The town council of North Tarrytown favored changing the name of the town to Sleepy Hollow. Council members argued that making the town' s association with Washington Irving and his famous "legend" more obvious would increase tourism and result immediately in financial benefits for the town' s inhabitants. The council members' argument requires the assumption that ['the immediate per capita cost to inhabitants of changing the name of the town would be less than the immediate per capita revenue they would receive from the change', 'other towns in the region have changed their names to reflect historical associations and have, as a result, experienced a rise in tourism', 'the town can accomplish, at a very low cost per capita, the improvements in tourist facilities that an increase in tourism would require', 'many inhabitants would be ready to supply tourists with information about Washington Irving and his "legend"']