Warren Mayor Michael O'Brien recently expressed the opinion that everyone should quit using the term Rust Belt when referring to our area of Ohio. He preferred that we use the term Tech Belt because that is where we are headed in the coming green economy.
Some name changes are in order
Artists of the Rust Belt -> Artists of the Tech Belt
Rust Belt Theater Company -> Tech Belt Theater Company
Rust Belt Brewing Company -> Tech Belt Brewing Company
The good Mayor is absolutely right. We get quite upset when out of town media comes rolling in and keeps referring to us as the rust belt, and leaves the world with the idea that all that's here are rusted out former steel mills, using pictures that they got off the internet.
Tags like "rust belt" perpetuate this idea, and the media is too lazy to see that those images are not true of the valley today.
If you can't make light of yourself......
The out of town media will use the phrase regardless of what names our local businesses and orgaizations use.
I think those new "improved" names stink.
Cleveland's Great Lakes Brewery has Burning River Ale which sounds much better than Recently Cleaned Up Cuyahoga River Ale
I understand the mayor's point. But I think we should take the name "Rust Belt" and make it our own and something positive. (like the examples Jay gave above.)