In 1939, northern Tawa valley residents seeking a separate name for the northern part of the Tawa district met and chose "Linden", from "Linden Vale", the name of the home of Mr Stuart Duncan and the name "Linden" was adopted in 1940. In 1948, the Tawa Flat and Linden Progressive Associations and Porirua interests, led by Arthur Carman and Percy Clark, made a representation to the Local Government Commission asking for a single borough covering the whole of the Porirua Basin. The Commission did not accept this proposal but responded by giving the Tawa Flat-Linden area the status of a Town District with the first Tawa Flat Town Board elected on 16 May 1951. With continued urbanisation and population growth in the Tawa valley, the population reached 3,900 in 1953 and the upgrade of the Town District to a borough was approved in October 1953.