# Cities known by their initials **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 10, 2012, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775 "2012-07-10T09:31:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/21 "2012-07-10T12:33:41Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Not anyone who lives there. In New York, it’s just “The City.” True, but we do refer to several nearby cities by letter initials. Visiting Atlantic City is often referred to as “making a run to AC”, and Washington, DC is often just “DC”. (I’d be curious to find out if the locals there do so as well.) Hey, AC/DC. You know, I never noticed that until I put the two together in the same sentence like that. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/22 "2012-07-10T12:39:28Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Not anyone who lives there. In New York, it’s just “The City.” I live here. People say it. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/23 "2012-07-10T12:53:10Z")
OKC Oklahoma City Used by everyone\* here as a mail abbreviation. Used in news and weather on TV and radio all the time. In conversation, it comes up as “The OKC” or as simply “The City.” \*yes, everyone. Certain business, tax, or legal forms specific for Oklahoma even have the instructions “please do not use abbreviations such as OKC” ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/24 "2012-07-10T13:05:02Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#): > > SLC for Salt Lake City. Not sure if natives use the term, but I do hear it from others. In letters / email, but never spoken. Spoken, it’s always “Salt Lake.” ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/25 "2012-07-10T13:08:41Z")
To answer the question. I was going to say [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%85,_Moskenes), but I guess it doesn’t even go by its initial. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/26 "2012-07-10T13:10:08Z")
Do Vietnamese refer to the former Saigon as HCMC? Or do they still just call it Saigon? I’m all for letting Saigons be Saigons. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/27 "2012-07-10T13:24:59Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > It’s probably a safe assumption that almost everyone in the English speaking world also knows the city of Los Angeles as “LA”. > > Yet, I was thinking the other day, people don’t generally refer to “SD” when they’re talking about San Diego, or “LV” when they’re talking about Las Vegas, for example. > > But the city of Kuala Lumpur (in Malaysia) _is_ referred to as “KL” by both the locals and anyone who’s been there more than once. > > Which got me wondering - besides Los Angeles and Kuala Lumpur, which cities are widely referred to in spoken conversation by their initials? There’s got to be a few, surely… “The ATL” has been Atlanta, Ga for about 20 years. Somebody eventually made a movie with that as the title, about 4 Atlanta high school kids. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/28 "2012-07-10T13:38:33Z")
If you’re southern/central Maine, there’s a better than average chance that if you hear someone mention “LA” they’re talking about the twin-cities (and I use the term loosely) of Lewiston / Auburn. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/29 "2012-07-10T13:44:26Z")
Another Malaysian one -[Kota Kinabalu](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kota_kinabalu), commonly known as KK. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/30 "2012-07-10T13:45:08Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Do Vietnamese refer to the former Saigon as HCMC? Or do they still just call it Saigon? I’m all for letting Saigons be Saigons. **groan** ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/31 "2012-07-10T13:54:27Z")
ATX = Austin, TX LR = Little Rock, AR NLR = North Little Rock, AR ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/32 "2012-07-10T13:58:10Z")
The first time I went to New Orleans, I bought something and the sales clerk gave me a handwritten receipt. With the store’s address she wrote “NOLA.” I hadn’t seen that before (hey, I was 21) and I was charmed. I’m sure it’s pronounced like the woman’s name, but I guess it counts. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/33 "2012-07-10T15:36:56Z")
I never say LA. To me, it will always be good old El Pueblo Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula the way God intended. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/34 "2012-07-10T16:32:26Z")
One of Detroit’s nicknames is “the D”. I believe the origin is [The Detroit Tigers logo](The Detroit Tigers logo), which is an Old English D. A play on this is “D-Town”, which is also used. One of the best examples of this usage is [this musical masterpiece](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aktLRiWXfqg). ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/35 "2012-07-10T17:02:47Z")
I have heard people refer to Port Angeles, WA as PA. Sacramento is sometimes called Sac. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/36 "2012-07-10T17:03:51Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > OKC > > Oklahoma City > > Used by everyone\* here as a mail abbreviation. Used in news and weather on TV and radio all the time. In conversation, it comes up as “The OKC” or as simply “The City.” > \*yes, everyone. Certain business, tax, or legal forms specific for Oklahoma even have the instructions “please do not use abbreviations such as OKC” I live in NYC (and I agree with **friedo** that people say En Why Cee, I say it on occasion), and I was tickled when first visiting with my in-laws in Oklahoma and hearing them call Oklahoma City “the City” because of course to me, “the City” means Manhattan. And I also heard “OKC” a lot, but more without the “the,” just “OKC.” Maybe that is regional within OK. Or maybe I say “OKC” and my in-laws are too polite to correct me. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/37 "2012-07-10T17:10:16Z")
Before it was DFW, it used to just be ‘Big D’. Tangentially, Fort Worth was ‘Cow Town’ ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/38 "2012-07-10T17:27:23Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > The first time I went to New Orleans, I bought something and the sales clerk gave me a handwritten receipt. With the store’s address she wrote “NOLA.” I hadn’t seen that before (hey, I was 21) and I was charmed. I’m sure it’s pronounced like the woman’s name, but I guess it counts. “NOLA” is much more a spoken than written abbreviation for “New Orleans”. What’s interesting about “NOLA” is how recent it is – it’s not more than 20 years old as popular shorthand. “N.O.” – written, never spoken – is quite old, of course. At least for local mail deliveries, you can write the four letters “NOLA” in place of “New Orleans, LA”. Given a valid ZIP code, the mail will get where it’s going. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/39 "2012-07-10T18:06:20Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Do Vietnamese refer to the former Saigon as HCMC? Or do they still just call it Saigon? I’m all for letting Saigons be Saigons. Cute. To answer your question in the serious vein in which it clearly was not intended, they write it as TP.HCM for Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh, but the short way of saying it is Thành Phố. Saigon (Sài Gòn) now means just the downtown area, also called District One. The airport code for HCMC is still SGN though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775/40 "2012-07-10T18:18:37Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > At least for local mail deliveries, you can write the four letters “NOLA” in place of “New Orleans, LA”. Given a valid ZIP code, the mail will get where it’s going. It’s worth noting that with a valid ZIP code, you can leave the city and state out entirely and it will almost always get where it’s going, local or not. A college friend verified this back in the late 80s by sending mail to himself at home from campus addressed merely with his name, street number and name, and ZIP code, and it was there in less than 2 days. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-known-by-their-initials/627775.md?page=3)