Town Named 'Disappointment' Votes Against Renaming, Citing Accuracy

The 340 residents of Disappointment, Arizona, voted 287-53 on Tuesday against a proposal to rename their town 'Pleasant Valley,' with the overwhelming majority citing the original name's 'unflinching honesty' as their primary reason for keeping it. 'Have you been here?' said Mayor Gloria Drear at the town hall meeting. 'The name is accurate. Changing it to Pleasant Valley would constitute false advertising, and I won't have that on my conscience.' The renaming effort was spearheaded by the local chamber of commerce, which argued that the current name 'presents challenges' for tourism marketing. A consultant hired to assess the town's brand identity described the assignment as 'the hardest $8,000 I've ever earned.' 'I suggested Sunridge, Crestview, even just going with the zip code,' said branding consultant Kelly Topline. 'They rejected everything. One resident told me the town was named Disappointment in 1887 by a prospector who found no gold here, and that nothing has happened since to contradict his assessment.' The toponymic history of the town is well documented. Founder Ezekiel Bleak reportedly arrived expecting silver deposits and instead found 'dust, rattlesnakes, and a profound sense of having made a terrible decision.' His naming of the settlement was described by the territorial registrar at the time as 'unusually candid.' The chamber of commerce has announced it will shift its strategy to 'leaning into the brand,' with a new slogan: 'Disappointment, Arizona: At Least We're Honest.'