We’re used to busting builders and real estate agents for pretending their properties are located in the next neighborhood over, or sometimes, the one just beyond that. But when we came across the gym, GoTime Chicago, we wondered about other instances of the neighborhood name game. GoTime Chicago touts itself as being located in University Village, though its address, 1601 S Morgan St, is technically in Pilsen. In this case, the location is literally across the tracks from the neighborhood its occupant is claiming, and it might be the case that more of the gym’s customers come from UV than from Pilsen.
We can’t criticize GoTime for its name choice, but we wondered if other businesses have borrowed cachet by relocating without moving shop. Ashland Addison Florist has several facilities – none located at Ashland and Addison – but that has more to do with the hassles of changing a business name than pulling one over on clients (if anything, that name has probably cost the company business).
Real estate agents have been referring to Roseland as East Beverly, to East Garfield Park as the West Loop, to Uptown as East Ravenswood and to West Garfield Park as Oak Park for years. Are they the only group doing this?
Click on “Comments” below if you have stories of businesses or professionals other than developers or real estate agents (we give them enough grief about this on a regular basis) getting creative with neighborhood names and definitions.