What's in a name? For the city of Prince George, a new wealth of opportunity.
On Wednesday, royal officials released the name of His Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge, the new son of Prince William and wife Kate.
According to UNBC history professor Jonathan Swainger, George is a "fine historical name" and the new prince will have big shoes to fill.
"Queen Elizabeth's father [King George VI, christened Albert] overcame his stuttering, his speech impediment, to become an extraordinary war-time leader in England," said Swainger.
The original North West Company fur trading post of Fort George - established in 1807 - was named for King George III.
And as excitement over the new Prince George grew, the city which has borne the same name for almost 100 years was thrust into an unexpected spotlight.
According to Mayor Shari Green, the city was fielding calls all day from national and international media outlets.
"This is a real chance for us as a city and us as residents in our community to share with the world what's great about the city of Prince George and why we're so proud to call this place home," she said.
A brainstorming session at city hall produced a press conference iwhere the mayor announced the municipality would be extending a formal invitation to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to bring their young son to Prince George in 2015 to share in celebrating a variety of city milestones.
Not only is the city going to celebrate its centennial in two years, but it will also be playing host to the 2015 Canada Winter Games as well as the 25th anniversary of the University of Northern B.C., which Queen Elizabeth was on hand to open.
With 2015 is still a ways off, in the interim the city will be setting up a book of well wishes for residents to sign as well as putting together a few Prince George keepsakes to send to the new parents.
But the mayor said they also wanted to spread some of the wealth and joy within the community. A crib is set up in the city hall foyer to accept donations of baby clothing, gifts and toys, which will then be passed out to needy Prince George families with new children.
"Certainly the Duke and Duchess don't need a bunch of stuff," said Green. "I think we can serve our own community by giving within Prince George, which is what we're known for."
Swainger said the name of the new prince could help raise the city's profile in a positive way.
"It's become sort of open season in Prince George for various reasons that misconstrue our history and our contemporary situation," he said.
Having the opportunity to shed some positive light on the city, which has been labelled by Maclean's magazine three consecutive times as the country's most dangerous city, shouldn't be missed, the mayor said.
"We need to make sure that we tell our story and that we tell our story well and that people understand that the vast majority of people who live in this city are proud of their city," said Green. "They feel safe in their city and live a very affordable, incredible lifestyle in the city of Prince George and we want the world to know that."
A name is only one of the things the city shares with the new prince, said Heather Oland, CEO of the city's economic development branch Initiatives Prince George.
"New life represents untold opportunity," she said. "As one of the fastest-growing regions in Canada, Prince George is all about opportunity for people and we're just delighted to wish him every health and happiness and for he and his family to share our city's story."
The fact the new prince is called Prince George gives the city a unique connection and brings a new meaning and profile to the #princegeorge hashtag residents use on Twitter, said lifelong resident and Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond.
"Of all the names he could have been given, I'm glad that Prince George was chosen," she said.
The staff responsible for digital marketing at Tourism P.G. will have their hands full sifting through all of that extra material, said CEO Aidan Kelly, but added it could only be good news.
There are many ways to capitalize on this opportunity from a tourism standpoint, according to Kelly. "It puts us on the radar with major news outlets around the globe. We're able to put Prince George, and what we're all about, in people's living rooms."
The province, as a whole, is a key destination for visitors from the U.K. and those in the tourism industry will have fun finding new ways of connecting them to the city, Kelly added.
The news also allowed the mayor to consider the possibilities of returning some correspondence to a previous detractor.
In February 2012, members of council received an email from then-Abbotsford Coun. Simon Gibson, now a Liberal MLA representing Abbotsford-Mission.
In his letter, he suggested the city seriously consider changing its name as Prince George apparently sounded "musty, old-fashioned and lifeless" and that Lower Mainland residents frequently confused the locale with the also royally-named Prince Rupert.
"All I want to do is plant the seed. I think sometimes Prince George gets a bad rap," he wrote. "I think rebranding Prince George... will bring it more into the mainstream."
Gibson declined to comment Wednesday on the name of the new royal baby.
