Google’s S.J. site deserves a better name

Ever since “The Valley of Heart’s Delight” disappeared beneath a tsunami of asphalt, our leaders have struggled to conceive the right names for attributes that should bring us wealth and attention.

Is San Jose the “Capital of Silicon Valley?” Not close. Does the VTA really provide “Solutions that Move You?” Let’s hope not. Could we have come up with a better name for “light rail?” I think so.

That brings me to today’s task. With the possibility of Google eventually building up to 8 million square feet of offices on the western end of San Jose’s downtown, it’s time to crowdsource the right name for this district, one that can be used repeatedly.

On city documents, this turf is described as the “Diridon Station Area.” Let’s be blunt. This won’t do. We have to come up with something better. “Diridon Station Area” has all the euphonious sounds of a metronome ticking.

It is not that Rod Diridon Sr., the former county supervisor for whom the station is named, is a bad guy. He devoted his career to transit, particularly light rail. But naming the depot for him is enough. Naming an entire district for him is something very different.

So today I’m beginning a contest to draft a better name for the territory around the train station, which includes the Google project, the arena, and a few converted cannery buildings.

Here’s how it works: You send me your suggestion, along with your name and where you live. With a committee of advisers, I’ll pick the top three suggestions — and readers can vote to select the winner.

Remember, the bar is low. We really can’t do any worse than Diridon Station Area. City officials have be-

gun referring to the Diridon Station Area Plan, or D-SAP, which sounds like an attack in a dark alley. That’s why a new name is so critical.

So what am I looking for? Here are four pieces of advice:

A) Keep it short. The memorable sections of other cities — “Lo Do” in Denver, “the Village” in New York, “the Loop” in Chicago — are all one or two words. If you have to add “district” or “area,” chances are the name has already lost its impact.

B) Name it for a physical characteristic. The three distinguishing elements of this area are the train station, the arena, and Google. Some combination of those might fit. And one day BART or high-speed rail might arrive as well. The name should be reasonably straightforward and memorable.

C) Avoid a person’s name. “Diridon” has stuck to the station because Caltrain conductors repeatedly call out the name to distinguish it from San Jose’s other station, Tamien. But over the years, people forget political leaders. They remember the landscape.

D) Stay away from the bureaucratic. Words like “transfer” and “transit” and, God forbid, “multimodal,” are toxic. Avoid them at all costs.

So what ideas have occurred to me? I’ve considered options that range from the playful (Choo-Choo) to the abbyreviated (TAG, for trainarena-google) to something based on Google (Alphabet Village) to a moniker that refers more generally to the Internet (Dot Commons).

I’m not sure any of those fit. That’s why I’m turning to you. If you have an idea, email me at sherhold@bayareanewsgroup.com. We’ll take it from there. Remember, we have nothing to lose but our metronomes.