Gastonia to rename street in honor of MLK

  • 2015-03-16
Pending state approval, Gastonia will soon have its own Martin Luther King Street.

The Gastonia City Council has voted unanimously to change a two-mile portion of North Marietta Street, one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city, to Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. The decision was made at the city council meeting on March 2 and will likely be fully implemented with sign changes by September.

Earlier this year, members of the African-American community asked city leaders to rename North Marietta to honor the civil rights leader. The city already has MLK Plaza and the MLK Bridge. The stretch of road to be renamed includes the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge and is part of a once thriving African-American business district.

Jim Gallagher, a member of council, worried about the burden the name change would place on small businesses on the street. However, when another council member agreed to pay Stationery printing costs that would be incurred by businesses that had voiced concern, he got on board with the name change.

Another concern, the confusion and expense of changing the address of government buildings on the street, was quickly and easily address as well. While North Marietta will be renamed Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, the driveways leading to the city’s government buildings on the street will be designated North Marietta.
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