City of Rockville Rebrands as ‘City Of’

The City of Rockville has changed its name to "City Of” as part of a rebranding that officials hope will revitalize the mundane Maryland municipality, according to a press release. The move follows the wildly popular rebrand of Rockville Town Square to "The Square" earlier this month.

City Of frames the rebranding as the “first step in a series of enhancements designed to avoid becoming like Wheaton."

City Of Mayor Monique Ashton told The Montgonion on Thursday the city government has “long been awaiting” the rebrand. “It’s not just shedding a stagnant, passé brand, it’s complete disassociation from a name that evokes empty retail spaces, short-lived Asian restaurants, and concrete public plazas with uncomfortable metal benches,” she said.

Ashton said the new name would help obscure the area that encompasses City Of, giving commercial realtors flexibility to list area properties as North Bethesda, East Potomac, South Derwood or West Twinbrook.

“We are also ending confusion about Hungerford Drive, Frederick Road and the Rockville Pike. They are all Maryland Route 355 and from now on will be called Strip Mall of America,” she said. “City Of boasts the longest contiguous stretch of dilapidated shopping centers anchored by underperforming CVS stores outside of Waldorf. It’s time to celebrate everything that makes City Of ubiquitous!"

Through community engagement, City Of planners learned that residents also desire the preservation of nostalgic local restaurant brands. Strip Mall of America's Towne Plaza will become Houston’s Plaza and the Pike Center will be known as the Phineas Center. Ashton insists Anchor Inn Crossing in Wheaton bears no similarities. "They left an old sign up at a new shopping center. City Of does the opposite."

In keeping with the rebranding, the municipality's sister cities, Pinneburg in Germany and Yilan City in Taiwan, have been replaced by Stadt Von and Chéngshì De, respectively.