Is RAMBO a neighborhood in Brooklyn? Yes, according to Google Maps
Longtime residents of city neighborhoods from coast to coast are often puzzled, or even upset, by arbitrary names that Google Maps has given to their long-established areas. In Brooklyn, for example, names such as BoCoCa (the area between Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens) and RAMBO (Right Around the Manhattan Bridge) have appeared on and off in Google Maps, according to The New York Times.
The decisions made by a few Google cartographers can reshape the identity of a town, neighborhood or entire city. Tad Bogdan, who lives in the Rincon Hill area of San Francisco, which has suddenly become known as the East Cut, told the Times, “It’s degrading to the reputation of our area.”
Before the internet, neighborhood names developed via word of mouth, newspaper articles and physical maps. However, Google Maps is updated continuously and delivered to more than 1 billion people on their devices worldwide, according to the Times. Google said it creates its maps from third-party data, public sources, satellites and information provided by users. People can submit changes, which are reviewed by Google employees, the Times reported.
