Bear-Arms
Mentor
WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas - In the 1840s, a village of white pioneers sprang up amid several American Indian encampments. Its name, White Settlement, seemed fitting at the time.
Today, some city leaders argue the name is misleading and politically incorrect, hindering economic development in this 15,000-resident suburb of Fort Worth. On Tuesday, voters will decide whether to adopt a new name  West Settlement.
The proposal has angered many residents who believe the change is unnecessary and would cost too much. Signs have popped up in store windows urging folks to "Be Proud! Don't Let Them Discard the Heritage of White Settlement. Vote No!"
"It's a mixed community, a blue-collar community, and everyone gets along," said Ernest Rodriguez, who has lived here 14 years and opposes the name change. "The name doesn't have anything to do with the financial problems."
In recent years the city's sales tax revenues have taken a hit with the departure of several big businesses  including Home Depot, Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores  and some argue the town's name has prevented new businesses from coming to town to fill the gaps.
White Settlement is landlocked by Fort Worth and several smaller cities, so when the companies couldn't expand they relocated to larger properties outside the city about a mile away.
"It raises a red flag," said Grant Jackson, a White Settlement Chamber of Commerce vice president. "Texas has kind of a redneck image, cowboys and everything rough and tough, so a politically incorrect-sounding name is more apt to take wings when it's part of Texas."
Opponents say city leaders have not been aggressive or flexible enough in working to attract new business.
"There is nothing wrong with the name White Settlement, and the majority here is proud of the name," said former City Councilman Alan Price, who made 2,000 "Vote No" signs.
The city is about 86 percent white, according to 2000 U.S. Census figures. Residents on both sides of the name-change issue say it hasn't had a reputation for racism.
But some black newcomers say they have felt shunned. New Orleans residents Adrienne Hansberry, her boyfriend, Clarence Goods, and a dozen of their relatives recently were brought to the area after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
"When I heard that we'd be going to White Settlement, I was like, 'I don't think I want to move there,' " Hansberry said. "We are decent citizens, but we haven't been treated like that."
Goods said their apartment neighbors  most of them white but also some Hispanics  have been moving out in droves, some in the middle of the night. The couple also said they know of other hurricane refugees of various races who have felt unwelcome in several communities.
If the name change is approved, the city would spend about $25,000 initially to revise the name on police cars, uniforms and legal documents, Mayor James Ouzts said.
"We've got to get serious about looking forward," Ouzts said. "The history is there, but we can hang onto that to the point that it chokes us."
___
On the Net:
City of White Settlement:
http://www.ci.white-settlement.tx.us
White Settlement Chamber of Commerce:
http://www.whitesettlement-tx.com
Today, some city leaders argue the name is misleading and politically incorrect, hindering economic development in this 15,000-resident suburb of Fort Worth. On Tuesday, voters will decide whether to adopt a new name  West Settlement.
The proposal has angered many residents who believe the change is unnecessary and would cost too much. Signs have popped up in store windows urging folks to "Be Proud! Don't Let Them Discard the Heritage of White Settlement. Vote No!"
"It's a mixed community, a blue-collar community, and everyone gets along," said Ernest Rodriguez, who has lived here 14 years and opposes the name change. "The name doesn't have anything to do with the financial problems."
In recent years the city's sales tax revenues have taken a hit with the departure of several big businesses  including Home Depot, Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores  and some argue the town's name has prevented new businesses from coming to town to fill the gaps.
White Settlement is landlocked by Fort Worth and several smaller cities, so when the companies couldn't expand they relocated to larger properties outside the city about a mile away.
"It raises a red flag," said Grant Jackson, a White Settlement Chamber of Commerce vice president. "Texas has kind of a redneck image, cowboys and everything rough and tough, so a politically incorrect-sounding name is more apt to take wings when it's part of Texas."
Opponents say city leaders have not been aggressive or flexible enough in working to attract new business.
"There is nothing wrong with the name White Settlement, and the majority here is proud of the name," said former City Councilman Alan Price, who made 2,000 "Vote No" signs.
The city is about 86 percent white, according to 2000 U.S. Census figures. Residents on both sides of the name-change issue say it hasn't had a reputation for racism.
But some black newcomers say they have felt shunned. New Orleans residents Adrienne Hansberry, her boyfriend, Clarence Goods, and a dozen of their relatives recently were brought to the area after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
"When I heard that we'd be going to White Settlement, I was like, 'I don't think I want to move there,' " Hansberry said. "We are decent citizens, but we haven't been treated like that."
Goods said their apartment neighbors  most of them white but also some Hispanics  have been moving out in droves, some in the middle of the night. The couple also said they know of other hurricane refugees of various races who have felt unwelcome in several communities.
If the name change is approved, the city would spend about $25,000 initially to revise the name on police cars, uniforms and legal documents, Mayor James Ouzts said.
"We've got to get serious about looking forward," Ouzts said. "The history is there, but we can hang onto that to the point that it chokes us."
___
On the Net:
City of White Settlement:
http://www.ci.white-settlement.tx.us
White Settlement Chamber of Commerce:
http://www.whitesettlement-tx.com
