fuzzykitten99
VIP Member
I used to live in Coon Rapids, which is then neighboring town to Anoka. Though this is not the first time I have heard mention that the name could be construed as racist, the guy who's making the stink, is of course, white. And likely not from around here, though the article doesn't specify.
http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_026020945.html
To change the name would be racist, because it would imply that the name of the city was supposed to mean the racial slur, when it does not. At one time, there was a raccoon painted on the water tower, but after repainting a few years ago, the city opted for a more modern look (below-except the 'minnesota' part is not on the tower itself).
If outsiders think the name is a slur, they have bigger personal & mental issues to deal with. Do they honestly think the name would stick with a city anywhere, if the origin was questionable? Especially here. If that is what they think, then let them stay away.
History of Coon Rapids
(WCCO) Coon Rapids, Minn. For those who grew up in Coon Rapids, Minn., the name is part of the growing river community's history and identity. But councilman Joe Soditi feels it's time for a change.
"My proposal is to change the name of the city of Coon Rapids to something more like 'Riverview,'" Soditi explained.
Soditi said he worries about the negative connotations the city's name conjures to outsiders.
"A one-horse town," Soditi explained.
Tamia Zeria, a Coon Rapids resident who grew up in St. Louis, Mo., said his friends and family think he lives "in the boondocks," he explained. "They think I live all the way out in the country."
"Now that I think about it, it does sound kind of hick," one woman said.
To some residents, the fact that others may think the name refers to a racial slur is disturbing.
"I was just a tad bit disappointed just by the name itself and what it represents," one woman said.
"At sporting events, people ask me about it and I get kind of ashamed of the name most of the time," one man said.
One teen said the name reminded him of "raccoons and a river," which is more or less how the name came about.
When the Coon Rapids Dam was being built, there was a nearby creek called Coon Creek that flowed into the Mississippi River.
Raccoons were often found in the rapids of that creek, so settlers named the area Coon Creek Rapids. "Creek" was later dropped from the name.
As of Wednesday afternoon, city officials said most residents they had heard from were in favor of keeping the name.
There will be a work session scheduled in the next couple of weeks, where city council members can discuss whether or not to put a possible name change on a referendum for voters to decide.
http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_026020945.html
To change the name would be racist, because it would imply that the name of the city was supposed to mean the racial slur, when it does not. At one time, there was a raccoon painted on the water tower, but after repainting a few years ago, the city opted for a more modern look (below-except the 'minnesota' part is not on the tower itself).
If outsiders think the name is a slur, they have bigger personal & mental issues to deal with. Do they honestly think the name would stick with a city anywhere, if the origin was questionable? Especially here. If that is what they think, then let them stay away.
History of Coon Rapids