# What is the unofficial name of your metro area? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 24, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752 "2005-02-24T19:40:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/61 "2005-02-25T14:28:30Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > My suggestion is to call the whole area “Ball-Wash”. But the Wash is in the Swamp or the Cesspool, depending on your love of DC and knowledge that it was indeed built on swampy marshland. Don’t want to know what your Bal’s could catch being too close to that Wash. DC is of course also “The Nation’s Capital” And for a not-so-proud distinction, the entire Ball-Wash is the nation’s [syphilis capital](http://www.astdhpphe.org/infect/syphilis.html): > [@](#): > > How common is syphilis? > Syphilis rates tend to go up and down. In the United States, new cases of syphilis are now at their lowest rate in 40 years. In 1996, no new cases were reported in more than 70% of U.S. counties. The cases that do occur are concentrated in a few places – **Washington, D.C., Baltimore** , Richmond, and several other cities and counties, especially in the South. More cases likely occur each year than are reported to health officials. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/62 "2005-02-25T14:48:20Z")
Buffalo and Niagara Falls New York are collectively known as the Niagara Frontier. If you include all 8 counties it’s often called Western New York. Or as I put it, as far away from the city as I can possibily get and stay in the same state without falling into a lake. The whole middle swath of the state is commonly known as the fingerlakes region. ---
**Author:** ![Poonther](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Poonther](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poonther)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/63 "2005-02-25T16:46:48Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Queen City is the standard nickname for the largest city in a state if it isn’t the capitol. Same with Manchester, NH and many others. While this maybe true for certain Queen Cities, it does not hold true for the Queen City that is Charlotte, NC. Charlotte, NC was named for Queen Charlotte, the wife of England’s King George and the county that Charlotte is in was named for Mecklenburg, Queen Charlotte’s home state in Germany. ---
**Author:** ![alimarx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@alimarx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alimarx)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/64 "2005-02-25T17:07:27Z")
When I lived there, we would lovingly refer to the southeastern Massachusetts-Rhode Island area as the “armpit of the Cape”. ---
**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:** [February 25, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/65 "2005-02-25T17:13:56Z")
Montreal doesn’t have much in the way of nicknames that anyone really uses, but Quebec City is _la vieille capitale_ (the old capital) or _le gros village_ (the big village). Ottawa is Bytown (a former name) and Toronto is Toronto the Good, Hogtown, The Big Smoke, _la ville-reine_ (the queen city), or T.O. ---
**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:** [February 25, 2005, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/66 "2005-02-25T17:15:15Z")
> [@Poonther](#): > > While this maybe true for certain Queen Cities, it does not hold true for the Queen City that is Charlotte, NC. Charlotte, NC was named for Queen Charlotte, the wife of England’s King George and the county that Charlotte is in was named for Mecklenburg, Queen Charlotte’s home state in Germany. What’s the deal with the statue where she looks like she’s been kicked in the gut? (BTW, Charlottetown, PEI and the Queen Charlotte Islands in BC were named for the same queen.) ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/67 "2005-02-25T17:38:09Z")
> [@Queen Tonya](#): > > Detroit= MoTown or Motor City. > > We’re really trying to get past that ‘murder capital’ thing. 😃 You forgot “The Armpit of the Midwest” 😃 Seriously, however, Detroit’s southern suburbs are referred to as Downriver. ---
**Author:** ![VanGogh\_sEar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ee59a6/32.png) [@VanGogh\_sEar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VanGogh_sEar)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/68 "2005-02-25T20:35:45Z")
D.C. is unofficially known as “Chocolate City.” 😃 ---
**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:** [February 25, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/69 "2005-02-25T21:21:06Z")
My area is called the “Mid-Hudson” (the area between NYC and Albany) or sometimes the “Tri-State Region” (which throws in parts on New Jersey and Connecticutt). Or if you’re from NYC, you call it “upstate” and ignore the fact that it’s actually in the lower half of the state. I used to live in Elmira, which was part of the “Southern Tier” - the area of New York which ran along the Pennsylvanian border from Jamestown to Binghamton. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/70 "2005-02-25T21:34:40Z")
Tupelo, Mississippi in no way qualifies as a “metro area”. But if pressed, I’d say either “The Birthplace of the King”, or “The Bible Belt _Buckle_”. I miss Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/71 "2005-02-25T22:33:59Z")
> [@Ringo](#): > > Houston is often the “Space City” or the “Bayou City.” Houston is also known as **H-town**. (I _never_ hear Space City, I think that one might be dying out as the glory days of Nasa and the space race are long past.) ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/72 "2005-02-25T23:49:55Z")
> [@Captain Lance Murdoch](#): > > The Phoenix area is The Valley of the Sun. And I thought it was Valley of the Meth Lab… ---
**Author:** ![mike1dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@mike1dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mike1dog)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/73 "2005-02-26T01:12:46Z")
I don’t think you could call my city, Starkville, Mississippi a metro area, but it is often called Starkvegas. Sarcastically of course, because of its lack of nightlife. ---
**Author:** ![Tamarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tamarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamarin)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/74 "2005-02-26T01:15:49Z")
> [@dwc1970](#): > > Boise, Idaho is “The City of Trees.” We’re also in the “Treasure Valley.” The Twin Falls, ID area is the “Magic Valley.” ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/75 "2005-02-26T05:22:02Z")
**neuroman** is correct that “Space City” is an artifact of the '60s, and not in much common usage anymore. But there are still plenty of small businesses here named “Space City _Xxxxx_.” ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/76 "2005-02-26T05:40:50Z")
You guys have got places with people of imagination, so it seems. Auckland is just “The Big Smoke”, “Above the Bombays” (The Bombays are the Bombay Hills just to the south of here), “City of Sails”, “The Queen City” (although that one is not used as often these days.) ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/77 "2005-02-26T06:35:27Z")
DJs and such will often refer to Jackson, MS as “Jacktown”. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/78 "2005-02-26T06:46:28Z")
Las Vegas: Local weather forecasters call it the Vegas Valley. Locals generally call it Las Vegas, but “Vegas” is not an insult. “Sin City” is a compliment. “Lost Wages” an old joke (no offense to our SDMB poster with similar name). But please, don’t do your Austin Powers “Vegas Baby” unless you are Mike Myers. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/79 "2005-02-26T06:48:22Z")
> [@Ringo](#): > > **neuroman** is correct that “Space City” is an artifact of the '60s, and not in much common usage anymore. But there are still plenty of small businesses here named “Space City _Xxxxx_.” Along the same lines, because of the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama is sometimes known as “Rocket City.” ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752/80 "2005-02-26T07:17:32Z")
We’re quite presumptuous here in **The Bay Area**. As has already been noted in this thread, the San Francisco Bay is the only bay that counts as **The Bay Area**. San Francisco itself is referred to as **The City**. The only actual _city_, y’know? And I live on **The Peninsula** , which thrusts into the Pacific Ocean like some mighty boner, with **The City** at its throbbing tip. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-unofficial-name-of-your-metro-area/291752.md?page=5)