List of city nicknames in the United States

Reno, Nevada proudly displays its nickname as "The Biggest Little City in the World" on a large sign above a downtown street.

This partial list of city nicknames in the United States compiles the aliases, sobriquets and slogans that cities are known by (or have been known by historically), officially and unofficially, to municipal governments, local people, outsiders or their tourism boards or chambers of commerce.

City nicknames can help establish a civic identity, help outsiders recognize a community, attract people to a community because of its nickname, promote civic pride, and build community unity.^[1] Nicknames and slogans that successfully create a new community "ideology or myth"^[2] are also believed to have economic value.^[1] This value is difficult to measure,^[1] but there are anecdotal reports of cities that have achieved substantial economic benefits by "branding" themselves by adopting new slogans.^[2]

In 2005 the consultancy Tagline Guru conducted a small survey of professionals in the fields of branding, marketing, and advertising aimed at identifying the "best" U.S. city slogans and nicknames. Participants were asked to evaluate about 800 nicknames and 400 slogans, considering several criteria in their assessments. The assigned criteria were: whether the nickname or slogan expresses the "brand character, affinity, style, and personality" of the city, whether it "tells a story in a clever, fun, and memorable way," uniqueness and originality, and whether it "inspires you to visit there, live there, or learn more."^[3]

The top-ranked nickname in the survey was New York City's "The Big Apple," followed by "Sin City" (Las Vegas), "The Big Easy" (New Orleans), "Motor City" (Detroit), and "The Windy City" (Chicago). In addition to the number-two nickname, Las Vegas had the top-rated slogan: "What Happens Here, Stays Here." The second- through fifth-place slogans were "So Very Virginia" (Charlottesville, Virginia), "Always Turned On" (Atlantic City, New Jersey), "Cleveland Rocks!" (Cleveland, Ohio), and "The Sweetest Place on Earth" (Hershey, Pennsylvania).^[3]

Some unofficial nicknames are positive, while others are derisive. The unofficial nicknames listed here have been in use for a long time or have gained wide currency.

Alabama Main article: List of city nicknames in Alabama Alaska Main article: List of city nicknames in Alaska Arizona Main article: List of city nicknames in Arizona Arkansas Main article: List of city nicknames in Arkansas California Main article: List of city nicknames in California Colorado Main article: List of city nicknames in Colorado Connecticut Main article: List of city nicknames in Connecticut Delaware Main article: List of city nicknames in Delaware Florida Main article: List of city nicknames in Florida Georgia Main article: List of city nicknames in Georgia (U.S. state) Hawaii Main article: List of city nicknames in Hawaii Idaho Main article: List of city nicknames in Idaho Illinois Main article: List of city nicknames in Illinois Indiana Main article: List of city nicknames in Indiana Iowa Main article: List of city nicknames in Iowa Kansas Main article: List of city nicknames in Kansas Kentucky Main article: List of city nicknames in Kentucky Louisiana Main article: List of city nicknames in Louisiana Maine Main article: List of city nicknames in Maine Maryland Main article: List of city nicknames in Maryland Massachusetts Main article: List of city nicknames in Massachusetts Michigan Main article: List of city nicknames in Michigan Minnesota Main article: List of city nicknames in Minnesota Mississippi Main article: List of city nicknames in Mississippi Missouri Main article: List of city nicknames in Missouri Montana Main article: List of city nicknames in Montana

Nebraska Main article: List of city nicknames in Nebraska Nevada Main article: List of city nicknames in Nevada New Hampshire Main article: List of city nicknames in New Hampshire New Jersey Main article: List of city nicknames in New Jersey New Mexico Main article: List of city nicknames in New Mexico New York Main article: List of city nicknames in New York State North Carolina Main article: List of city nicknames in North Carolina North Dakota Main article: List of city nicknames in North Dakota Ohio Main article: List of city nicknames in Ohio Oklahoma Main article: List of city nicknames in Oklahoma Oregon Main article: List of city nicknames in Oregon Pennsylvania Main article: List of city nicknames in Pennsylvania Rhode Island Main article: List of city nicknames in Rhode Island South Carolina Main article: List of city nicknames in South Carolina South Dakota Main article: List of city nicknames in South Dakota Tennessee Main article: List of city nicknames in Tennessee Texas Main article: List of city nicknames in Texas Utah Main article: List of city nicknames in Utah Vermont Main article: List of city nicknames in Vermont Virginia Main article: List of city nicknames in Virginia Washington Main article: List of city nicknames in Washington West Virginia Main article: List of city nicknames in West Virginia Wisconsin Main article: List of city nicknames in Wisconsin Wyoming Main article: List of city nicknames in Wyoming Puerto Rico Main article: List of city nicknames in Puerto Rico

See also

• Banana belt
• List of U.S. state nicknames
• Tree City USA
• List of city nicknames and slogans in Canada
• List of adjectivals and demonyms for cities

General:

• Lists of nicknames on Wikipedia

References

1. Muench, David (December 1993). "Wisconsin Community Slogans: Their Use and Local Impacts" (PDF). University of Wisconsin Extension. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 9, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2007.
2. Alfredo Andia, Branding the Generic City :) Archived 2008-05-21 at the Wayback Machine, MU.DOT magazine, September 10, 2007
3. TaglineGuru Releases List of Top U.S. City Mottos and Monikers, press release, September 20, 2005, TaglineGuru.com website, archived on June 23, 2008

External links

• U.S. cities list