‘It’s what the city wanted’: St. George City Council votes on Hilton Drive name change

ST. GEORGE — The St. George City Council voted to change the name of Hilton Drive to Auto Mall Drive Thursday. Why? There isn’t a Hilton Hotel on Hilton Drive.

St. George Interim Mayor Michele Randall in the mayor’s seat at City Hall Jan. 21 2021 | Photo by David Dudley, St. George News

“Even when I was on the council, we were talking about this,” Mayor Michele Randall told St. George News. “When the Hilton was there, it made sense. It hasn’t made sense for a long time.”

There was one letter of opposition, Randall said. It came from the owners of Mega Pro Screen Printing.

“For them, the name change will result in additional costs,” Randall said. “They’ll have to revise their letterhead.”

Stephen Wade addressed the council in support of the name change.

Stephen Wade Auto Group owner Stephen Wade at his office in St. George, Utah, Jan. 28, 2021 | Photo by David Dudley, St. George News

“That area was designated for auto dealerships,” Wade told St. George News. “The name change makes sense.”

Wade cited three reasons for this.

“First, it’s what the city wanted,” he said. “Second, there’s no Hilton on that road anymore. And third, the name represents what that area stands for. It is, after all, the St. George Auto Mall.”

Wade said that his company, Stephen Wade Auto Group, will refer to “St. George’s Auto Mall Drive” in new advertising.

Randall said that she likes the number system, but she used to work at a business off of 250 West, which presented its own challenges.

“It was always tricky to give directions,” she said. “I always had to try and give people landmarks. Now, with the name change, people will immediately understand where this is.”

Randall added that she was pleased that the road didn’t refer to any one dealership, which makes it more inclusive.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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