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News & ArtsThursday, November 12, 2009
City It's Official: We're the City by the Salish Sea
Posted by Eli Sanders on Thu, Nov 12, 2009 at 4:24 PM
I've mentioned before how much I love a Board on Geographic Names. I would like to mention it again now, seeing as the recent waterway-renaming decision of the Washington State Board on Geographic Names has just been unanimously endorsed by the mighty United States Board on Geographic Names:
The U.S. Board of Geographic Names approved the name Salish Sea today in a unanimous vote.
Make a note of it, people: the liquids formerly known as Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the Georgia Strait are now the Salish Sea.
You got a problem with that? Talk to the Board.
2
Actually, the liquids known as Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the Georgia Strait are all still known by those names. The board named the three, when referred to as one body of water, the Salish Sea.
No one is renaming the Puget Sound or the other two bodies of water.
What I found most interesting in the article itself was that Pierce County voted against the name and had the most active dissenters. What the fuck is up with Pierce County? First they vote to Reject Ref-71 and Approve I-1033 and now they are against The Salish and their Sea?
No one is renaming the Puget Sound or the other two bodies of water.
What I found most interesting in the article itself was that Pierce County voted against the name and had the most active dissenters. What the fuck is up with Pierce County? First they vote to Reject Ref-71 and Approve I-1033 and now they are against The Salish and their Sea?
4
Eli, I thought of you when I heard NPR refer to the "Salish Sea orca pods" this morning (yay for new baby orcas!). If NPR and the orcas are using it, it must be official.
7
"Salish language" is called Lushotseed, and yes, many major local tribes offer lessons in it, including the Tulalips.
8
"Salish Sea" or "the Salish Sea"? They are not the same thing. Danindowntown, there is no body of water called "the Puget Sound", nor has there ever been, nor will there ever be.
9
We're the arrogant clueless Seattleites who say things like "We're the City by the Salish Sea" when in fact we're only "a" city by the Salish Sea, because in fact, Vancouver, North Vancouver, Blaine, Bellingham, Tacoma Everett Port Angeles and Victoria are also cities. also Nanaimo. Also, Olympia, it's this state capitol you might have heard of? Also Sequim....Also Bremerton....
11
Oh wait, I get it... when he says that in his second paragraph. I'm not sure he meant it that way, but maybe he can comment about that himself...
12
@ 9, only Vancouver and maybe Tacoma can claim to be cities in the true sense of the word, namely someone who doesn't live in the region, or has had some business with someone in those places, has ever heard of it.
15
It's NOT a "Sea". A "Sea" is like the Sea of Japan - an open body of salt water between large land masses.
It's a giant Fjord - you never lose sight of land & mountains. Dumbasses.
It's a giant Fjord - you never lose sight of land & mountains. Dumbasses.
16
And how's it pronounced? Salish, as in salt; Salish as in Salvatore; or Salish as in saline?
And, while we on the subject of pronunciation, how is Fuca in Juan de Fuca pronounced? Fooka? Fewka? Fucka? (Juan de Fucka sounds like somebody who'd be written about in Savage Love.)
(Sorry, I'm in Minneapolis, we don't have seas and straits and sounds, only lakes, many lakes, too many lakes.)
And, while we on the subject of pronunciation, how is Fuca in Juan de Fuca pronounced? Fooka? Fewka? Fucka? (Juan de Fucka sounds like somebody who'd be written about in Savage Love.)
(Sorry, I'm in Minneapolis, we don't have seas and straits and sounds, only lakes, many lakes, too many lakes.)
17
poor Matt from Denver. A loser with google maps and once again no idea whats hes talking about. Go kill yourself.
19
Salish Sea = Say-lish Sea
Juan de Fuca = Waan day Fooka
Fairly sure, though trying to spell/pronounce-out 'Juan' is a pain. It's basically 'w' + the 'awn' from 'yawn'.
Juan de Fuca = Waan day Fooka
Fairly sure, though trying to spell/pronounce-out 'Juan' is a pain. It's basically 'w' + the 'awn' from 'yawn'.
22
@15: Actually, you do, in the north. Vancouver Island is an island, not a peninsula, and you can't see it from a lot of points on the east side of the SALISH SEA in Vancouver, so there.
btw, I like it. Thank you, various geographic boards.
btw, I like it. Thank you, various geographic boards.
24
@ 17, I've lived in Seattle longer than you. And that's "SEATTLE," not Issaquah or Marysville or Yakima or wherever your mom's basement is.
Look upon Matt from Denver and despair, coward!
Look upon Matt from Denver and despair, coward!
28
Adding "the" to "Puget Sound" is a mild rhetorical flourish, that's all. I've liked it since I heard it as a wee boy from some folks whose parents homesteaded Bainbridge. They took me on my first sailing trip and told me tales of the Mosquito Fleet.
29
we should give Lopez Island back to the Mexicans, but Vashon should be kept away from the child diddling hands of those degenerate Vash folk.
31
Max Solomon @15, what the fuck are you talking about? A fjord? You DO know that the Salish Sea is not just Puget Sound, right? And that Vancouver Island is, in fact, an island?
32
And Matt @12, I can't believe you're categorizing Tacoma as a "city in the true sense of the word" and discounting Olympia and Victoria, which are capital cities.
And I would lay money down that more people internationally have heard of Victoria than Tacoma. We get a lot of visitors here.
And I would lay money down that more people internationally have heard of Victoria than Tacoma. We get a lot of visitors here.
33
@ 8 Jesus Christ, you are in poor form today. Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa for an incorrect placement of a definite article. You can do better, shame on you.
36
@ Irena, capitols and tourism do not a real city make; population does.
I've spent ample time in all the places listed @ 9, and they're all nice and charming (even Tacoma), but if it only takes 5 minutes to drive from the center to the city limit, then it's not a real city.
I've spent ample time in all the places listed @ 9, and they're all nice and charming (even Tacoma), but if it only takes 5 minutes to drive from the center to the city limit, then it's not a real city.
37
@32: of course i know its an island. the entire area filled by this "sea" was once filled by glaciers. THAT is why it is a fjord and not a sea.
38
Matt, I won't argue that Seattle and Vancouver don't feel more like "real" cities; that's obvious. But even if you're changing the definition to population, Victoria still kicks Tacoma's ass.
There are cities, and then there are big cities. Tacoma ain't a big city.
There are cities, and then there are big cities. Tacoma ain't a big city.
39
@5: I'm not sure if it's being offered this year, but UW has, in the past, offered classes in Lushootseed. I'm pretty sure that any tribal center in the area can also point you in the direction of classes. It needs all the speakers it can get.
40
Max, you can argue that, but I don't think you're going to convince too many people that all of the waters from Campbell River down to Olympia constitute one fjord. Plus, the "Salish Fjord" sounds ridiculous.
I agree that "sea" isn't perfect, but it serves its purpose by making these waters easier to talk about. Plus, it alliterates nicely, and sounds kind of romantic, so people like it. With a lot of these terms, there's just no clear definition -- for example, the Great Lakes really should be called freshwater seas, but even if you could determine exactly where a big lake ends and a small sea begins, you'd never get the names changed, and why should you? It's about what feels right, and for most people "the Salish Sea" feels right.
I agree that "sea" isn't perfect, but it serves its purpose by making these waters easier to talk about. Plus, it alliterates nicely, and sounds kind of romantic, so people like it. With a lot of these terms, there's just no clear definition -- for example, the Great Lakes really should be called freshwater seas, but even if you could determine exactly where a big lake ends and a small sea begins, you'd never get the names changed, and why should you? It's about what feels right, and for most people "the Salish Sea" feels right.
44
@31 - oh noes!
Sorry, got to suit up for some winter surf on the west coast of Vancouver Island ...
Sorry, got to suit up for some winter surf on the west coast of Vancouver Island ...
50
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