For visitors to Disneyland Resort in California, Anaheim has sometimes been an after thought—a place you travel to in order to experience the theme park. But Anaheim is actually much more than that and it has developed a new brand and logo to prove it.

The Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau (AOCVCB), which was a bit of a mouthful to say, on June 24 unveiled its new name, Visit Anaheim, and a new URL, www.VisitAnaheim.org. After more than 20 years as AOCVCB, the destination marketing organization decided to introduce a fresh new brand that reflects the past, present and future of the city, while encouraging travelers to visit.

According to Jay Burress, president and CEO of Visit Anaheim, the new brand came after a year of consumer, meetings and travel trade research showed the city needed a new name and new brand. “Visit Anaheim is a name that travel enthusiasts and conventioneers can easily find and understand,” he said. “It evokes a sense of discovery and clearly communicates that we have an incredible, awe-inspiring destination that people should come see for themselves.”

As the second largest city in Orange County, Anaheim has undergone a massive revitalization and beautification program over the past decade and is home to some of California’s top attractions, entertainment and sports venues, theme parks, and a growing restaurant and craft brewing scene.

New attractions include the Packing District, located at the intersection of Anaheim Boulevard and Santa Ana Street, which includes the restored Packard Building and former Car Showroom, Farmers Park and the restored citrus Packing House, including Cooks Chapel, a community kitchen private event venue, as well as The Backyard, an outdoor event area with a fireplace and orange grove. The Packing House features more than 20 artisan eateries. In addition, the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC) is transforming how residents travel. This transportation hub offers a wide variety of transit, dining, retail and entertainment options in one location.

Anaheim also is set to see a dramatic expansion of its hotel inventory as it adds 4,000 hotel rooms in the next few years, including two planned four-diamond properties. Last year it welcomed 1.2 million meetings and convention visitors, many of whom took advantage of the city’s convention center, a facility that is already the largest in California but will be expanding further after a $200 million project is completed in 2017.

Burress said Anaheim’s new logo pays tribute to the unique qualities of Anaheim. “It also perfectly encapsulates the next stage we are entering into as an organization,” he said. “We are here to help inspire the imagination of every visitor that comes to our destination—whether they’re a sports fan, adrenaline junkie, beach lover, theme park enthusiast or foodie—and change the way they see the world.”

Visit Anaheim conducted multiple focus groups and interviews in and around Anaheim, Orange County, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Jose to better understand how travelers viewed the destination, which includes Anaheim, Garden Grove and the greater Orange County. It found that Anaheim’s broad consumer and business travel audiences were not aware of what the destination offers and what it represents.

Designed by Kansas City-based travel marketing agency MMGY Global, the Visit Anaheim logo has multiple design elements that speak directly to Anaheim and Orange County’s past, present and future.

The big “A” recalls the number of big A logos around the destination; the looped “h” is similar to an Anaheim logo created by a former Disney creative; the dot over the “i” is Disney’s dot; and the palm tree icon speaks to the City of Anaheim’s robust revitalization. The logo’s colors, blue and marigold, are a tribute to Southern California’s ocean views, clear blue skies and warm sunny days.

To celebrate its new branding, Visit Anaheim took to the streets of New York City’s Flatiron district on June 24 with a special event where New Yorkers were invited to experience what Visit Anaheim is all about. Partnering with famed 3D pavement artist Joe Hill, three large, interactive 3D illustrations were installed in front of the Flatiron Building at 175 5th Ave.