# Is "The Big Apple" Manhattan or the Five Boroughs? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 12, 2018, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479 "2018-01-12T19:18:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/1 "2018-01-12T19:18:37Z")
A question on usage. Is the “Big Apple” really just “the City,” or is it all of NYC? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/2 "2018-01-12T19:21:08Z")
[All of New York City is the Big Apple.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Apple) > [@](#): > > “Big Apple” is a nickname for New York City. It was first popularized in the 1920s by John J. Fitz Gerald, a sports writer for the New York Morning Telegraph. Its popularity since the 1970s is due in part to a promotional campaign by the New York tourist authorities. Numerous examples that support this are given at the link. ETA: I’m not sure how this is subject to anyone’s opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/3 "2018-01-12T19:38:43Z")
Its all of NYC, but when people think “New York City” most think Central Park West, Manhattan than think Kew Gardens, Queens. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/4 "2018-01-12T19:54:45Z")
Nobody locally ever distinguishes Manhattan from the rest of NY by ‘Big Apple’; in fact nobody locally uses that nickname outside the tourism industry or maybe occasionally politicians, AFAIK. People from other places might occasionally use the nickname but pay typically very little attention to the Outer Boroughs whether or not they are considered part of it. So there’s your answer I think. Additionally you could have a poll on whether ‘NYC’ is the appropriate abbreviation. The municipality’s name is ‘The City of New York’, like the official name of almost every other city is ‘City of’. The capital of OK’s name is ‘Oklahoma City’, like the FL town homonymous with the capital of Panama, Panama City. Those are different. There’s no reason to append ‘C’ after NY unless there’s genuine confusion whether one is referring to state or city, and you could as easily say NYS to disambiguate. You definitely don’t compare London and New York _City_ or ‘NYC’ as financial centers, it’s London and New York. ‘NYC’ is, like the Big Apple a term mainly used by American non-NY’ers although now, annoyingly, it’s sometimes heard in NY too. I think one reason is out of town TV news people who make it to the big leagues in NY based local or national programs bring it with them. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/5 "2018-01-12T19:55:31Z")
**Moderating** This appears to be a factual question, so I’m moving it to General Questions. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/6 "2018-01-12T20:23:48Z")
I’m not a New Yorker, but it’s always meant the whole of New York City, all five boroughs, to me. After all, Shea Stadium (and now Citi Field) – which is in Queens --has the “Home Run Apple,” which is a big apple that is raised when a Met homers, and obviously a play on the city’s nickname. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/7 "2018-01-12T20:42:04Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > **Moderating** > > This appears to be a factual question, so I’m moving it to General Questions. **Addendum** : I just realized this was a poll. I brought it to the attention of GQ mods and they may move it back at their own discretion. Apologies for any unnecessary disruption. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/8 "2018-01-12T20:46:29Z")
Addendum: “The Big Apple” is an apple-ation that fell into disuse a long time ago, at least among NYC residents. When I was growing up in an outer borough, we referred to trips to Manhattan as “going in to the city”. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/9 "2018-01-12T21:32:08Z")
Moved back to IMHO. **samclem** , moderator. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/10 "2018-01-12T22:04:40Z")
I used to live in Manhattan, KS, which bills itself as “The Little Apple”. Perhaps that’s relevant. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find many people who don’t live in or study the city that could even tell you the difference between Manhattan proper and New York as a whole. In fact, I suspect there are still plenty of people who have trouble explaining the difference between New York State and New York City. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/11 "2018-01-12T22:48:53Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > **Addendum** : I just realized this was a poll. I brought it to the attention of GQ mods and they may move it back at their own discretion. Apologies for any unnecessary disruption. A little tarnish on those sparkly jackboots? ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/12 "2018-01-12T23:07:10Z")
_points and runs_ ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/13 "2018-01-12T23:17:45Z")
I grew up in Queens, and going to the city meant taking the 7 train into Manhattan. I’d suspect that 90% of people outside New York using the term are not thinking about Staten Island. The term existed when I lived there, but no one I knew used it. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2018, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/14 "2018-01-13T02:59:21Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I grew up in Queens, and going to the city meant taking the 7 train into Manhattan. I’d suspect that 90% of people outside New York using the term are not thinking about Staten Island. > The term existed when I lived there, but no one I knew used it. I’d say a similar % of people INSIDE of New York are not thinking about Staten Island either.😃 ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2018, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/15 "2018-01-13T03:35:32Z")
I grew up in Queens and didn’t vote, because nobody in New York City ever used the term “Big Apple.” But I do know that to people in Brooklyn and Queens, Manhattan is “The City.” ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2018, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/16 "2018-01-13T05:05:42Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I’d say a similar % of people INSIDE of New York are not thinking about Staten Island either.😃 Hey, the ferry ride is very nice. When I was in the Boy Scouts there was a camping site there. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2018, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/17 "2018-01-13T05:13:05Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Hey, the ferry ride is very nice. > When I was in the Boy Scouts there was a camping site there. Camp Pouch! I learned many of my favorite dirty jokes there. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2018, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/18 "2018-01-13T05:32:19Z")
I’m wondering if the way I labeled the first choice in the poll is confusing. I mean, I know that “the City” is basically Manhattan, but maybe some posters didn’t get that? OK, I’m going to conclude, especially given the “Home Run Apple” at Shea, that “the Big Apple” is a name for the whole shebang. Thanks, guys! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2018, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/19 "2018-01-13T18:02:28Z")
It’s all five boroughs. But my policy is never voting in public polls. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2018, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479/20 "2018-01-13T18:30:42Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I grew up in Queens and didn’t vote, because nobody in New York City ever used the term “Big Apple.” Of course, the term was coined or at least first popularly used in New York in the 20s, re-popularized in the 70s by the board of tourism, and there’s a slew of businesses with “Big Apple” in their name in New York City, but nobody in NYC ever used the term “Big Apple.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-apple-manhattan-or-the-five-boroughs/806479.md?page=2)