Any Thoughts on Renaming Rio Grande Avenue?

WILDWOOD – For years, Rio Grande Avenue has been the homestretch for a family pilgrimage to a seashore paradise. Times are a changing’, though, and the name of thoroughfare into the Wildwoods may soon change, too.
Mayor Peter Byron co-signed a letter soliciting suggestions from the public (http://bit.ly/2TugYcY) on what to rename the road that the public travels getting in and out of the city, which links Five-Mile Beach with the mainland.
“Right now, ‘Rio Grande,’ it kind of gives you the connotation of Rio Grande, which is offshore, and we kind of wanted to have our own identity,” Byron said, in an interview with the Herald.
“It’s the perfect time. It’s going to be a new corridor, a new entrance coming into town, and if we’re thinking about maybe changing the name of Rio Grande Avenue, what better time than at the official opening of the new corridor,why not have the unveiling of the name?”
Byron said the issue is getting more attention than he expected.
“The response has been overwhelming,” he said. “Some of the names we have been getting have been very unique. Obviously, a lot of thought process has been going into this by some people.”
Would He Offer Any?
“No, I don’t want to do that, because one of them could be the one we end up going with,” Byron replied.
In response to a question, posed by this reporter on Facebook, hundreds commented with their opinions on the potential change. The response was mostly against changing the name.
No
Michelle Oliveira, a Wildwood property owner, thinks Rio Grande does have meaning in Wildwood. “Keep the name the same. Nothing wrong with the name, so why on earth would it need to be changed? It’s a part of Wildwood and its history, just leave it alone,” she wrote.
Yes
Vince Carango, however, sees it as an opportunity to take advantage of the changing times. 
“I like the idea of a name change and the way the mayor is going about it. Rio Grande has no connection to Wildwood,” Carango posted. “The town needs some changes; some folks are stuck in the past. Parts of town are seeing some serious plight. Time for a refresh.”
Byron was non-committal about making a change, and said, as of now, they are just soliciting names to consider. Then, he will decide with commissioners whether to change the name.
“We want to get the people involved. At the end of the day, if the people say we don’t want it, then we won’t have it,” Byron said. “My gut tells me you’re going to see something different in a couple of months.”
To contact Shay Roddy, email sroddy@cmcherald.com.