Lots of things were going on in the mid-1970s when the city of Rancho Cucamonga was created.

As groves and vineyards disappeared, there was a fear that suburbia would bring an end to the area's bucolic lifestyle.

Some pushed for cityhood to control growth; others just wanted to be left alone.

But there was the belief that Upland to the west, Ontario to the south and Fontana to the east were poised to swallow up the communities of Alta Loma, Cucamonga and Etiwanda, so incorporation went forward.

One question, however, was what to call the city made up of the three historic communities.

"Cucamonga" was a logical name - the city sits below Cucamonga Peak and was part of the original Rancho Cucamonga land grant.

But for many, Cucamonga was always a little strange, especially when comedian Jack Benny poked fun at it during radio or television sketches in bus or train stations when there would always be the familiar announcement: "All aboard for Anaheim, Azusa and Cuc......amonga!"

Just spelling the name posed a problem. The late Esther Bolton Black wrote in her book on the original Rancho Cucamonga that there a variety of spelling variations from Cucamongabit or Coco Mango to Pokamonga and Cocomingu.

And today there remains a disagreement on just how to pronounce the name. Most of us say "Kook-a-munga, but longtime residents maintain it is "Cuke-a-munga" (as in cucumber).

The name problem highlighted

the reluctance of those in the three communities to give up their identity. Some considered those in the other two communities like a neighbor you wave to occasionally but wish he wouldn't leave his trash cans out so long.

Base Line Road was called the "Mason-Dixon Line" that divided Alta Loma people from those in Cucamonga, according to longtime residents. The grape people in Etiwanda didn't always see eye-to-eye with the citrus people in Alta Loma and Cucamonga.

Given all this, it wasn't surprising the name for the new city was a point of contention, though there was no shortage of candidates.

An Ontario Daily Report article in July 1976 offered a list that included Red Hill, Red Hill City, Ioamosa (an early neighborhood), Tricity, Tres Pueblos, Chaffey Hills, and Cucamonga Rancho.

To honor the comedian, Bennyville was even suggested. ACE - created by using the first letter of each community - seemed a possibility to some.

And then there were the real jokers who suggested Altacucawanda, Cualtawanda and even Etimonga.

The Daily Report in November 1976 asked all sides of the issue for their ideas on a name.

Proponents focused on Rancho Cucamonga as the logical candidate, citing its legacy dating back to 1839 and the original land grant of that name.

The opponents, some of whom wanted to break off from the cityhood effort to form their own city of Alta Loma, offered this observation of "Rancho Cucamonga":

"Cucamonga has a funny sound. Why do you suppose Jack Benny used it in his radio and tv shows? It belongs in the category of Milpitas, Ca., Hackensack, N.J., Deary and Ovando, Idaho and Peoa, Utah."

Despite its problems, Rancho Cucamonga was the name listed on the ballot when voters went to the polls on Nov. 7, 1977. The new city, and name, was approved with almost a 60 percent majority.

And 32 years of cityhood have still not convinced everyone in Rancho Cucamonga to completely embrace the large-city concept. Many residents, especially in Alta Loma and Etiwanda, still identify themselves in documents and letters with their neighborhood name.

Some things just change slowly.