Most of the businesses in the tiny town just outside the canyon's South Rim entrance cater to tourists at the national park. The town is planning a public meeting in April to discuss a possible name change that could be referred to the ballot in August. The town of 550 with its modest scattering of hotels, restaurants and gift shops — some of which already use Grand Canyon in branding — incorporated four years ago, but its history dates to before the creation of Grand Canyon National Park. When building a highway through the community, the state of Arizona picked up the name from a local bar and posted a sign declaring the private property "Tusayan." Bryan said town officials believe it would make good business sense to change the name, but they want to gauge public opinion first.
Reported by SeattlePI.com 6 hours ago.
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