# City nicknames that city residents actually use **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 29, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377 "2012-02-29T19:04:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Analogue\_Skywalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Analogue\_Skywalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Analogue_Skywalker)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/61 "2012-03-01T02:38:34Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > When I lived near the fourth largest city in Missouri, St. Joseph, it was usually referred to as St. Joe. A quick google shows a business named St. Joe Harley-Davidson, and references to a St. Joe Talent Show. The beginning of the Wikipedia article is, “Saint Joseph (informally St. Joe) is the county seat of Buchanan County…” I have lived here in Missouri for almost a decade now. I have never , not once, heard it Saint Joseph spoken of in any other manner than “St. Joe” We write it as Saint Joseph. Speak it as Saint Joe. See also “Jeff City” for our capital Jefferson City. even Jefferson City’s website is [www.jeffcitymo.org](http://www.jeffcitymo.org) I grew up south of boston. No one ever referred to it as beantown unless it was a goofy club name like “beantown brawlers” the hub was used (like someone up thread said) by news outlets. people said where they were from in the suburbs or if from the city. It was just “the city” or what part of the city… Southie, Dorchester(AKA THE DOT or Dottie), Jamaica Plain ( aka JP) , Brighton. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/62 "2012-03-01T02:42:52Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > NYC is sometimes, but not often, referred to as The Big Apple. No New Yorker ever, ever says “The Big Apple.” Only for ad campaigns. Tel Aviv, pathetically, is sometimes referred to by tourist-tracts as “The Big Orange.” You can guess how often that is uttered in the city. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/63 "2012-03-01T02:48:01Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Riiight, because the entire East Bay is flyover country, and are they are mystified by the big city, and thus call it that. Instead of calling it the City because it is the nearest major city besides Oakland that is worth anything. SJ is bigger and nicer. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/64 "2012-03-01T02:50:36Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Agreed with this, and adding that both “Chicagoland” and “the Chicagoland area” are commonly used in referring to the metro area. Yup. I live in Chicagoland, but it’s about a 40 minute drive to Chicago proper. It’s a useful name. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/65 "2012-03-01T02:53:13Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > So you’re saying “The City” is a pejorative? > . No, it’s a symptom of chauvinism by locals who don’t know any better. You can pretty much tell that a resident is poorly traveled and ignorant when they use the term. I just roll my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![moejoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@moejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejoe)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/66 "2012-03-01T02:55:13Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Yes, that’s pretty common. But San Jose is never SJ. The only other Bay Area city that I’m familiar with that goes by initials is Los Gatos: LG. For example, I’ve never heard Palo Alto called PA, although Palo Alto High is often called Pally. Paly just has the one L, and we do sometimes call it “The PA”. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/67 "2012-03-01T02:59:38Z")
I hear NashVegas on a pretty regular basis. Music City is more of a commercial use though. I also hear E-Town from residents of Elizabethtown, KY when I’m in the area. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/68 "2012-03-01T03:12:28Z")
Anchorage, Alaska is widely known as Anchor Town. Also, locals pronounce Anchorage as, “Enkridge” ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/69 "2012-03-01T03:13:53Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Sometimes. Also Motor City. > > Usually though it’s “thecityofdetroit” all run together like one word. I can’t ever remember hearing “Motown” in reference to the city of Detroit. Motown is a particular style of music (and record label) that was born in Detroit, but it is not a city. “Motor City” is fairly common, but not everyday usage – like with other examples it’s mostly used in headlines and the like. Thecityofdetroit is fairly common, in contrast to thedetroitarea. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/70 "2012-03-01T03:22:17Z")
Another former Boston-area resident. Nobody calls it Beantown. The Hub is a more common descriptor, but Boston is so section- and suburb-identified, you reference the town or part of town instead. As a former resident of San LOUIS Obispo, we do indeed call the town SLO, as in “enjoying the SLO life.” Houstonians (at least when I lived there) called in H-town, or Clutch City (during the Rockets’ NBA championship run). When I lived in Britain in the Midlands, Birmingham residents called the town “Brum” and referred to themselves as “Brummies.” As for the city I’ve lived in the longest, Austin, we don’t really have a big nickname thing going on. In the 80s “Third Coast” sort of caught on. The City of the Violet Crown seems so old-fashioned, though I do believe it was once a nick. Austinites are so regionally fixated (South Austinites, East Austinites, etc.) that I guess it’s taken a while to see the entire city as one place. Now it’s ATX, I guess. But you think such a weird place would have a tag, but we don’t really. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/71 "2012-03-01T03:26:18Z")
> [@Analogue\_Skywalker](#): > > I have lived here in Missouri for almost a decade now. I have never , not once, heard it Saint Joseph spoken of in any other manner than “St. Joe” We write it as Saint Joseph. Speak it as Saint Joe. See also “Jeff City” for our capital Jefferson City. even Jefferson City’s website is [www.jeffcitymo.org](http://www.jeffcitymo.org) Another Missourian and former Jeff Citian…I always have to remember to say ‘Jefferson’ when I’m talking to anyone who isn’t from the area. Kansas City is, naturally, ‘KC’. Unless you want to differentiate it from Kansas City, Kansas. In that case you have ‘Kay Cee Mo’ and ‘Kay Cee Kay’. Wyandotte County, which encompasses KCK, is usually referred to disparagingly as ‘The Dot’. Prominent suburb Overland Park is usually just ‘OP’. ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/72 "2012-03-01T03:33:04Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > As a former resident of San LOUIS Obispo, we do indeed call the town SLO, as in “enjoying the SLO life.” I’m not sure why you put “LOUIS” in all caps because I can assure you that the name of the city does not have an _O_ there. It’s San Luis Obispo, Spanish for _Saint Louis, the Bishop_, presumably to distinguish this particular San Luis (but I don’t know for sure) from the other San Luis, that is, Saint Louis IX of France. Anyway, here in Santa Barbara, you’ll hear very rarely that it is the American Riviera. Except in advertising, where it’s somewhat common. And, I’ve always wanted Chicago to be called “the X,” that is, the Greek letter chi (pronounced like a _k_ ending with _eye_). It would also make charts easier since you could arrange them like: NY, LA, X, SF, and so on. Needless to say, this has not caught on, and it won’t. But one can dream. . . . ---
**Author:** ![opossum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2bfe46/32.png) [@opossum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/opossum)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/73 "2012-03-01T03:45:24Z")
Jacksonville is pretty widely called “Jax” by locals (it’s also the airport code). Also “J-ville.” “River City” is used by some businesses, but not in conversation. The official nickname “Bold New City of the South” appears on sheriff cars and nowhere else. The sarcastic local nickname I’ve heard is “Actionville.” Nobody has ever once in human history called it “The City.” ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/74 "2012-03-01T03:48:35Z")
Stumptown, the Rose City/City of Roses, and PDX are often used in news and business names, but I can not think of any Portlanders saying them in normal conversations. The suburb of Vancouver, WA is often referred to as The Couve or Vantucky in conversation, especially the former. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/75 "2012-03-01T04:19:58Z")
Let’s get one thing straight: Nobody calls it Mogadishu. Around here, it’s the Mog or just simply Mog. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/76 "2012-03-01T04:31:39Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Friends from St. Petersburg, FL regularly called it “St. Pete.” The _other_ St Petersburg is commonly (as in: almost as often as the official name) referred to as ‘Piter’. Writing this, I am wondering if that usage was around when it was Leningrad, too. I should find that out at some point ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/77 "2012-03-01T04:43:07Z")
> [@RadicalPi](#): > > I’m not sure why you put “LOUIS” in all caps because I can assure you that the name of the city does not have an _O_ there. It’s San Luis Obispo, Spanish for _Saint Louis, the Bishop_, presumably to distinguish this particular San Luis (but I don’t know for sure) from the other San Luis, that is, Saint Louis IX of France. Yep, for sure. I went to college in SLO-town, and there’s no O in Luis. Although there is an O in Ah Louis, a famous Chinese merchant from (I think) the early part of the 20th century. I believe his store is still in downtown SLO. ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/78 "2012-03-01T04:47:22Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > San Jose is called Man Jose. 😃 > > NYC is sometimes, but not often, referred to as The Big Apple. Mostly for advertising purposes (and not that often anymore to boot). N.Y.C. also is used from time to time, but again very rare in normal speech. For NY, I’m afraid it’s indeed just “the City”, with the following rules: The City (“I work in the City”, “I’m going to a concert in the City”, “Let’s visit the City”) = Manhattan - and Manhattan south of, well 96th St., at that. Anywhere else you’re going to in the Boros, the rules are: 1. If it’s a fairly well known/defined neighborhood, use that name (e.g. Harlem (Manhattan of course); Flushing, Woodside, Astoria, Whitestone, Ozone Park etc. (Queens); Bensonhurst, Williamsburg, Bay Ridge, Coney Island etc. (Brooklyn); Riverdale, Throgs Neck, Pelham Bay (Bronx); St. George, Tottenville (Staten Island) (also, as you may guess, this applies to specific areas of Manhattan like SoHo, Upper West Side, Midtown, etc). 2. Else, use a rough geographical description & the Boro Name - “I’m going to…” South East Queens (e.g. Laurelton); the North Bronx (e.g Wakefield), Northern Manhattan (e.g. Inwood), NW Staten Island (e.g. Arlington aka Port Ivory), South East Brooklyn (e.g. Spring Creek - although most people would use Starrett City instead). 3. I’ll note that real-estate developers like to come up with “cool” sounding names for areas during real estate boom cycles, and the media likes to come up with dramatic sounding names for “interesting” area (anyone else remember “Alphabet City” - aka the far East Lower East side when it indeed was decidely more “low-rent”?). These names may or may not stick (usually not) over the years. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/79 "2012-03-01T04:48:05Z")
> [@Darryl\_Lict](#): > > **San Luis Obispo is called SLO, pronounced “slow” or SLO town.** Also routinely called “San Luis”, pronounced strictly as the American/English “Louis”, NEVER as in Spanish (Loo-EES) nor as in French (LOO-ee). Nearby, the residents of El Paso de Robles (better known as Paso Robles) like to refer to Atascadero as “Mudtown” (Insider info for the non-locals: Atascadero literally translates as “A Place Where You Get Stuck”, i.e., a bog or marsh. But the local officials prefer to translate that as “A Place of Much Water”) Sacramento commonly called Sacto, at least in writing. Don’t know if anybody ever actually says that verbally. Guantanamo (if you can call that a “city”) = Gitmo. Rio de Janeiro commonly called just “Rio” ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/80 "2012-03-01T06:32:46Z")
San Antonio, Texas Locals: S. A. ; “SATex” pronounced “Sattecks” ; Local boosterism types will use the term The River City (priming the tourists so they’ll herd themselves down to the Riverwalk and spend spend spend!) “San Antone” is used only in country songs. Similar to how no one who actually lives in San Francisco calls it “Frisco”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377.md?page=5)