For those of you in the Smyrna area who tell people you live in Vinings, your nose is going to grow like Pinocchio. That is because you don't. Not anymore.

You got to use the name "Vinings" because some developer slapped it on his development and thought he could convince you that living on the East-West Connector was like living in Vinings Village. It's not. Not close.

Thanks to some hard-working residents and an engaged county commissioner, Historic Vinings Village is now defined as the area with the Chattahoochee River to the east, the CSX railroad to the west, Paces Mill Road to the north and Log Cabin Drive to the south. Write it down.

Vinings is a jewel in Cobb County noted for its ambiance and its history, including the Pace House which served as Gen. Sherman's temporary headquarters where he planned the siege of Atlanta during the National Unpleasantness and the (ahem!) Yarbrough House built by Samuel Yarbrough in 1880 for his wife Ella Pace Yarbrough, granddaughter of Hardy Pace, the town's founder. I doubt Sam and I are close kin. About the time he was building the home of his dreams, my limb of the family tree was trying to eke out a living in the red clay of Fayette County.

In addition to the name "Vinings" being plastered all over the county, previous commissions have just about paved the whole place over. Coming down the hill at Paces Ferry sit more than 100 empty condominiums that should never have been built in the first place. Across the road, another parcel has already been approved for development. Go on down the hill to where Paces Mill runs into Cobb Parkway and there sits future development waiting out a bad economy. The justification for all the building has been to "add to the county's tax digest." Horse patoot.

Over-development also adds the costs in new infrastructure and the cost of providing county services and negatively impacts the quality of life for everyone in the area.

In the last election, voters tossed out a commissioner who seemed unwilling or unable to stop the overdevelopment of the area and have replaced him with one who seems more willing to listen to residents who care deeply about preserving the quality of life of the area.

Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott, who represents the area, has helped get the area mapped and identified as a significant entity in the county's 2010 comprehensive plan, which states that "The Board of Commissioners will only consider residential development consistent with the residential character of the parcels surrounding this area." I'm not sure what all of that means but I hope it means no more unneeded and unwanted condos.

Ott says, "The recognition by the Cobb County Commission of the Historic Vinings Village was a significant and positive first step that truly identifies the uniqueness of Vinings. Besides the obvious excitement of those who have worked towards this for a long time, I am equally excited by the enthusiastic working relationship that has developed between the Vinings community and the county."

"As we have all been aware," says Ursula Wock, a member of the board of the Vinings Homeowners Association who has been involved in the effort to get the area properly identified, "unfortunately, 'Old Vinings' has been victim to identity theft. The prestigious 'Vinings' name has been used from here to Alabama by developers who understand that the Vinings name adds significant values to their properties."

Hopefully, "Historic Vinings Village" and "Vinings Village" will be protected from use by those outside the mapped area. The Vinings Homeowners Association will petition to trademark both names with the State of Georgia.

For too long Vinings has been perceived as a cash cow by developers and politicians with the long-term vision of a sand gnat. It is gratifying to see local citizens and the county government working together to ensure that the area retains its unique qualities.

Wock says, "We can now use Vinings Village or Historic Vinings Village as an identification of who we are and where we live. Most of all, as homeowners we can once again take pride in our name."

It's about time.

You can reach Dick Yarbrough at yarb2400@bellsouth.net or P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, Georgia 31139.