# Why is Boston called "Beantown"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-boston-called-beantown/749953>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [March 23, 2016, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-boston-called-beantown/749953 "2016-03-23T15:25:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-boston-called-beantown/749953/42 "2021-03-05T23:18:15Z")

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> [@Robot\_Arm](#):
>
> How long is “most of your life”? “The Emerald City” was the winning submission when the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau ran a contest in 1982.

Since before 1982.

But you reinforce my point, when I said it’s only seen in business names and tourist ads. You quoted the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau. It’s not a nickname sincerely used among people who live here.

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**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-boston-called-beantown/749953/43 "2021-03-05T23:25:41Z")

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I used to live in the Seattle area, and I remember when “Emerald City” was chosen, although I had to look up the details of how and when it happened. Nicknames like “Beantown” or “the Big Apple” go back a hundred years or more; and I always got the impression that they sprung up more-or-less organically. “Emerald City” happened within living memory, and was solicited and chosen deliberately.

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2021, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-boston-called-beantown/749953/44 "2021-03-06T02:19:44Z")

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> [@Robot\_Arm](#):
>
> “Emerald City” happened within living memory, and was solicited and chosen deliberately.

Yeah, that might not be as comparable, true. It’s more artificial, not something that came about organically.

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