From geography to honouring local war veterans and wildlife to famous painters, the city has an ample selection of new street names to consider as development ramps up in the coming years.
At Monday night's meeting, city councill approved the topped-up list of monikers, which will be used in the naming of streets, parks and other municipal assets in future developments in Barrie.
They include everything from Fundy to Tofino, and local islands such as Beckwith and Christian in Georgian Bay to Grape and Strawberry on Lake Simcoe.
Interesting names associated with Barrie's heritage include Blue Anchor, signifying the J.C. Morrison shipwreck located along the shoreline, and Bluestem, named after a flower species found in Barrie and Simcoe County.
Others include Underhill, for the family that owned the Underhill Shoe Factory in Barrie, and Yachtsman, as a nod to the city's long marine history.
The surnames of numerous local military veterans are also on the list, including the First World War's Lt. Frederick 'Averill' Hall, Pte. William Henry 'Beckett', Pte. Joseph 'Desourdie', Capt. William James 'MacNamara', Pte. George Vincent 'Magrane' and bandmaster Edgar Gordon 'Redditt'.
Second World War veterans include John Harrison 'Douse', Ernest Nelson 'Gilbank', A. Leo 'Hiltz'. Lt. Joseph Bullman 'McBride', squadron leader George Vernon 'Miscampbell', Lt. Carl Edward 'Rasmussen', Alexander R. 'Roe', Roger A. 'Rowell', Albert 'Spragg', and Roy Watson 'Walsh'.
Korean War veteran Edward Ronald 'Lowe' is also on the list.
There are already neighbourhoods in the city which have themed street names, such as golfers near the Barrie Country Club and authors in Letitia Heights, but city planners could do something similar with painters, such as the likes of Matisse, Picasso, Warhol and Rockwell.
Some of the prominent Canadians to make the cut include Gretzky, Dallaire, Hadfield, Pearson and Suzuki.
There are also three names derived from the entertainment world, such as Privet (named after the street Harry Potter lived on), Sherlock (a nod to detective Sherlock Holmes), and Wuthering (for the novel Wuthering Heights).
There are also dozens of less flashy names: Harbourview, Driftwood and Ridgehill.
The city adopted a street-naming policy in January 2016. The registry, which includes vetting names suggested by the public, had been depleted and needed to be replenished.
Once a name is proposed by a developer, city planning staff attach a suffix, such as street, drive, avenue, boulevard, crescent, etc., which would then be approved by council. Private roads use the suffix “lane,” according to the city policy.
The street-naming guidelines include that it not be confused with another location in the city or nearby municipality, that it have a long-standing identification with city residents, and that it reflects pride in the city and honours its natural features.
