Near Southside Branding Campaign

So what is the name for this part of Fort Worth?

The Medical District? Hospital District? Fort Worth South? Historic Southside? Near Southside?

And what's in a name, anyway? That has been a big question around here for years.

In fact, one could say the district has experienced somewhat of an identity crisis because there were so many names. Until now.  

Now, finally, after years of discussion and debate, the area is officially becoming the Near Southside!

Over the last several years, Fort Worth South, Inc.'s Marketing Committee conducted surveys and tested different names for the district.  The goal was to reach consensus on a district name so that a branding campaign could be launched to promote the area.  In addition to increasing awareness of the area, the branding campaign would strive to broaden the district's image.

Well, that was easier said than done.

The committee quickly discovered that clearly the most widely used names for the area are Medical District and Hospital District, with different versions of Southside ranking third. "Near" and "Historic" were the most common adjectives used with Southside.

Those two most common names -- Medical District and Hospital District -- are perfectly fine for describing the district's concentration of excellent medical facilities, but there were concerns that those names wouldn't do enough to broaden the district's image.  So the Marketing Committee recommended a more neutral name that focuses on the district's location and proximity to Downtown.  And in acknowledgment of the area's reliance on the hospitals and medical clinics, the committee chose to celebrate health sciences as one of the district's key attributes within the branding campaign, along with urban living, eclectic dining, cool careers, and city life.

Now, of course, we understand that there will be plenty of folks still calling the area something other than the Near Southside.  No problem.  That won't offend us.  Heck, you might even hear us do it sometimes.  But we are proud to say that those naming debates are behind us, and we are moving forward with the "Near Southside."

You'll see the name and logo more and more on street sign toppers, banners, and promotional ads, increasing awareness of Fort Worth's very old, but also somewhat new, Near Southside.

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