# City nicknames **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 13, 2006, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516 "2006-09-13T08:12:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/101 "2006-09-17T03:58:24Z")
Like Vancouver BC, Seattle is also “Rain City.” (According to local three-dot columnist Clark Humphrey, “Emerald City” is a 1980s-era chamber-of-commerce neologism that we newcomers have been duped into using unironically.) ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Macphisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Ms\_Macphisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Macphisto)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/102 "2006-09-17T04:59:19Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug] Douglas Coupland makes the point that although there is North Van and West Van, _there is no Van._ “It’s like calling Portland Port,” he says. Also **Terminal City, Rain City,** and **The Big Smoke** (which dates from the 1880s, not the 1960s). Lately the name **Vansterdam** has been catching on. [/QUOTE] Another one is Lotus Land. And Douglas Coupland is absolutely right that Vancouver is _never_ just Van. I have a former co-worker here in Victoria who always referred to Van., and it made me cringe every single time. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/103 "2006-09-17T05:42:24Z")
Wasn’t Petaluma, California, once called Chickaluma for its poultry farms? ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/104 "2006-09-17T05:55:14Z")
A few from the LA area: Long Beach: The International City Compton: The Hub City Lakewood: Tomorrow’s City Today Culver City: The Movieland Capital, or something like that Colton: Hub of Industry I don’t know if Santa Monica has an official nickname, but it is known locally as The Peoples’ Republic for its lefty views. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/105 "2006-09-17T12:43:41Z")
My city’s nickname is Dullsville, though it’s not _dull_ as much as it is empty. It is also the most isolated capital city in the world. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/106 "2006-09-17T14:06:29Z")
Glasgow (Scotland) The Granite City or Knuckle Butty Town Macclesfield (England) Silk Town Manchester (England) Cotton City Oldham (England) Milltown Leeds (England) Jeezwhatadumpthisplaceistown ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/107 "2006-09-17T22:10:21Z")
[QUOTE=capybara] I think there’s a difference between nicknames than humans use and motto-nicknames that chambers of commerce concoct. I don’t think King County came up with “The aroma of Tacoma,” for example. [/QUOTE] Actually, it wouldn’t surprise me if residents of King County came up with that pejorative – Tacoma is in [Pierce County.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierce_County,_Washington)😃 ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/108 "2006-09-18T04:16:13Z")
Long Beach, CA - Used to be known as “Iowa By The Sea”, because of a large number of midwestern settlers. ---
**Author:** ![Priam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/77aa72/32.png) [@Priam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Priam)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/109 "2006-09-18T15:24:39Z")
[QUOTE=Theodore Striker] Cincinnati has also more recently taken on the nick of “the 'Nati”, and Detroit is Motown of course. [/QUOTE] Cincinnati has also gotten “The Nasty 'Nati” from it’s less than enthused inhabitants. ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/110 "2006-09-18T15:58:19Z")
Lake Placid, FL is called both “The Caladium Capital of the World” and “The City of Murals”, on the rare occasion that anyone calls it anything. 1700 people in the middle of nowhere, but they’re responsible for 95% of the world’s caladium crop. Another one for Orlando is “The City Beautiful”, but that’s total bullshit. Tampa is “Cigar City”, and the entire Tampa Bay area is the center of the Suncoast. However, while I can think of names for some neighborhoods in the area, none of the cities have nicknames. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/111 "2006-09-18T16:11:25Z")
[QUOTE=ShibbOleth] I can’t think of any common nicknames for the cities around here (Tampa, St Petersburg, Clearwater, Sarasota, etc). Maybe “Gods Waiting Room” for St. Pete, although I’ve also heard that for all of Florida. [/QUOTE] > [@Bambi](#): > > Tampa is “Cigar City”, and the entire Tampa Bay area is the center of the Suncoast. However, while I can think of names for some neighborhoods in the area, none of the cities have nicknames. Tampa is _The Big Guava_. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/112 "2006-09-18T16:11:45Z")
[QUOTE=Beltane] Atlanta, Georgia is often refered to as “the ATL” or HOTlanta. [/QUOTE] **Atlanta** is also sometimes billed as **“The city in a forest.”** I kinda like that one. And back in the Civil Rights era as “The city too busy to hate.” ---
**Author:** ![infophreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/958977/32.png) [@infophreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infophreak)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/113 "2013-01-04T21:38:24Z")
Boise, Idaho is called Bobo by many of the older generation of locals and “Northenders”. Most people however, know the nickname promoted by the city officials, “The City of Trees.” ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/114 "2013-01-04T21:53:43Z")
I’ve heard Houston referred to as ‘H-Town’ and ‘The Seattle of the Southwest’. The second one makes sense b/c once it does start raining, it doesn’t stop. Also over the years, heard it called ‘The San Francisco of the Southwest’, even pre our mayor. It depends on what you read. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/115 "2013-01-04T22:06:47Z")
Rome, the Eternal City. I’ve always thought “Chi-town” was pronounced “_Chai_-town.” To me, Milwaukee will always be Beerfart, WI. ---
**Author:** ![Septima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Septima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Septima)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/116 "2013-01-04T22:25:31Z")
Oslo, Norway is “City of Tigers”. ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/117 "2013-01-04T22:52:10Z")
Austin, Tx : BatCity, City of the Violet Crown, Republic of Austin, Live Music Capitol of the World Corpus Christi, Tx: Sparkling City by the Sea Eagle Pass, Tx: Where Yeehaw meets Ole El Paso, Tx: El Chuco, Sun City San Antonio, Tx: River City, Alamo City ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/118 "2013-01-04T23:17:08Z")
My home town, Camarillo California: Lima Bean Capital of the World. I now live in Campbell, California, which is the Prune Capital of the World. Yay for fiber, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/119 "2013-01-05T05:35:26Z")
> [@GingerOfTheNorth](#): > > \ > Calgary, Alberta is called Cowtown > Regina, Saskatchewan is also called Queen City > Yellowknife, NWT: YK or YZF Calgary is also known as Sandstone City. And, as my husband points out, “The Heart of the New West,” which I don’t think anyone has ever called it in real life. Lethbridge, Alberta is also known as LA, which is funny, because the population is about 83,500. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516/120 "2013-01-05T09:14:01Z")
Another one from the LA area: Lomita: Celery capital of the world [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-nicknames/372516.md?page=7)