Hey, my column is back after a two-year hiatus!! Here is my re-entry into the weekly world of words. - Jim
Standing On My Head Again
By James D. Umbach, AICP
July 28, 2025
MONKEY BUSINESS
Have you ever just picked up the phone and talked to someone you just sort of fell out of contact with? Then you find yourself continuing a weeks- or even years-old conversation as if there had not been a gap? Well, that’s how Your Columnist feels, as he is happy to once be clicking away on his keyboard to talk to you, his Loyal Fans.
There have been a couple of changes since the column went on indefinite hiatus. Last year, one of our beloved cockatiels, Jensen, passed away while we were on vacation due to an undiagnosed kidney disease. She is under a tree in the front yard, but our male, Rio, has a new companion, Lucy, who is two and a little on the rambunctious side. The two birds get along really well, though.
In other news, some of you may have heard of a recent reduction in force affecting the planning staff at the City of Reno, my employer. I was among those who were dismissed, but, not to worry, as I have plenty of skills and talents, and enthusiasm for planning. Well, an enthusiasm for a lot of things—Panda Express, Chappell Roan, history—but especially urban planning and related issues, so I will be fine.
Speaking of which, you will notice an addition to Your Columnist’s name—I am now officially a Certified Planner, with all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities thereof. I always thought that anyone with initials after his or her name means that the person knows more than he or she should about one particular subject. I’m in that category now.
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With re-introductions out of the way, let’s roll right back into the fun. As my longtime readers know, I have a special interest in place names, particularly strange ones. During my preparations for a recent visit to North Carolina, which I will discuss in a future column, I saw that there is a neighborhood in Carolina Beach called “Monkey Junction.” Knowing that monkeys are not part of the native habitat there, I got curious about how that area got its name. Apparently, so are many others. In her February 6, 2024, column in the Wilmington [North Carolina] Star-News, Cheryl Whitaker explains that the name comes from a gas station that was at a particular intersection from the 1930’s into the 1970’s owned by Dina and Jack Spindle. The Spindles kept monkeys at their station as an attraction for locals, passers-through, and stationed soldiers alike. Bus drivers with routes passing through would announce “Monkey Junction” as the stop, so the name stuck even after the gas station closed.
Speaking of monkeys and transport, the July 17, 1960 issue of the New York Times mentions that there is a monkey that seemingly likes the IRT subway tunnel, One passenger reported that it was standing on the platform at Rector Street as though it was waiting for a train, but disappeared into the tunnel before the police arrived. The monkey had been seen with a companion several times in the past few days at nearby stations as well. Perhaps the primates were trying to get to the bus station so they could see Monkey Junction for themselves?
Are there any oddly-named places, streets, or neighborhoods in your community? Let me know, and I’ll see what I can find for you. You can reach me at
umbachjd@yahoo.com. I don’t bite—I promise!
