: Re: What name should I use? I am writing about my local airport which has had two other names which name should I use through out the writing about it? An example is JFK in New York was originally

@Goswami879

There are 3 things to consider here: the story being told, the telling of the story, and the reading of the story.
If your story is set before the name changed, then any dialogue or signs should show the old name. If it is set after the name has changed, then any signs should show the new name, but dialogue will vary depending on the person speaking - some may prefer the old name and keep using it, others may forget or not know it has changed, or just use it out of force of habit.
Depending on the narration of your story, you may choose between the two - for example, if the narration is in the past tense (someone is telling a story which has already happened, rather than telling it as it happens), then it may make sense to have the narrator explain the name change in an aside. Of course, you may then need to take into account when the narration is set. If the whole story is a flashback being told by a character in a narrative wrapper which is still before the name change, then you don't have that excuse or option.
Less commonly, you have the option of adding a footnote when the name first comes up, to explain (and, perhaps again later, if there is a large gap when the airport isn't mentioned) as an Author's or Editor's commentary. This is more appropriate for a non-fiction work, such as a history book

Dean called for a taxi. "Take me to Idlewild Airport," he said (This being before it was renamed to JFK Airport).


Dean called for a taxi to take him to JFK Airport - or, as it was called at the time, Idlewild Airport.


Dean called for a taxi to take him to Idlewild Airport1
1"Idlewild Airport" was renamed to "John F. Kennedy International Airport" on 24 December, 1964

I would usually say here that the main thing to maintain is consistency - however, as alluded to in the second paragraph, this may be consistency within characters, rather than the story. Which name the characters choose to use can give the reader a view of their mindset or personality.
Finally, consider your audience: you would handle this differently when aiming at teens or young adults, versus comfortably retired readers who remember the old name. Are they liable to get confused by you using the old name? Or, are they going to find it comforting and familiar, helping them to accept the setting and the era?

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