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For 20-years Roy Griffin has watched his hometown struggle to keep up with its neighbors.

KHOU - TV

What's in a name? For Missouri City the answer could be respect.

“If you drive down this street it doesn’t look attractive at all. Pizza Hut. Chicken Shack. All that,” said Griffin.

In fact, on this day one of the city’s two Kroger stores in his own shopping center is going out of business.

No question, Griffin said, Missouri City needs a makeover.

City leaders agree.

They hired an outside firm to help Missouri City re-brand itself.

The idea is to make it more attractive to developers, businesses, and new residents.

The mayor made another surprising suggestion, asking, “How about changing the city’s name?”

“Other cities have done it. Mobile is Mobile Bay. Meadows Place used to be Meadows,” said Missouri City Mayor, Allen Owen.

Right now that’s only an idea.

No new names are under consideration.

“We’re a town of over 70,000 people. What amazes me is we don’t even make the weather map,” said Owen.

True.

But Griffin blames politicians, not the city’s name, for parts of town stagnating. “[It’s] gonna cost too much. It’s gonna cost the city too much.”

A new name would mean a new address for 70,000 residents.

Still, there’s no guarantee the city’s image would improve.

Most here agree... Missouri City could stand a little polishing.

But Griffin refuses to believe it needs a new name.