Augusta mayor wants to replace city's 'outdated' moniker
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Posted 7:52AM on Tuesday, March 12, 2002
AUGUSTA - Mayor Bob Young thinks ``The Garden City'' sounds a bit outdated and it's time for a change. <br>
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Later this month, Young will ask Augusta commissioners to support a new city slogan - ``Augusta: Georgia's City of Medicine.'' He plans to place the request on commission agendas. <br>
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``City of Medicine, that's a little more progressive and something that will identify the city,'' Young said. The current slogan is ``a quaint description of a city, but we need growth.'' <br>
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Local historian Ed Cashin said Augusta has gone through several slogans since the end of the Civil War. The mayor's bid for a new moniker isn't as far-fetched as it may sound. <br>
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Shortly after 1865, Augusta was known as The Fountain City because of a large fountain on downtown's Broad Street. In the 1890s, when electric lights were strung along the streets, it was called The Electric City. <br>
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The Garden City slogan stuck since the 1930s, when Augusta became a resort destination known for its public gardens, Cashin said. <br>
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Young stands behind his latest campaign. <br>
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``It really defines what we see as the future of this community,'' Young said. ``It updates our image, and that's all city mottos are about - image.''