Lately there has been a lot of interest in improving the West Side.  Several boards and committees have been working on plans to achieve this purpose.  One particular plan has stirred up more controversy than most.  It’s called the Guadalupe WestTown Community Plan and it has come under fire because it uses the term WestTown instead of West Side.

The term West Side has been in the vernacular of San Antonio forever.  It has historical roots and most often evokes feelings of nostalgia and affection.  The term WestTown, while arguably more avant-garde, has no real relevance to the neighborhood.  Changing the neighborhood’s name from West Side to WestTown is like changing the name of the French Quarter in New Orleans or of Chinatown in San Francisco.  What’s worse, the change was made for no apparent reason.  Who thinks up these things?