BURLINGTON — The signs are changing.
The city of Burlington is considering removing the last vestiges of the community’s long-standing identity as “Chocolate City USA”
Dozens of signs welcoming visitors to the “Chocolate City” will soon be removed and replaced with images promoting Burlington’s new brand, sans slogan.
In August 2022, Burlington City Council adopted a tricolour leaf logo featuring images of nature, water and homes as the new emblem to appear on roadsides, structures and maps throughout the community.
The council is expected to select a contractor in September to begin the sign replacement project that will officially consign “Chocolate City USA” to the history books.
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Community members said they welcomed the move toward a new civic identity.
Walt Uebele, owner of the Burlington Garden Center, 5205 Mormon Road, said he never really liked the slogan “Chocolate City” displayed on a sign near his business on the city’s west side.
Uebele said many residents seem happy to see the food-centric identity disappear, and he tends to agree with them.
“I think it was a bad idea to begin with,” he said.
Neal Miller, manager of his family’s Miller Motor Sales, 1196 Milwaukee Ave., said he’s ready to part with the old signs welcoming visitors near his business on the city’s north side.
While he understands the nostalgic value of the “Chocolate City” slogan, Miller said, he appreciates the work city leaders are doing to modernize and grow Burlington.
“Obviously progress is a good thing,” he said. “We have to keep moving forward.”
Burlington adopted its nickname “Chocolate City USA” in 1987, based on the highly visible presence of Nestlé, the chocolatier that operates a manufacturing plant at 637 S. Pine St. A summer festival called ChocolateFest has become the city’s largest event of the year.
But as Nestlé changed and chocolate became less of a presence in the city, city officials decided to modernize Burlington’s image. The summer festival was renamed the Burlington Jamboree.
The city is now looking for a contractor who will both take care of removing the old “Chocolate City” signs and recommend exactly where and how the new brand should be presented.
“The City’s intent is that the submitted signage designs will have varying degrees of design complexity, but consistent themes and designs throughout,” the RFP states.
Proposals from companies competing for the city contract were accepted on August 1.
City officials have not disclosed how much they plan to spend on the project, and they are withholding bids from contractors from public review in hopes of privately negotiating a favorable deal. The city’s request for proposals is for “the removal, design and strategic placement” of the signs.
The city lists 51 signs that need to be removed, either with the “Chocolate City” logo or others that are simply old and deteriorated.
The signage transformation is expected to begin later this year and continue for perhaps a few years as funding becomes available.
