# 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:** 5
**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, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/81 "2012-03-01T12:28:59Z")
> [@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. You did catch where I said I lived there, right? 🙂 Any number of visitors would pronounce “Luis” in Spanish, but residents say “Louis.” Bastardized Spanish is a hallmark of the Central Coast. Just ask someone to direct you to HI-guera Street. **Senegoid** caught my drift, I see… ---
**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, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/82 "2012-03-01T14:00:35Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Also routinely called “San Luis”, pronounced strictly as the American/English “Louis”, NEVER as in Spanish (Loo-EES) nor as in French (LOO-ee). > > " Well, I have sometime heard it as San LOO-ee. But yes, never as the Spanish unless that person is a native Spanish speaker. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/83 "2012-03-01T14:04:26Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Rio de Janeiro commonly called just “Rio” I went there, once, in 1960. ---
**Author:** ![\_cc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/e19b73/32.png) [@\_cc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_cc)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/84 "2012-03-01T14:18:43Z")
I’ve never heard Detroiters actually call Detroit “Motown” or “The Motor City” of their own volition except when explaining these nicknames. We just call it “The D”. ---
**Author:** ![RoniaBorkason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9dc877/32.png) [@RoniaBorkason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RoniaBorkason)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/85 "2012-03-01T15:17:28Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Sacramento commonly called Sacto, at least in writing. Don’t know if anybody ever actually says that verbally. Yep, we do. Sacto (sack-toe) and every once in a while (usually during summer/fall), Sacratomato. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/86 "2012-03-01T15:30:28Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Manchester NH is ManchVegas, although that is used semi-ironically. The Entertainment Capital of New Hampshire! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/87 "2012-03-01T15:37:10Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > 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. Ha! I’ve heard Israel referred to as the sixth borough, for that matter. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/88 "2012-03-01T16:15:07Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#): > > Thecityofdetroit is fairly common, in contrast to thedetroitarea. I think it’s more like Siddy Troit. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/89 "2012-03-01T16:16:46Z")
> [@Cub\_Mistress](#): > > Murfreesboro TN , home to Middle Tennessee State University is widely known in Middle TN as “The 'Boro.” IIRC, the full name is generally pronounced Murfsbro, right? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/90 "2012-03-01T16:19:34Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > 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. I grew up here too, and sometimes people do call it Beantown in my experience. It’s usually sports related, but I’ve heard it often enough that it’s not a big deal. I agree that the Hub is more common, often used in a phrase like “Hub politics”. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/91 "2012-03-01T16:24:59Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > I grew up here too, and sometimes people do call it Beantown in my experience. It’s usually sports related, but I’ve heard it often enough that it’s not a big deal. I agree that the Hub is more common, often used in a phrase like “Hub politics”. I call it Beantown sometimes mainly because it annoys my daughters. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/92 "2012-03-01T16:27:28Z")
I must admit that I never understood the Beantown thing. At the time the moniker became popular, I should have thought that eating beans was common everywhere in the country. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/93 "2012-03-01T16:34:24Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I must admit that I never understood the Beantown thing. At the time the moniker became popular, I should have thought that eating beans was common everywhere in the country. Other areas of the country didn’t lend their name to a form of the dish - there’s no such thing as “Paducah Baked Beans”. ---
**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, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/94 "2012-03-01T16:50:52Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > Any number of visitors would pronounce “Luis” in Spanish, but residents say “Louis.” Bastardized Spanish is a hallmark of the Central Coast. Just ask someone to direct you to HI-guera Street. Oh, yeah. I still remember when I got there for college and everybody called it “HI-guera Street.” I thought they were either clueless or putting me on. But that’s the way everybody pronounces it! ---
**Author:** ![UncaStuart](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncastuart/32/404_2.png) [@UncaStuart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncaStuart)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/95 "2012-03-01T17:12:36Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > 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. Or, it is a historical remnant of when SF was the largest city in California, and certainly the largest city within hundreds of miles. Hell, I’m a fifth-generation San Josean, two sets of great-great grandparents arriving in the 1850s, and I’m not embarrassed to call that northern urban area “The City,” as did my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents (have no idea what my gggps called the place). None of them were poorly traveled or ignorant, nor am I. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/96 "2012-03-01T17:32:34Z")
SF … “The City” … in my experience, it was also readily adopted by young professionals when they moved in, especially during boom times. Some twenty-something grew up in the middle of Nebraska, went to school, and just started their high paying job in the Bay Area. They very quickly learned to call it “The City”. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/97 "2012-03-01T17:49:09Z")
This may win the prize for the smallest city cited: Montpelier, capitol of the state of Vermont (all 7,855 souls), is frequently referred to as “Montpeculier”, both by residents of the city, and residents of the state. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/98 "2012-03-01T18:14:09Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > 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. I don’t understand why you’d make this enormous leap. I’ve heard “The City” used many times by East Bay residents describing where they work, and its taken to mean San Francisco. I’m finding it hard to imagine the sort of person who would find that eye roll worthy. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/99 "2012-03-01T18:17:15Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > 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. That’s ridiculous. A huge number of people routinely refer to the central city in their local conurbation as “the City.” It’s a perfectly natural locution. It doesn’t mean that there aren’t any other cities in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377/100 "2012-03-01T18:59:59Z")
In Southern CA: Riverside is sometimes Riverpoop. San Bernardino is San Berdoo. Long Beach is not really “The LBC” except in rap songs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames-that-city-residents-actually-use/614377.md?page=6)