# Los Angeles is LA, New York City is NYC... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 1, 2008, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341 "2008-06-01T12:03:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/21 "2008-06-01T17:58:52Z")
When I was growing up in northern New York, we used to call Plattsburgh P-burgh. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/22 "2008-06-01T18:09:50Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] When I was growing up in northern New York, we used to call Plattsburgh P-burgh. [/QUOTE] The lovely town of Trumansburg, NY is known as T-burg. It even works on US mail. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/23 "2008-06-01T18:25:21Z")
[QUOTE=Spoons] Which makes things confusing when the media refers to Terrell Owens as “T.O.” Toronto was known as “T.O.” before Owens was even born. [/QUOTE] You would have to think context will remove any confusion. You don’t often see a big city catch 8 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown, and I am pretty sure Mr. Owens doesn’t have a mayor. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/24 "2008-06-01T18:35:43Z")
San Francisco is referred to as SF. Makes me do a doubletake every time I see a thread title referencing science fiction. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/25 "2008-06-01T18:54:28Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] You would have to think context will remove any confusion. You don’t often see a big city catch 8 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown, and I am pretty sure Mr. Owens doesn’t have a mayor. [/QUOTE] Well, when a front-page teaser headline on a general-interest publication (just the teaser headline, with instructions to see inside for the story) states, “Great Day for T.O.,” it’s not terribly clear whether Terrell Owens played well, or something good happened in Toronto. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/26 "2008-06-01T18:57:59Z")
Boston holds its head high above such petty abbreviations. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/27 "2008-06-01T19:22:37Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] Boston holds its head high above such petty abbreviations. [/QUOTE] Okay, Beantowner. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/28 "2008-06-01T20:00:38Z")
In writing, many people use MTL for Montreal. Not what the OP is looking for, but Hamilton, Ontario is often referred to as “the Hammer”. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/29 "2008-06-02T00:17:48Z")
[QUOTE=Bearflag70] Sacramento = Sac (pronounced “sack”) [/QUOTE] Or sometimes ‘Sacto’. Goofily, I have been known to say: “‘Sacto’ is Sacramento without the ‘ramen’ in the middle.” ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/30 "2008-06-02T00:27:10Z")
Portland is PDX and Vancouver WA is the Couv. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/31 "2008-06-02T00:39:13Z")
[QUOTE=jaydotbeedot] It’s common to see New York referred to as NYC in writing, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard it referred to that way. [/QUOTE] It’s the title and chorus of a song in “Annie”. The abbreviation is more common in print, though. Provincetown, MA is P’town and Charlottesville, VA is C’ville (or, based on the shape of the letter, Hookville). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Them](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@The\_Them](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Them)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/32 "2008-06-02T01:57:47Z")
Champagne-Urbana, IL, is oft called CU. This confused me for a short bit, since I attended CU, which is nowhere near Illinois. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/33 "2008-06-02T02:14:45Z")
I have heard people from Pennsylvania to use the term PA in speech. I had no idea what they were talking about at first which, of course, made me look stupid in their eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/34 "2008-06-02T02:43:02Z")
Oklahoma City = OKC. Much shorter. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/35 "2008-06-02T03:01:05Z")
My favorites are the abreviations for Columbia and Charleston, SC. Columbia --\> COLA Charleston --\> CHAS ---
**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:** [June 2, 2008, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/36 "2008-06-02T04:07:29Z")
For airlines, I’ve seen Honolulu rendered HNL and Albuquerque rendered ABQ, but unlike my examples in my previous post, I’ve not seen these used elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/37 "2008-06-02T05:41:32Z")
Tel Aviv is often referred to in writing as TA. Jerusalem is occasionally shortened - in writing only - to Y-M in Hebrew, or J’lem in English. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/38 "2008-06-02T06:37:13Z")
It’s fairly common to abbreviate Montreal as MTL and Winnipeg as WPG in writing. As for spoken language, T-O and T-dot for Toronto have already been covered. In Montreal we say DDO for the suburban town of Dollard-Des Ormeaux, TMR for the suburban Town of Mount Royal (it’s VMR in French), and (scarcely ever anything but) NDG for the neighbourhood of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. Oh, and since someone mentioned states, the provinces of British Columbia and Prince Edward Island are universally abbreviated, in print and speech, to BC and PEI. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/39 "2008-06-02T07:14:02Z")
[QUOTE=SpoilerVirgin] San Francisco is referred to as SF. Makes me do a doubletake every time I see a thread title referencing science fiction. [/QUOTE] Yeah, in the thread about SF benevolent Monarchs, I nominated Emperor Norton. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341/40 "2008-06-02T07:51:11Z")
Not letters, but shortened name: I know people in San Francisco hate it when you call it “Frisco”, but nobody in Las Vegas minds if you call it Vegas. Most people here say they live in Las Vegas, but if anyone says they are from Vegas, it is not like people are pissed off or anything. Now, pronouncing the state NeVAHda does grate on nerves…it is pronounced NeVaada (rhymes with The Bad Aah). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-is-la-new-york-city-is-nyc/451341.md?page=3)