More than three centuries ago, Shakespeare wrote of a love-struck Juliet asking, “What’s in a name?” before remarking, “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
But Juliet’s oft-repeated line of logic apparently has fallen on deaf ears in Round Lake Beach, where officials are considering changing the name of their 61-year-old town.
Mayor Ralph Davis and several village trustees said they want to rejuvenate the public image of the growing middle-class suburb, and one way to do it could be to change its name.
“The village has changed considerably, but there’s still an image issue,” said Davis, a resident of Round Lake Beach since 1947, who believes his community is unfairly thought of as a gang-infested area that lacks the squeaky-clean reputations of nearby communities, such as Gurnee or Grayslake.
“It’s sad, but just not true, what many people think about our community,” the mayor said.
To Trustee Nicki Johnson, there is also the issue of Round Lake Beach being located in a cluster of other suburbs that also use the Round Lake moniker. Besides Round Lake Beach, there are Round Lake, Round Lake Heights and Round Lake Park.
“We’re trying to change the whole of the community, and maybe it’s time to change the name and separate ourselves from the other Round Lakes,” Johnson said.
The communities in central Lake County take their name from the area’s nearby lake, Round Lake.
For years, the area had attracted families from Chicago looking to spend a day at the beach or weekends in small cottages that sprinkled the area.
But as the new millennium approaches, the Round Lake communities now represent one of the fastest growing areas in Lake County, with developers barely able to keep up with the demand for new housing in the once-sleepy towns.
In 1970, for example, slightly more than 5,000 people lived in Round Lake Beach. Today, the village is home to more than 18,000, and more people are moving in every day, making it by far the largest of the Round Lake communities.
The housing stock also is becoming pricier. In 1990, the average home in the area sold for about $90,000. But the new subdivisions are sprouting homes starting at $150,000.
One way to further distinguish the community from its neighbors, Davis and others believe, would be to change its name.
To that end, village officials have asked members of a special committee formed to study community development issues in the village to investigate the possibility of renaming Round Lake Beach.
Village officials may conduct a contest or perhaps ask residents to make suggestions on a new name as they submit payments for their water bills.
An obvious drawback to the proposal would be the possible cost and inconvenience to village residents, who would have to alter vital documents, such as driver’s licenses, mortgages and insurance contracts, to reflect the new name of their hometown.
The proposal has drawn some snide comments from residents.
“How about if we’re called Barrington Hills II?” one resident shouted out during a recent Village Board meeting, referring to the wealthy suburb located southwest of Round Lake Beach.
Supporters of the proposal are taking the issue seriously, though, saying it would help improve the village’s reputation.
“We want our own identity because we’re proud of what we do,” said Trustee Larry Mount.
