This is not the first time we in the Twin Cities have had to undergo a rebranding.

Remember when civic activists insisted we call the neighborhood surrounding US Bank Stadium “”Eastern City» ? Or when, in the months leading up to the 2008 Republican National Convention, we were told to stop saying “Twin Cities” and embrace “Minneapolis-St. Paul”?

Bakken pointed out that contrary to some recent news articles and social media headlines, the official names of St. Louis Park and Golden Valley are not changing. Cities are not merging either. His group wants Westopolis to understand that the Bay Area immediately brings to mind San Francisco and its surrounding communities.

But confusion around Westopolis had already been sown. A day after my interview with Bakken, I heard from a PR firm hired to represent Westopolis (the marketing group), offering to clear up any misunderstandings. An apology appeared that evening on the organization’s website, reiterating that the two cities were not renaming each other.

“We know this misinformation may have made things confusing for residents of St. Louis Park and Golden Valley,” the statement said. “This was certainly never our intention and we apologize for any misunderstanding. We hope that visitors coming to the metro area will be intrigued by Westopolis and head west to St. Louis (sic) and Golden Valley.

Ironically, these excuses left out the beloved “park” of St. Louis Park, mixing it up with the much larger Missouri city. It’s a common slight against St. Louis Park, but you wouldn’t expect it from the group responsible for marketing it.