Hello, My Name is Rose City Health Clinic.

     I'd like to introduce you to the name chosen to represent the idea which has been years in the crafting.  After more than a year of brainstorming, I have decided upon what might seem like a logical, straightforward name based upon geographic location- but I like to think that there's more than meets the eye.

     I had a pretty lofty goal: one name which represents all the ideas, philosophy and goals that I would like my professional career to engender- while also being short, catchy, and easy to understand.   Pages and pages of names brainstormed, bubbling up to the surface in a moment, to be discarded the next.  Too foofy, too girly, too obtuse, too hippy, too difficult to spell or pronounce correctly- each name had a downfall.

     From the beginning, local/geographical names appealed to me but for the most part are existing clinics themselves: Northwest this, Portland that, Cascade, Oregon- none were quite right.  After so many months of mulling it over, I had the feeling that when the right name showed up to my brainstorming sessions I'll know it.  And last month, it happened just like that.

      I'm not sure what prompted the particular train of thought, but thinking back on different historical names for the region led me to Portland often being called the City of Roses, or the Rose City.   The name just stuck.  I couldn't get it out of my head.  I loved the ring of it, and quickly went to the Oregon business name database to check its availability.  Surprisingly (as has been said by more than a few friends and family members) it was mine for the taking- so I took the plunge and registered my first-ever business identity.

     As an explanation for what the name means to me, I have quite a few.  Growing up in Portland, the name "City of Roses" and "Rose City" has appeared my life frequently.  A few of these memories are playing in a marching band in the Junior Rose Festival as a youth and learning to play tee-ball from my grandpa at Rose City Park.  Roses in general evoke memories with my grandmother in Salem.  She and I are both June babies (rose is the flower for June), and she has many varieties of roses growing along her front path.  The smell of roses reminds me of both her house and her mother's house- who also grew scores of roses on her property.

     Although a flowery name was more "girly" than I intended, the rose and "Rose City" imagery was just too perfect to pass up.  I hope you enjoy my future clinic's name and please feel free to leave me any comments below.  Thank you for your support!