of a moniker than what I'd previously considered to be a proliferation of clumsy and uninspired names in Virginia: Fairlandria, Arlandria, Fairlington..
Why bother with Orangington, and why not just call it Orange? Orange is a place name used by many towns and counties. Or just call it Arlington, because it's generally clear what parts of Arlington people mean, and if need be you can always specify "off the Orange Line."
WTF, GGW, this is something I hope to see mentioned on why.i.hate.dc.

by Stuart on Jun 22, 2009 5:08 pm • link • report

I didn't say "hard" to pronounce, I said akward. "Orange" is a kind of awkward word in the first place, and putting two "ng"s so close together makes it awkward. Not necessarily hard to say, just unappealing.

by Justin on Jun 22, 2009 5:11 pm • link • report

I like RBC of what I've seen on this thread so far. That and Tryingtoohardagain.

Orangeington isn't bad, but it's almost forcing it. Like Frank Costanza's The Manssiere.

I do like the concept though. The area has a name, it's just too long, so a new name or the initials being used sounds like a good idea to me.

by Vik on Jun 22, 2009 5:12 pm • link • report

How about naming it for its easternmost and westernmost stations -- Bal-lyn? After all, if you can afford to live near the Ballyn metro stops, then you're ballin'.

by tom veil on Jun 22, 2009 5:13 pm • link • report

I agree that saying Orange-ing is awkward. Saying it fast...it just doesn't flow right.

by Vik on Jun 22, 2009 5:14 pm • link • report

@BDC, how is it the same number of syllables as Washington, Arlington, and Shirlington? OrÂ·ange is two syllables. OrÂ·angeÂ·ingÂ·ton is four, not three as in "Washington".

Even then, I'm not sure how to pronounce it as written. Washington and Arlington follow the format WASHÂ·ingÂ·TON and ARÂ·lingÂ·TON. Is it ORÂ·anÂ·jingÂ·TON, or is it orÂ·ANJÂ·ingÂ·TON, or maybe orÂ·ANGÂ·ingÂ·TON? If it were three syllables with a drawl, I suppose it could be AURNJÂ·ingÂ·TON?

@Tsarchitect: Of course I refer to the Red-line neighborhoods by name. The issue at hand is what to call an entire corridor of closely-spaced linear metro neighborhoods. Saying "I live along the Orange line" seems to do the trick. "Central Arlington" would work too, if it were understood.

by Joey on Jun 22, 2009 5:38 pm • link • report

Sorry, David's unicode/UTF-8 character translations must be quirked up.

What I was going for was the following:

--------

@BDC, how is it the same number of syllables as Washington, Arlington, and Shirlington? Orange (OR.anj) is two syllables. Or.ange.ing.ton is four, not three as in "Washington".

Even then, I'm not sure how to pronounce it as written. Washington and Arlington follow the format WASH.ing.TON and AR.ling.TON. Is it OR.an.jing.TON, or is it or.ANJ.ing.TON, or or.AN.jing.TON, or maybe or.ANG.ing.TON? If it were three syllables with a drawl, I suppose it could be AURNJ.ing.TON?

by Joey on Jun 22, 2009 5:41 pm • link • report

I guess technically speaking orange is a two syllable word, but does anybody actually say it that way? I don't pronounce the a.

Like Wednesday. Nobody really pronounces the d.

by BeyondDC on Jun 22, 2009 6:10 pm • link • report

English fail, seriously. I didn't realize orange is a two-syllable word :facepalm: But I certainly don't say it that way.

So not four syllable Or-anj-ing-ton... three syllable orn-ging-ton.

It doesn't sound like orangutan at all.

by BeyondDC on Jun 22, 2009 6:15 pm • link • report

sorry, but I just don't see "Orangington" sticking. I do think "OLC" as shorthand for Orange Line Corridor has lots of potential though. I'm going to start using it.

by Jeanne on Jun 22, 2009 6:32 pm • link • report

What about "Central Arlington" or "Downtown Arlington," kind of like "Downtown Silver Spring"?

by Caro on Jun 22, 2009 7:38 pm • link • report

Wilson

by stevek_fairfax on Jun 22, 2009 8:41 pm • link • report

Doesn't it always work out that you find yourself talking about the most trivial crap when a tragedy hits?

by Reid on Jun 22, 2009 8:54 pm • link • report

The area does seem to need a name, but no matter how you slice it, anything with "orange" in it sounds awkward.

by Tim on Jun 22, 2009 9:02 pm • link • report

I'd rather repurpose the name somebody already came up with--Nearlington: http://dcist.com/2005/12/09/just_how_far_is.php

I'm not opposed to "Uptown Arlington" either, though that name only really works if you omit Rosslyn.

by Rob on Jun 22, 2009 10:02 pm • link • report

go with something "Wilson" related. As the main corridor that ties that series of stations together I think it will be the least contrived and most recognizable choice. "The WB" perhaps (dat dum tsh).

by mhoek on Jun 22, 2009 11:13 pm • link • report

Or maybe just Clarendon.

by crin on Jun 23, 2009 7:20 am • link • report

Rosslyn + Ballston = Rallston

The initial vowels in Rosslyn and Ballston sound very similar - combine them and you get a short and obvious word. Except for the spelling...

by EthanJ on Jun 23, 2009 7:51 am • link • report

Yeah, leaving out the terrible and meaningless sound, the tryingtoohardington factor, and the fact that the Orange line serves a much greater area, so it's not even geographically neat, it's great.

Not to mention, every place within your proposed "orangington" already has a name. If you say you're going to organgington, where are you going? If you say you live there, where do you live? It begs the question. Skip right to the actual answer - let's meet up in Clarendon. I work in Rosslyn. Last night we went to Ballston to see a movie.

GGW - creating problems where none existed....

by Josh on Jun 23, 2009 9:35 am • link • report

Orangington doesn't work for me. what about "Greater Clarendon", or "Downtown Arlington."

by Brett on Jun 23, 2009 10:44 am • link • report

"The Place DC People go to Smoke in Bars"

by Cathedral Heights on Jun 23, 2009 11:30 am • link • report

RBC(or some expansion therein) or Rallston are favorite creative picks so far... but "Downtown Arlington" seems like the default name, and the one more likely to predominate as an auxiliary name when the neighborhoods won't suffice.

by Squalish on Jun 23, 2009 2:52 pm • link • report

The O.C. (the Orange [line] corridor)

by dono on Jun 23, 2009 6:10 pm • link • report

I think the Clarendon-Wilson Corridor could be called the "C-W" or the "C-dub". Orangington is not three syllables it's an akward three and a half syllables and kind of sounds like "Orangutan". Okay, so maybe orangutans are orange too.

As for the Red Line corridor, I think "Conn Ave" for Connecticut Avenue and "Wiskey Ave" for Wisconsin work really well!

by SDJ on Jun 26, 2009 12:37 pm • link • report

all this nonsense talk about naming a neighborhood after the color of the train that passes by on a daily basis. It's bad enough that metro stop names are neighborhood names. Or are the neighborhoods named after the metro stops? It's the age old question, what came first the chicken or the egg? What came first, Orangington or the Orange Line train? Don't see that the Orange Line is an institution in itself. It is its own state of being. It needs no neighborhood. If anything, the neighborhoods need it, regardless of its spontaneous short comings and delays.

nuff said

by the lone oranger on Jul 10, 2009 10:36 am • link • report