NORTH BETHESDA, Md. — Sometimes, it can be hard to adjust to change, even if it’s just a new name for a Metro stop.
On Thursday, the Metro Board of Directors voted to change the name of the White Flint Metro station to “North Bethesda”.
The move came after many people in Montgomery County, including County Executive Marc Elrich, said it was time for a change.
Amy Ginsburg serves as the Executive Director of Friends of White Flint, a non-profit group composed of residents, business owners and property owners focused on making their neighborhood around Rockville Pike a walkable, transit-oriented community.
Friends of White Flint was one of several local stakeholder groups that pushed for a name change.
“When you’re working to transform an area that brings retail, offices, and residents, you need it to have placemaking and to have a great identity and North Bethesda ties everything together,” Ginsburg said.
She added it would also help the community move past its association with the old, defunct White Flint Mall.
“It seems not to be the best idea to have your neighborhood named after places that don’t exist,” Ginsburg said.
However, the name change confused a few people on social media who claim North Bethesda is not really a place.
Montgomery County resident Dan Cardile echoed that sentiment outside the White Flint Metro station Thursday night.
“What is North Bethesda?”, he said. “This is White Flint. It’s always been White Flint.”
But, Ginsburg was quick to point out, North Bethesda is actually a real place.
“It can sound like a made-up name, but it truly isn’t,” she said. “North Bethesda is the official name for the Census tract for this area.”
Ginsburg also said if anyone is concerned people could become confused by having two Bethesda stations near one another, a precedent has already been set.
“People have figured out Farragut North and Farragut West for years, so I’m thinking they can figure this one out too,” she said.
A WMATA spokesperson said the change will go into effect when new maps roll out for the opening of Phase 2 of the Silver Line. No official date has been set for that opening, however, it is possible that it could occur during the first half of 2022.