MINNEAPOLIS - An effort to re-brand the area surrounding the soon-to-be-open U.S. Bank Stadium is underway.
And the choices have been narrowed down to 25.
Currently, the area is casually referred to as downtown east or east downtown but it doesn't have a specific brand. With neighboring areas like the North Loop and the Mill District, a number of area groups felt the addition of the stadium, plus other new businesses, made the timing right.
The Minneapolis East Downtown Council, which is comprised of 21 businesses and nonprofits, began working on a re-branding effort nearly two years ago, said Dan Collison, director of East Downtown Partnership for the Minneapolis Downtown Council.
But over the last year or so, Collison said they've really dug in to come up with a rebranding plan.
"So as things are being completed around us, there's a sense of identity being attached to the things that are being built," he said.
Collison said the list will be narrowed down in the coming weeks, eventually to a top three.
The list of possible new names includes the following:
East Loop
E Do
East Town
East Central Square
East Central District
East Central Park
East Downtown Promenade
Promenade District
Promenade Park
Celebration Square
Celebration Heights
Celebration Park
Mississippi River Heights
Mississippi Heights Square
Mississippi Heights Park
Newsmaker Square
Newsmaker District
Newsmaker Park
Aurora Heights
Waaban Square
SoFa (South of Fifth Avenue)
East Hub
Portland and Park
East Village
Nordic Village