Halfway, Oregon
Man Who Actually Renamed the Town to Half.com, Oregon
In early December 1999, a representative of the Half.com marketing team paid a visit to Halfway, Oregon to ask Mayor Dick Crow if the town would consider changing its name to Half.com, Oregon. Although skeptical at first, Mayor Crow conducted in some preliminary discussions with Half.com and decided to direct the matter to the City Council for further consideration.
At the next scheduled City Council meeting, Half.com proposed a tentative agreement that would provide financial support for civic endeavors. The City Council voted to proceed in discussions with Half.com after the 1999 holiday season. Shortly after this vote, the media learned of the proceedings and national press exploded. CNN, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Good Morning America, NY Times, and dozens of other news outlets carried the story of how Half.com, Oregon, might become the first dot com city in the world.
In January 2000, the Half.com marketing team returned to Halfway to gather feedback from the citizens of the town and determine how a partnership could work best. After talking with dozens of town residents, Half.com proposed to donate 20 computers to the city for use in the computer lab at Halfway Elementary School; a prize to be raffled at the County Fair; and funds to be used in civic improvement efforts. In exchange, the town agreed to issue a proclamation changing its name to HALF.COM, Oregon.
On Wednesday, January 19th, NBC's Today Show was broadcast live from Half.com, Oregon, and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, corporate headquarters of Half.com, Inc. as the company launched its web site. Millions of viewers and Internet users throughout the country and the world experienced the proclamation of the World's First Dot Com City and the new person-to-person business model presented by Half.com. It is a day the town will remember forever.
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