Hello Amazon, so long Crystal City: builder sees old name fading

Crystal City signage stands outside the 1851 S. Bell Street building in the Crystal City area of Arlington, Virginia, U.S., on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018. Seattle-based Amazon Inc. is close to agreements that would split a planned second headquarters for the e-commerce giant between Crystal City and Long Island City, in the New York borough of Queens, people familiar with the search said. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

Hello National Landing. Goodbye Crystal City. Amazon.com Inc’s arrival won’t just create a new name for the area in northern Virginia. It may also kill the old one. 

Google searches for “National Landing” surged Nov 13 after the tech giant said it will build one of its two new campuses in the previously unheard of community. The new name represents an effort to rebrand Crystal City, an aging Arlington neighbourhood that has struggled following an exodus of government tenants. Ultimately, the old label will cease to exist altogether, said Matthew Kelly, chief executive officer of JBG Smith Properties.