It's commerce, not love, that makes the world go round.

That's why we have little sympathy for those in fast-growing Commerce City who are pushing for a name change. Many seem to live in its upscale new developments on the north side.

Apparently they feel the word "commerce" somehow soils their addresses, their self-image and, perhaps most of all, their property values.

Residents will vote April 3 on whether they want a name change. If a majority says yes, a second election in November will decide which of the three names that emerge out of community meetings the city will adopt.

We stand foursquare behind the status quo with Mayor Sean Ford. "If we change our name, then the whole metro area will know we were the city that was ashamed of who we are," he said. Then, with that gift for imagery that marks him as a comer in politics, he added, "If you have an ugly girlfriend and she changes her name, she is still ugly."

Not that Commerce City is ugly. Sure, old-timers know it mostly for its dog track, salvage yards and huge oil refinery. But now it includes a wildlife refuge, a new soccer stadium for the Colorado Rapids, more park land and new shopping areas in addition to its upscale subdivisions.

The tony Parade of Homes wasn't too proud to put on its 2006 show in Commerce City's Reunion development.

We take comfort in the fact that Coloradans are reluctant to change city names. The last change occurred in 1980, when Grand Valley decided to be called Parachute.

But the nearby town of Silt has rejected numerous attempts to change its name. Sure, there were bumper stickers like "Silt Happens," but veteran residents like to say they were born in Silt and intend to die in Silt.

Then there's the cost factor. Commerce City figures it will cost its taxpayers almost $1 million to change street signs, park signs, lettering on city vehicles, municipal letterheads and the like. On top of that all residents will have to spend their own time and money reprinting stationery and notifying correspondents of new addresses.

We have this sinking feeling that if Commerce City elects to change its name, it might opt for one of those bogus English countryside titles favored by pretentious developers, like Derbyshire Downs.

The city has done nothing but prosper under its straightforward moniker. The population was 20,991, according to the 2000 census; in 2005 the figure had leaped to 34,189. The city Web site estimates the current population at 45,000.

There's no point in gilding the lily - or the Suncor Refinery. Maybe Reunion residents are ashamed to be its neighbors, but it's producing $15 million a year for city coffers. As the old saying goes, muck means money.

Listen to Mayor Ford's warning: Even if voters approve a name change, it will still be thought of by the rest of the metro area as "the City formerly known as Commerce City."