Talk:Neartown Houston/Archive 1

More than half this article is about the Westheimer Street Festival. Perhaps that part should be moved to an article of its own. Rockhopper10r 14:44, 27 May 2005 (UTC)


 * I have moved the Westheimer Street Festival section to its own article. Rockhopper10r 14:05, 4 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Intro paragraph
OK, this paragraph is clearly not NPOV. I invite the author to try and fix it... if not, I think it might have to be deleted. :-( kdogg36 04:24, 9 January 2006 (UTC)

Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2 contains errors of fact: "Longtime residents sometimes call it "The Montrose," although that has become less common. The name was originally pronouced as if it were two words, that is, 'Mont Rose.'" er

I have been a resident of Montrose since 1954. In the 1980s, the phrase, "The Montrose" was introduced as a pejorative reference (usually in connection with sensational reports of vice), by local TV newsreaders (not native Houstonians, let alone neighborhood residents), and was always a risible indication of their ignorance and unfamiliarity with the neighborhood and its history. Only someone whose knowledge of the neighborhood came from TV news would have used the bizarre and alien locution, "The Montrose."

The neighborhood's name was originally pronounced as one word, "Mon'trose," never as two words, -- in fact the pronunciation as two words, "Mont' Rose" has been a reliable indication that the speaker was not a long-time resident of the neighborhood.



Naming of article
Okay, this is an "official name" vs. "name everyone uses" battle. "Neartown" appears on city documents and so on, but I have never heard anyone call this neighbourhood (where I lived for five years before finances dictated my move to Westbury) "Neartown". Its notoriety as Houston "gay district" has given nationwide recognition of the name Montrose. Any thoughts? Rockhopper10r 21:40, 2 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Gay Houstonian here. I agree with you, Rockhopper... I've never even heard 'Neartown' used before, and I've lived in the Houston area for approximately half of my life. This article should be titled "Montrose"... Otherwise, it's just very confusing (it took me longer to find this article to send to a friend). —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.248.225.251 (talk • contribs).

I moved the page, give me a few days so I can return with a rationale for the move. In the mean time, be patient and try to understand why this article is named Neartown and not Montrose. Just know that Neartown is not a "neighborhood" or a "subdivision"&mdash;it is an area of which includes Montrose and many other neighborhoods. In summary, Montrose is a "neighborhood" that is located within Neartown, an "area" which contains more than one neighborhood. If we were to talk about Montrose (the neighborhood) technically, almost all of the materials in this article would need to be deleted. The actual Montrose is very small and there is really nothing to talk about. Most of the materials in this article is about the surrounding area, which falls under Neartown. I'll create a section within this article exclusively for Montrose. &mdash;RJN 06:59, 5 July 2006 (UTC)

I do not care if you are gay&mdash;this does not give you more authority in your arguments. Let us not drag sexual orientation and lifestyle into the discussion of naming this article. Since you already drag sexuality into this, then I will go into further details of where gay establishments are really located. The area where Hollywood Cafe/Restaurant, JR's, Mining Company, South Beach (night club), and many others are located in the neighborhoods of Avondale and Hyde Park, not Montrose. Technically, the real Montrose neighborhood is located south of Westheimer Rd, west of Montrose Blvd, north of West Alabama, and east of Mandell St. With that said, everything in the current article talks about Neartown, not Montrose. &mdash;RJN 07:39, 5 July 2006 (UTC)


 * There's no need to be so confrontational. Remember the Wikipedia credo. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.248.225.251 (talk • contribs).

Many "neighborhoods" thought to be Montrose include Westmoreland, Avondale, Mandell Place, Winlow Place, Courtlandt Place, Hyde Park, and Cherryhurst. The materials in this article represent these neighborhoods&mdash;not just Montrose&mdash;and therefore must be appropriately named Neartown. In summary, Neartown is not just Montrose and vice versa&mdash;it is an area with a collection of many neighborhoods that are all thought to be Montrose. &mdash;RJN 07:46, 5 July 2006 (UTC)
 * As I said at the beginning, this is a "name everyone uses" vs. "official name" question. Whether correct or not, "Montrose" is what this area is called by nearly everyone. I realise that does not make it correct, but it may well make it easier to find the article. I have never heard anyone refer to this area as "Neartown" in regular conversation. Definitely the article should have an explanation for what the official name is and that the official name is not in general use.Rockhopper10r 16:18, 5 July 2006 (UTC)