Most of the time I prefer the informal nicknames for cities to the formal ones. "Sin City" for Vegas. "The Big Easy" for New Orleans, "Gateway to the West" for St. Louis, or "Hotlanta" for Atlanta. They are so much better than the nicknames municipal tourist boards come up with
My city is called Murderapolis. The official one is the Minnie Apple. I've always hated the Minne Apple because we've always had a bit of an inferiority complex to larger cities.
Great vid. Chicago being Nicknamed the ‘Windy City’ actually isn’t really because of the wind, being from the Chicago area I’ve always been taught that it was derived from the politicians from chicago being called “full of wind/hot air” or something along those lines, because in the 1890s Chicago NewYork and St. Louis were all vying for the worlds fair and the news paper columnists from NYC were talking shit about politicians in Chicago.
I was waiting to see where he would list the nickname that was literally an insult, as well as the 2nd biggest nickname for Chicago also being an insult, the Second City.
THIS! Chicago/Illinois has a super long history of corruption in politics dating back to the prohibition era. Four out of our last ten governors have gone to jail!
I have always been told that Chicago's nickname of the "Windy City" is not about the meteorlogical wind that blows there, but rather the long-winded political blather that prevails there.
That explanation is also only partially true. The idea that Chicago’s politicians are somehow any more corrupt than other big cities’ came from NYC journalist slander
@@laptv2144 That must have been before Mayor Daley. I think the prohibition period helped Chicago get a reputation for having corrupt politicians. If they weren't the most corrupt, they were certainly high in the competition and some of the most notorious.
No one can beat the nickname of my hometown Bellingham, WA. "The City of Subdued Excitement!" Many years ago the eccentric son of a local businessman painted it on the side of the family business. Kid used to walk around downtown in a peanut suit. But that's another story. Anyway, we love our nickname, or slogan. Even if we are more exciting, and less subdued then we were...
Having lived in Denver I immediately thought of "Mile High City" as my favorite. Great minds think alike. I was really surprised that you didn't realize that Chicago's "Windy City" moniker referred to its politicians who are full of hot air. This is quite fitting still today and is my second favorite one. You should do one on state mottos and their origins and which is the most fitting. (Unless, have you done that already?) I think you did something similar but not the same.
When the video began I was thinking of Colorful Colorado, a moniker we’ve had for generations. Denver was known as the Queen City back at the beginning of the last century.
Hey Kyle, I've been getting really into geography lately, and your channel has been a super informative, well coordinated source of videos. Great work sir!
The Vegas P.D. is likely not fond of the "Sin City" nickname. I know people who are victims of a home invasion there, and that's not what they want the rest of the world to think either.
I had to make a cutoff and I went with metros over 2 million, which puts Nashville just under but it does have a great nickname and since it's growing so much I could've certainly included it. New Orleans has a great nickname as well, but only has about 1.4 million or so people.
Nice work. This topic cries out for follow-ups. 1. The next 35 so you pickup Nashville and New Orleans. 2. Well-known unofficial nicknames Phoenix and Las Vegas would do better as would Boston would do better with the somewhat pretentious but geographicly accurate Hub. 3. Coolest manufactured product cities and coolest agricultural products.
Detroit and motor city just go hand and hand. Other common nicknames are: Motown, The D, The Paris of the Midwest, Renaissance City, The Arsenal of Democracy, and HockeyTown.
My wife and I were surprised to learn from this video that St. Louis is the Mound City. We've lived in the St. Louis metro area for 30 years after moving here from Ohio. We always thought it was the Gateway City - never heard Mound City before. Oh well. 🙄
I'm fascinated by the various rivers in America. I love the geology and the history. I understand one of the oldest rivers is called New River. Could you feature a video dedicated to rivers with the historical, economical, and geological significance with some interesting facts?
Dallas is "Big D," no "The." Nearby Fort Worth is "Where the West Begins," and also "Panther City," when a 19th century Dallas writer remarked Fort Worth was so quiet he saw a panther sleeping on the street.
@@gregsells8549 Because Fort Worth is "Where the West Begins," Abilene TX called itself "Where the West is At." My grandparents lived halfway between, in Ranger TX.
I've lived in STL for 50+ years, can't say I've ever heard anyone call it 'Mound City', however, 'Gateway City' and 'Gateway to the West' are commonly used.
I've never heard St. Louis referred to as Mound City. It would seem that a more common nickname is Gateway City (or Gateway to the West) which corresponds to the arch that dominates its skyline.
I am in St. Louis. There is one mound left within the city limits. It's on the south side next to Interstate 55 and it is my understanding that is now owned by the Osage people.
The Gateway Arch was built in reference to the city being the Gateway to the West, not the other way around. The name comes from St. Louis being on the edge of the Western frontier at the time of the Louisiana Purchase and thus the starting point for the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
I live in Mobile, AL known as the Azalea City, in 1929, businessman Sam Lackland spearheaded an effort to encourage Mobilians to grow azaleas along local streets. The resulting Azalea Trail was a Mobile phenomenon, boosting the city's tourism in the 1930s and '40s and inspiring parades and celebrity visits. Because of this most of the yards in the city have an Azalea bush or two, in early March the entire city blooms pink.
Fun video! I'd love to see one on the best (or most unusual / educational) nicknames of smaller cities / towns... but I'm sure it would take forever to research.
I can’t help telling you about Massena, NY, across the St. Lawrence River/Seaway from Canada. My father’s family eventually settled here in the 1920’s, and one of my uncles (with a sense of humor) lived there his whole life. He called it “The Miami of the North”: “Mostly Ice And Mostly Igloos”.
@@lauren7726 that’s so cool, Lauren! All my relatives who lived there have passed away. I enjoyed my family’s trips there when I was young, when we visited my grandparents and aunts, uncles, and cousins!
My favorite quote about LA's nickname came from the movie LA Confidential. "Go back to Jersey, sonny. This is the City of Angels and you haven't got any wings." I once submitted a nickname for Fresno CA, my hometown "The City that Loves Being FAT" because they were embarrassed by their airport code "FAT". It's better than what Fresno is typically called, so I suggested they own it. I frequently hear the "Raising Capital of the World" but I think that's Fresno County's nickname. I later learned that most people don't like raisins... or Fresno. When I think of the "Mile High City" I think of the "Mile High Club".
I think "the City of Brotherly Love" for Philadelphia is my favorite, just because how ironically its named. First thing that pops up in my mind when I think Philadelphia is Eagles fans. Second thing is "the Gang"
My favorite is Lexington, Kentucky - The Horse Capital of the World. It is surrounded by more than 500 horse farms and white picket fences and horse statues are found all over town. Many streets are named after famous horses.
Hi Kyle. I enjoy your videos. I heard years ago that Atlanta was known as 'The Big Peach', The City in the Trees and HOTlanta. Also I once heard St. Louis referred to as The Gateway to the West. Keep up the good work.
yeah, that one is pretty dope. I've only every been to Phoenix via a layover, so I'm definitely not bias when saying that I also think it's one of the better names.
Columnist Dave Barry called it the "Valley of Dirt" which I thought was pretty funny because it was so true. This was about 30 years ago, and the city does seem greener and less "dirty" these days.
Billings MT is nicknamed “Star of the Big Sky Country”! I think that’s a very cool nickname. It’s also called “City by the rims” because it’s situated next to these mesas and rock formations that are very unique!
Isn't Billings also the "Magic City" because it grew so fast at certain points? It was Coulson just east of Billings right on the Yellowstone (now Coulson Park), and then when the railroad came through Billings exploded and Coulson died quickly. I used to live there, and for the record, there's some irony in calling Billings the "Magic City..."
I also believe that the nickname "windy city" comes from all the hot air blown by the politicians. I grew up there and this is what we"ve always believed. Fun show!
Boise, I D also has 'the City of Trees' as its' nickname, though it could also be called the city of 'No Californians' stickers. And I see so many mentioning the Windy City's nickname origin, so I won't beat a dead horse with that, but I do remember a 'Punky Brewster' episode where the foster dad tries to win Cubs tickets (when they were in the playoffs in 1984) by answering what is the windiest city in the US, Punky tries to help him but is rebuffed and the dad answers Chicago... the correct answer was (after Punky whispers said answer to herself) Great Falls, M T. (I have heard claims of Dodge City, K S making that same claim for themselves, too.)
@@cecilecoonrod4146 A picture of a map shape of that state with a red slash mark (or the "Ghostbusters" symbol) over it is one sticker of that kind I can think of. Texas has one like that with state shapes where it says "Don't (California) my/our (Texas)."
@@floycewhite6991 Yes, true, stories like "The Grapes of Wrath" proved that there was a time in the 1930s and into the 1940s even, thanks to the Depression and especially the Dust Bowl, that those Okies and the like poured into Cali so much that some natives went into 'don't move here, we're full' mode back then. How the tables sure have turned. It was the Okies BTW that turned the city Bakersfield into a hub of not just ag but energy... and country music - the Bakersfield Sound as popularized by 'Hee Haw' host Buck Owens.
Growing up in Cincinnati, we were taught that the nickname the Queen City came from being the Queen of the Ohio River. AKA the biggest / best city on the Ohio river. The other major cities on the Ohio river are Pittsburgh, Wheeling, and Louisville
If it were the best, wouldn't it be King? Besides, I thought a queen city was slang for the second largest city in a state, the largest being a king city. In Cincinnati's case, it was the 2nd largest city in Ohio after Cleveland until Columbus passed them both.
The earliest reference to the nickname found was in the Inquisitor and Cincinnati Advertiser, a precursor to The Enquirer, on May 4, 1819, when Ed. B. Cooke wrote: “The City is, indeed, justly styled the fair Queen of the West: distinguished for order, enterprise, public spirit, and liberality, she stands the wonder of an admiring world.” The Queen City nickname was cemented by the 1854 poem “Catawba Wine” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The poem, which extolls the virtues of Nicholas Longworth’s winery, describes the city as “Queen of the West” in the final stanza.
Chicago's nickname was given to it in Washington DC in the 1890s when politicians from Chicago lobbied loudly for federal funds for the water project reversing the Chicago river flow to solve Lake Michigan drinking water problems. They were nicknamed "windbags" but got the job done! The fact that the brutal winter winds off the lake will freeze your face off tends to confuse things.
I agree with Denver being the coolest. Even the Nuggets wear jerseys that say “Mile High City” that just look so cool, especially with them winning the championship!
For what it's worth, Denver used to be called The Queen City of the West before they started calling it the Mile High City. Thank god they made that change. I think I read someplace that there used to be over 40 Queen Cities in the US.
I wasn't expecting Mpls & St Paul being together on this list (but I like it). Minneapolis is known as "The city of Lakes", which is what Minneapolis means.
I remember Minneapolis and St. Paul as big places in Science Fiction Fandom, with some of the best conventions. In that fandom, people referred to the Twin Cities as "Mipple-Stipple."
@@stephenhassler4596 depends where you are, if you’re on 94 east going past downtown and through south mpls and cross the bridge then they are right across the river, however if you’re in mpls and cross the plymouth or lowry bridge for example you’ll be in northeast mpls
@@davidwesley2525 I don't like any sports announcers. Television broadcasts should use the Second Audio Program to give the viewer the option of having court sounds only.
I wish more people would call it Rose City instead of PDX. The airport code thing is getting old. It won't be long before every city name is reduced to three letters. 😞
As a Michigander (our proper nickname), I really appreciate you giving Detroit a fair shake. It really is a great place to visit and i visit it as often as possible.
Kyle, 2 things about my city of Rockford, IL--I just learned that its old nickname of the Forest City has been shared for however many years with Cleveland. Secondly, although our airport is very low on the totem pole re. passenger service, the cargo portion is ranked as 1 of the top 5 in the country.
And I should be in bed, it's 0:39 am and tomorrow I'm going to a restaurant with my parents because it's Easter...well fuck it, it's just twelve minutes long.
I guess New Orleans is too small but it should have been included anyway. We have three absolute bangers, "the big easy", "the crescent city", and, my personal favorite, "the city that care forgot".
Thank you I've been looking for this comment. Nola has so many great nicknames. What's funny to me is, he has Raleigh, NC on here and it's not that big of a city. I feel he could've included New Orleans.
Wow. I've lived in Sacramento for 20 years now and I've never heard of the CITY OF TREES moniker. Always figured Sac's nickname was RIVER CITY 😮🤯 as I've heard that nickname a million times over in the region. This channel truly is a learning channel.
I used to live near there in the late '70s and early '80s and remember River City. I started hearing City of Trees years later. For some reason, I equate City of Trees with Chico, CA.
You should do a couple more similar video for different size brackets of towns / cities. For example, Hot Springs, Arkansas, with an "official" population of 37,000 ( actual may be closer to 55,000 ) is called "The Spa City" and Malvern, Arkansas, 20 minutes away, is called "The Brick Capitol of The World"
I had wondered about Baltimore being called Charm City; it always seemed rather odd. I had heard of Forest City before, but if you asked me the nickname I'd have said Mistake on the Lake--but of course no city government or tourism bureau would be using a pejorative. Lastly, I was just in Philadelphia and even on bus tours of the city they're referencing the high crime--lots of brotherly love there.
And we've earned it. From the history of the Fisk Jubilee singers to the Country Music industry. The financial success in Nashville is mostly in health care, but we thrive on tourism generated by music and, to a lesser extent now, sports.
@@johnnyearp52 Except by this guy's standards it's not. Nashville's Metro area (which is one government and, therefore, one city) is just shy of 2 million people and Milwaukee doesn't even have 1.6 million. As cities alone Nashville has 130,000 more people than Milwaukee. So how did he include Milwaukee and not Nashville, a city with a well-known and beloved nickname of Music City, USA?
The steps leading up to the Colorado capitol building in Denver have three placards showing the point that is exactly 5,280 feet above sea level. The reason there are three is because three different survey teams all came up with slightly different results. Mile High Stadium, home of the Broncos, sits at a somewhat lower elevation than Capitol Hill, and has a row of orange seats in the higher deck showing (their definition of) the 5,280 mark.
I think I’ve heard Houston referred to as Bayou City equally or even more than Space City. Recently H-Town has also become a popular nickname for the city. Would’ve liked to see where you would rank those nicknames.
Yep. Also, I’ve never heard it called “The Space City.” Just “Space City.” The first person I ever heard call it H-Town was a cabbie in NOLA. And back in the 80s, Houston was “affectionately” referred to by some locals as “The blob that ate Southeast Texas.”
I prefer Bayou City. Houston has really made an effort to make them into destination parks. NASA is so far away from downtown it’s actually closer to Galveston.
1:54 You. Are. My. HERO! (I am from Maryland originally). After your spiel on Las Vegas, I was worried that my current city of Austin would be #34. Didn't know that about San Antonio or Milwaukee's names. Good info!
When I was a kid growing up in Columbus, Ohio, I remember it sometimes referred to itself as the Rose City. There was a big park there with a lot of roses. Most of us just called it, "Cow Town."
1:44 The self deprecating humor is 🔥 hope other viewers caught it 😅😂 10:22 Do you think “Apple” could be related to the Spanish “manzana” which also means “city block”? Makes way more sense for NYC, especially if the nickname came about after the influx of Latin American residents🗽
an honorable mention should go to Reno, The Biggest Little City. A fun little name and as far as I know, the only city that claims to be The Biggest Little City. I think it deserved to be on this list due to how iconic it's nickname is. Though I think it's not big enough to warrant being on this list, so I'd give it an honorable mention.
I think Reno may have been the first city to really go in on an having a nickname. It is really iconic and yeah was probably worthy of an honorable mention.
Finally Detroit is not a "worst case example" list. As a native of southeast Michigan and employee of the auto industry, it is nice to hear something nice about Detroit.
I grew up in the Cincy area. I seem to remember at some point they tried to get the "city of bridges" to catch on. Which is silly because (1) any city on a river is going to have one and usually multiple bridges and (2) cities like Pittsburgh have a lot more bridges.
Great list! Very good calls on Queen City and Magic City. It makes way more sense to be named for an actual queen. And Birmingham is my birthplace so I may seem biased but I like Miami better as a city, lol
Official name for Los Angeles : El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles de Porciúncula (English: The town of Our Lady of the Angels of Porciúncula). The main Catholic cathedral in L.A. Our Lady of Angels was named to reflect the name of the City. Other unofficial names for the city include, Tinseltown and LA LA Land ( no L.A. hasn't just started to be called La La land because of the movie ) it has to do with the stereotyped air headedness that some residents may exhibit from time to time.
I'm reading in places where the official elevation of Denver is 5,279 feet. Prescott, AZ is at an elevation of 5300 feet. You would think they could find a spot down the hill 20 feet in elevation and build a city hall there to make it officially 5280 feet.
St.louis is called Mound City because there used to be 100s of mounds from the indigenous Mississippian people who lived there around 1200 years ago all around the city of st.louis but all of the ones within the city limits were removed and flattened or built upon by the early 1900s. Mark Twain actually wrote about visiting the mounds when he was a young man.
@@TheOnBoardLife yes but he explains at the beginning of the video he's not going by the most common nickname he's going by each cities official nickname.
@@johnnyearp52 Actually of you look close there are a number of markers on different steps. They keep adding new markers to the capitol steps every time they recalculate it. But that's okay. As he said, it's about a mille high.
I agree with most of these and didn’t even know over half of them! Dallas bein so low is weird. It is the biggest of the cities starting with a D in the US and almost the world - pretty sure Delhi, Dhaka, and maybe Dongguan are larger metros. There is even a song about the Big D, but they didn’t mean Dallas - Ha! How many other cities have an actual popular song dedicated to their nickname? I also hate that Portland is city of roses because the *actual* rose city is Tyler, TX. Also did not know STL was Mound City. Interesting and I would never have known if not for you. I always learn somethin watchin you. Thank you! Always enjoy watchin your vids!
Most of the time I prefer the informal nicknames for cities to the formal ones. "Sin City" for Vegas. "The Big Easy" for New Orleans, "Gateway to the West" for St. Louis, or "Hotlanta" for Atlanta. They are so much better than the nicknames municipal tourist boards come up with
good point. Maybe Kyle needs to do another video ranking the informal nicknames and/or the disparaging nicknames assigned places by outsiders.
The Big Easy is official.
no one ever says hotlanta
Indianapolis has been called "Naptown" in the past.
My city is called Murderapolis. The official one is the Minnie Apple. I've always hated the Minne Apple because we've always had a bit of an inferiority complex to larger cities.
Great vid. Chicago being Nicknamed the ‘Windy City’ actually isn’t really because of the wind, being from the Chicago area I’ve always been taught that it was derived from the politicians from chicago being called “full of wind/hot air” or something along those lines, because in the 1890s Chicago NewYork and St. Louis were all vying for the worlds fair and the news paper columnists from NYC were talking shit about politicians in Chicago.
I came here to say this. I still love you GK but you got this one wrong.
I was waiting to see where he would list the nickname that was literally an insult, as well as the 2nd biggest nickname for Chicago also being an insult, the Second City.
I also came here to say this. Known as "wind bags"
THIS! Chicago/Illinois has a super long history of corruption in politics dating back to the prohibition era. Four out of our last ten governors have gone to jail!
stole my thunder brother. kudos to you
Love the self deprecating humor…. “the king of a subject on TH-cam”.
Absolutely fantasic.
I have always been told that Chicago's nickname of the "Windy City" is not about the meteorlogical wind that blows there, but rather the long-winded political blather that prevails there.
Hence “shitcago”
That explanation is also only partially true. The idea that Chicago’s politicians are somehow any more corrupt than other big cities’ came from NYC journalist slander
You are exactly correct. I was surprised the narrator didn't appear to know that.
@@laptv2144 That must have been before Mayor Daley. I think the prohibition period helped Chicago get a reputation for having corrupt politicians. If they weren't the most corrupt, they were certainly high in the competition and some of the most notorious.
No one can beat the nickname of my hometown Bellingham, WA. "The City of Subdued Excitement!" Many years ago the eccentric son of a local businessman painted it on the side of the family business. Kid used to walk around downtown in a peanut suit. But that's another story. Anyway, we love our nickname, or slogan. Even if we are more exciting, and less subdued then we were...
I been there, I lived in Sedro Woolley.
BELLINGHAM - The City where the best fish-n-chips joint in the USA used to be
Reno - "The biggest little city in the world."
This is one of the stupidest nicknames ever.
Having lived in Denver I immediately thought of "Mile High City" as my favorite. Great minds think alike. I was really surprised that you didn't realize that Chicago's "Windy City" moniker referred to its politicians who are full of hot air. This is quite fitting still today and is my second favorite one. You should do one on state mottos and their origins and which is the most fitting. (Unless, have you done that already?) I think you did something similar but not the same.
When the video began I was thinking of Colorful Colorado, a moniker we’ve had for generations. Denver was known as the Queen City back at the beginning of the last century.
Apt nickname since they legalized pot.
Hey Kyle, I've been getting really into geography lately, and your channel has been a super informative, well coordinated source of videos. Great work sir!
Thank you!
“Sin City” for Vegas I think is a top 5 if included but I can understand why the city government hasn’t officially adopted it, lol.
The Vegas P.D. is likely not fond of the "Sin City" nickname. I know people who are victims of a home invasion there, and that's not what they want the rest of the world to think either.
Kyle, you missed one-- a big one. Nashville-- the Music City. It is right up there with the Big Apple and the Motor City.
And New Orleans - The Big Easy
I had to make a cutoff and I went with metros over 2 million, which puts Nashville just under but it does have a great nickname and since it's growing so much I could've certainly included it. New Orleans has a great nickname as well, but only has about 1.4 million or so people.
Nice work. This topic cries out for follow-ups.
1. The next 35 so you pickup Nashville and New Orleans.
2. Well-known unofficial nicknames Phoenix and Las Vegas would do better as would Boston would do better with the somewhat pretentious but geographicly accurate Hub.
3. Coolest manufactured product cities and coolest agricultural products.
@@GeographyKing Nashville now has a metro area of over 2 million. So, where would "Music City" be ranked? #2, right behind the "Big Apple"
Detroit and motor city just go hand and hand. Other common nicknames are: Motown, The D, The Paris of the Midwest, Renaissance City, The Arsenal of Democracy, and HockeyTown.
Windy city is a good moniker for Chicago, but I personally like the much lesser known “City of Big Shoulders” referring to the skyscrapers
Right after "Bean Town" you had "Windy City!"
Boston is definitely windy in the autumn.
The first of the Beantown heat movie franchise started there
lol
I see what you did there.
My wife and I were surprised to learn from this video that St. Louis is the Mound City.
We've lived in the St. Louis metro area for 30 years after moving here from Ohio. We always thought it was the Gateway City - never heard Mound City before. Oh well. 🙄
And the mound is in Illinois
I'm fascinated by the various rivers in America. I love the geology and the history. I understand one of the oldest rivers is called New River. Could you feature a video dedicated to rivers with the historical, economical, and geological significance with some interesting facts?
Maybe I have a dirty mind, but I lost it at “The Big D”
San Francisco’s (don’t call it Frisco) nickname “Bagdad by the bay”
@@hughdanaher2758 Not very accurate.
Dallas is "Big D," no "The." Nearby Fort Worth is "Where the West Begins," and also "Panther City," when a 19th century Dallas writer remarked Fort Worth was so quiet he saw a panther sleeping on the street.
Yeah it's aged badly 😊
@@gregsells8549 Because Fort Worth is "Where the West Begins," Abilene TX called itself "Where the West is At." My grandparents lived halfway between, in Ranger TX.
Welcome back, Kyle. Hope you had a good vacation. I definitely enjoy these ranking ones and hope for more in the future
Thanks. Had a great time traveling but gotta get back into the regular schedule after almost 2 months being gone.
1:44 Best joke on this channel ever.
New York City is The city that never sleeps.
I've lived in STL for 50+ years, can't say I've ever heard anyone call it 'Mound City', however, 'Gateway City' and 'Gateway to the West' are commonly used.
How about New Orleans - The Big Easy? I always thought that was pretty cool. Did I miss that one in your video?
No, the metro was too small to make the video.
I've always thought that was the best of the nicknames.
Great video!
I’m surprised “Valley of the Sun” isn’t official
I've never heard St. Louis referred to as Mound City. It would seem that a more common nickname is Gateway City (or Gateway to the West) which corresponds to the arch that dominates its skyline.
I am in St. Louis. There is one mound left within the city limits. It's on the south side next to Interstate 55 and it is my understanding that is now owned by the Osage people.
The Gateway Arch was built in reference to the city being the Gateway to the West, not the other way around. The name comes from St. Louis being on the edge of the Western frontier at the time of the Louisiana Purchase and thus the starting point for the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
I hear the term "mound city" once in a while. It used to be more common, and today it's considered old-fashioned, but history buffs like it.
1.Rose City
2.Emerald City
3.Mile High City
I live in Mobile, AL known as the Azalea City, in 1929, businessman Sam Lackland spearheaded an effort to encourage Mobilians to grow azaleas along local streets. The resulting Azalea Trail was a Mobile phenomenon, boosting the city's tourism in the 1930s and '40s and inspiring parades and celebrity visits. Because of this most of the yards in the city have an Azalea bush or two, in early March the entire city blooms pink.
Fun video! I'd love to see one on the best (or most unusual / educational) nicknames of smaller cities / towns... but I'm sure it would take forever to research.
I can’t help telling you about Massena, NY, across the St. Lawrence River/Seaway from Canada. My father’s family eventually settled here in the 1920’s, and one of my uncles (with a sense of humor) lived there his whole life. He called it “The Miami of the North”: “Mostly Ice And Mostly Igloos”.
i’ve never seen someone else know of massena! I have lots of relatives that still live there and i like the miami of the north nickname lol
@@lauren7726 that’s so cool, Lauren! All my relatives who lived there have passed away. I enjoyed my family’s trips there when I was young, when we visited my grandparents and aunts, uncles, and cousins!
My favorite quote about LA's nickname came from the movie LA Confidential. "Go back to Jersey, sonny. This is the City of Angels and you haven't got any wings."
I once submitted a nickname for Fresno CA, my hometown "The City that Loves Being FAT" because they were embarrassed by their airport code "FAT". It's better than what Fresno is typically called, so I suggested they own it. I frequently hear the "Raising Capital of the World" but I think that's Fresno County's nickname. I later learned that most people don't like raisins... or Fresno.
When I think of the "Mile High City" I think of the "Mile High Club".
Considering your close proximity I would have thought you'd include Nashville, TN - "Music City, USA"
“The city that works” is also a good nickname for Chicago along with “city of big shoulders” from the poem by Carl Sandburg
It doesn't work anymore.
Very nice picture of Denver also nice for putting it at first
Great video Kyle! Happy to see you back.
Thanks. It does feel like a while since I was home.
I think "the City of Brotherly Love" for Philadelphia is my favorite, just because how ironically its named. First thing that pops up in my mind when I think Philadelphia is Eagles fans. Second thing is "the Gang"
Same. Eagles fans are the worst
I think that Philadelphia is almost universally called "Philly".
Thank u for putting an end to the great Cincinnati/Charlotte debate about which is the true Queen City lol
My favorite is Lexington, Kentucky - The Horse Capital of the World. It is surrounded by more than 500 horse farms and white picket fences and horse statues are found all over town. Many streets are named after famous horses.
Yes, but Louisville is, and always will be, "Derby City".
Hi Kyle. I enjoy your videos. I heard years ago that Atlanta was known as 'The Big Peach', The City in the Trees and HOTlanta. Also I once heard St. Louis referred to as The Gateway to the West. Keep up the good work.
As someone from Denver, I approve of this ranking 😉
I know Phoenix technically isn't nicknamed the "valley of the sun", but the "Valley of the Sun" is my personal favorite nickname
yeah, that one is pretty dope. I've only every been to Phoenix via a layover, so I'm definitely not bias when saying that I also think it's one of the better names.
Columnist Dave Barry called it the "Valley of Dirt" which I thought was pretty funny because it was so true. This was about 30 years ago, and the city does seem greener and less "dirty" these days.
I thought Sun Valley was the official name to the point that products codenamed sun valley made me think of Phoenix
Billings MT is nicknamed “Star of the Big Sky Country”! I think that’s a very cool nickname. It’s also called “City by the rims” because it’s situated next to these mesas and rock formations that are very unique!
Isn't Billings also the "Magic City" because it grew so fast at certain points? It was Coulson just east of Billings right on the Yellowstone (now Coulson Park), and then when the railroad came through Billings exploded and Coulson died quickly. I used to live there, and for the record, there's some irony in calling Billings the "Magic City..."
@@jamesbungert3155 why’s that?
I lived in Great Falls and it was also referred to as the Windy City cause of all the Chinook winds that came through.
I also believe that the nickname "windy city" comes from all the hot air blown by the politicians. I grew up there and this is what we"ve always believed. Fun show!
I'd just like to say that your voice is incredibly therapeutic. I can't explain it but it just brings an incredible sense of calm.
Okie family?
Wow, no.1! We are honored!
Kyle, you are very cool. Keep these up!!
Thank you!
Boise, I D also has 'the City of Trees' as its' nickname, though it could also be called the city of 'No Californians' stickers.
And I see so many mentioning the Windy City's nickname origin, so I won't beat a dead horse with that, but I do remember a 'Punky Brewster' episode where the foster dad tries to win Cubs tickets (when they were in the playoffs in 1984) by answering what is the windiest city in the US, Punky tries to help him but is rebuffed and the dad answers Chicago... the correct answer was (after Punky whispers said answer to herself) Great Falls, M T. (I have heard claims of Dodge City, K S making that same claim for themselves, too.)
Curious about the “no Californians” stickers. What does that mean? Thanks.
@@cecilecoonrod4146 A picture of a map shape of that state with a red slash mark (or the "Ghostbusters" symbol) over it is one sticker of that kind I can think of.
Texas has one like that with state shapes where it says "Don't (California) my/our (Texas)."
@@UnicornDreamsPastelSkies Not really fair, considering the millions of Texans, Okies, and Tennesseeans who moved to California earlier.
@@floycewhite6991 Yes, true, stories like "The Grapes of Wrath" proved that there was a time in the 1930s and into the 1940s even, thanks to the Depression and especially the Dust Bowl, that those Okies and the like poured into Cali so much that some natives went into 'don't move here, we're full' mode back then.
How the tables sure have turned.
It was the Okies BTW that turned the city Bakersfield into a hub of not just ag but energy... and country music - the Bakersfield Sound as popularized by 'Hee Haw' host Buck Owens.
Pittsburgh has a lot of other nicknames…the City of Champions, the City of Bridges, da ‘Burgh, the 412, and the Iron City.
Growing up in Cincinnati, we were taught that the nickname the Queen City came from being the Queen of the Ohio River. AKA the biggest / best city on the Ohio river. The other major cities on the Ohio river are Pittsburgh, Wheeling, and Louisville
Cairo, Illinois will not take this slander
If it were the best, wouldn't it be King?
Besides, I thought a queen city was slang for the second largest city in a state, the largest being a king city. In Cincinnati's case, it was the 2nd largest city in Ohio after Cleveland until Columbus passed them both.
@@Compucles so you’re taking the male royalty as being better than the female? Go back to the 19th century please.
The earliest reference to the nickname found was in the Inquisitor and Cincinnati Advertiser, a precursor to The Enquirer, on May 4, 1819, when Ed. B. Cooke wrote: “The City is, indeed, justly styled the fair Queen of the West: distinguished for order, enterprise, public spirit, and liberality, she stands the wonder of an admiring world.”
The Queen City nickname was cemented by the 1854 poem “Catawba Wine” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The poem, which extolls the virtues of Nicholas Longworth’s winery, describes the city as “Queen of the West” in the final stanza.
@@Compucles Cincinnati was larger than Cleveland throughout the 1800s when the nickname was coined.
Not going to lie I'm from STL and never heard that lol. Always assumed it was "Gateway to the West" which is more fitting imo.
Chicago's nickname was given to it in Washington DC in the 1890s when politicians from Chicago lobbied loudly for federal funds for the water project reversing the Chicago river flow to solve Lake Michigan drinking water problems. They were nicknamed "windbags" but got the job done! The fact that the brutal winter winds off the lake will freeze your face off tends to confuse things.
I agree with Denver being the coolest. Even the Nuggets wear jerseys that say “Mile High City” that just look so cool, especially with them winning the championship!
For what it's worth, Denver used to be called The Queen City of the West before they started calling it the Mile High City. Thank god they made that change. I think I read someplace that there used to be over 40 Queen Cities in the US.
I wasn't expecting Mpls & St Paul being together on this list (but I like it). Minneapolis is known as "The city of Lakes", which is what Minneapolis means.
Also Mill City! Could've made top 5
I also will Throw in “The Minne Apple” but I do love “the city of Laker.” It’s what the local government uses
Also, Minneapolis and St. Paul aren’t across the Mississippi River from one another…both straddle it.
I remember Minneapolis and St. Paul as big places in Science Fiction Fandom, with some of the best conventions. In that fandom, people referred to the Twin Cities as "Mipple-Stipple."
@@stephenhassler4596 depends where you are, if you’re on 94 east going past downtown and through south mpls and cross the bridge then they are right across the river, however if you’re in mpls and cross the plymouth or lowry bridge for example you’ll be in northeast mpls
Rose City is a good nickname but I much prefer Portland's other nickname, RIP City, which is just badass.
That's too heavily associated with the Jailblazers and the always-annoying Bill Schonely.
@@caulkins69 Jailblazers era has been over for 15 years and bill schonely is a legend who recently passed so respect him, man.
@@Jarekthegamingdragon Bill Schonely was the Best Play by Play announcer the Trailblazers ever had . Bill can Never be Replaced.
😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁
@@davidwesley2525 I don't like any sports announcers. Television broadcasts should use the Second Audio Program to give the viewer the option of having court sounds only.
I wish more people would call it Rose City instead of PDX. The airport code thing is getting old. It won't be long before every city name is reduced to three letters. 😞
As a Michigander (our proper nickname), I really appreciate you giving Detroit a fair shake. It really is a great place to visit and i visit it as often as possible.
Kyle, 2 things about my city of Rockford, IL--I just learned that its old nickname of the Forest City has been shared for however many years with Cleveland. Secondly, although our airport is very low on the totem pole re. passenger service, the cargo portion is ranked as 1 of the top 5 in the country.
1:44 I see what you did there! Excellent self deprecation, Kyle! In addition to your knowledge, your subtle humor makes you the king!
And I should be in bed, it's 0:39 am and tomorrow I'm going to a restaurant with my parents because it's Easter...well fuck it, it's just twelve minutes long.
Missing Nashville on here. Music city is a great name, I’ve I’ve also heard it be called the Athens of the South.
Geography King rules!
You’re my new favorite channel
Thank you!
I guess New Orleans is too small but it should have been included anyway. We have three absolute bangers, "the big easy", "the crescent city", and, my personal favorite, "the city that care forgot".
Thank you I've been looking for this comment. Nola has so many great nicknames. What's funny to me is, he has Raleigh, NC on here and it's not that big of a city. I feel he could've included New Orleans.
Wow. I've lived in Sacramento for 20 years now and I've never heard of the CITY OF TREES moniker. Always figured Sac's nickname was RIVER CITY 😮🤯 as I've heard that nickname a million times over in the region. This channel truly is a learning channel.
Yes, River City is all I have heard as well.
I used to live near there in the late '70s and early '80s and remember River City. I started hearing City of Trees years later. For some reason, I equate City of Trees with Chico, CA.
You should do a couple more similar video for different size brackets of towns / cities. For example, Hot Springs, Arkansas, with an "official" population of 37,000 ( actual may be closer to 55,000 ) is called "The Spa City" and Malvern, Arkansas, 20 minutes away, is called "The Brick Capitol of The World"
Memphis being “Bluff City” or “Grind City” is pretty cool too.
Love when a new video comes out!
I had wondered about Baltimore being called Charm City; it always seemed rather odd. I had heard of Forest City before, but if you asked me the nickname I'd have said Mistake on the Lake--but of course no city government or tourism bureau would be using a pejorative. Lastly, I was just in Philadelphia and even on bus tours of the city they're referencing the high crime--lots of brotherly love there.
Once again Nashville being slept on. Music City USA.
It ain't music city no more. Might as well be Branson mo! Nashville sold out a long time ago!
And we've earned it. From the history of the Fisk Jubilee singers to the Country Music industry. The financial success in Nashville is mostly in health care, but we thrive on tourism generated by music and, to a lesser extent now, sports.
Just too low of a population.
@@johnnyearp52 Except by this guy's standards it's not. Nashville's Metro area (which is one government and, therefore, one city) is just shy of 2 million people and Milwaukee doesn't even have 1.6 million. As cities alone Nashville has 130,000 more people than Milwaukee.
So how did he include Milwaukee and not Nashville, a city with a well-known and beloved nickname of Music City, USA?
@@fantasticsound2085 You'll have to ask him.
Always great to see a new video of yours. Congrats on 200k subscribers!
The steps leading up to the Colorado capitol building in Denver have three placards showing the point that is exactly 5,280 feet above sea level. The reason there are three is because three different survey teams all came up with slightly different results. Mile High Stadium, home of the Broncos, sits at a somewhat lower elevation than Capitol Hill, and has a row of orange seats in the higher deck showing (their definition of) the 5,280 mark.
Coors Field, home of my hapless but beloved Rockies, also has a row of purple seats marking a mile high on the upper decks.
I think I’ve heard Houston referred to as Bayou City equally or even more than Space City. Recently H-Town has also become a popular nickname for the city. Would’ve liked to see where you would rank those nicknames.
Yep. Also, I’ve never heard it called “The Space City.” Just “Space City.” The first person I ever heard call it H-Town was a cabbie in NOLA. And back in the 80s, Houston was “affectionately” referred to by some locals as “The blob that ate Southeast Texas.”
I prefer Bayou City. Houston has really made an effort to make them into destination parks. NASA is so far away from downtown it’s actually closer to Galveston.
@@cecilecoonrod4146To be fair, Houston is closer to Galveston than the other side of Houston 😂
Makes my day when I hear that howdy
Nick: happy to feature Philadelphia on this list.
Two cities later: Pittsburgh
Nick: TRIGGERED!
1:54 You. Are. My. HERO! (I am from Maryland originally). After your spiel on Las Vegas, I was worried that my current city of Austin would be #34. Didn't know that about San Antonio or Milwaukee's names. Good info!
Living in Portland, the rose culture here is pretty amazing. I also like the other Portland nickname we commonly use here, "Stumptown".
When I was a kid growing up in Columbus, Ohio, I remember it sometimes referred to itself as the Rose City. There was a big park there with a lot of roses. Most of us just called it, "Cow Town."
Nice video . I actually guessed that mile high city was going to be number one
I was so hyped seeing Denver ranked number 1!
Great video as always!
One of my favorite places (and where I grew up) was #1 on a geography king list! Woo!! Great video, thank you sir!
1:44 The self deprecating humor is 🔥 hope other viewers caught it 😅😂
10:22 Do you think “Apple” could be related to the Spanish “manzana” which also means “city block”? Makes way more sense for NYC, especially if the nickname came about after the influx of Latin American residents🗽
an honorable mention should go to Reno, The Biggest Little City. A fun little name and as far as I know, the only city that claims to be The Biggest Little City. I think it deserved to be on this list due to how iconic it's nickname is. Though I think it's not big enough to warrant being on this list, so I'd give it an honorable mention.
I think Reno may have been the first city to really go in on an having a nickname. It is really iconic and yeah was probably worthy of an honorable mention.
Finally Detroit is not a "worst case example" list. As a native of southeast Michigan and employee of the auto industry, it is nice to hear something nice about Detroit.
Howdy. Great presentation, as always Kyle.
1:45 “It’s almost as bad as calling yourself a king of a particular subject on TH-cam.” 😂😂
Many years ago, Cincinnati was also known as Porkopolis, due to the extensive hog processing facilities and factories in and around the city.
I grew up in the Cincy area. I seem to remember at some point they tried to get the "city of bridges" to catch on. Which is silly because (1) any city on a river is going to have one and usually multiple bridges and (2) cities like Pittsburgh have a lot more bridges.
I've heard DC referred to as Georgetown before unless I'm mistaking. Loved the video as usual
Great list! Very good calls on Queen City and Magic City. It makes way more sense to be named for an actual queen. And Birmingham is my birthplace so I may seem biased but I like Miami better as a city, lol
I didn't even know Miami was known as Magic City too. I thought only B'ham had that nickname.
Official name for Los Angeles : El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles de Porciúncula (English: The town of Our Lady of the Angels of Porciúncula). The main Catholic cathedral in L.A. Our Lady of Angels was named to reflect the name of the City. Other unofficial names for the city include, Tinseltown and LA LA Land ( no L.A. hasn't just started to be called La La land because of the movie ) it has to do with the stereotyped air headedness that some residents may exhibit from time to time.
I think Philly, Denver, NY, Chicago, and Minneapolis are my top 5
Orlando “Disney’s Backyard”
I'm reading in places where the official elevation of Denver is 5,279 feet.
Prescott, AZ is at an elevation of 5300 feet. You would think they could find a spot down the hill 20 feet in elevation and build a city hall there to make it officially 5280 feet.
San Jose, CA - today it's Capital of Silicon Valley... but it used to be Valley of Heart's Delight. Good example of how cities massively change.
New Orleans - The Big Easy should certainly be high on the list, or at least on the list.
that’s what i was thinking too
should take salt lake city off. salt lakes a really small town.
under 2 mil metro. tho salt lake is under 2 mil and somehow made it on
"Almost as bad as calling yourself the King of a subject on TH-cam..." had me rolling. Wonder how many here completely missed that in-joke.
St.louis is called Mound City because there used to be 100s of mounds from the indigenous Mississippian people who lived there around 1200 years ago all around the city of st.louis but all of the ones within the city limits were removed and flattened or built upon by the early 1900s. Mark Twain actually wrote about visiting the mounds when he was a young man.
Some old-time vandalism there
Gateway to the West is more commonly used for St Louis
@@TheOnBoardLife yes but he explains at the beginning of the video he's not going by the most common nickname he's going by each cities official nickname.
There is one left in city limits! It's down off 55 on the south side
The big mounds are across the river in Cahokia, Illinois.
Thanks for picking my beloved hometown for number one. One of the capitol building's steps mark 5,280 feet above sea level, so it's an apt name.
Great compilation!
"Almost as bad as calling yourself the king of a subject on TH-cam". 😀🗺👑
Yeah. Who does such a silly thing?
In Denver there is a round survey marker on the state capital steps, showing the mile-high mark. I don't know if a proper survey was ever made.
Someone commented that the 13th step on the capitol building is where the survey says it is a mile high.
@@johnnyearp52 Actually of you look close there are a number of markers on different steps. They keep adding new markers to the capitol steps every time they recalculate it. But that's okay. As he said, it's about a mille high.
You nailed it! The Mile High City says it all!
I agree with most of these and didn’t even know over half of them! Dallas bein so low is weird. It is the biggest of the cities starting with a D in the US and almost the world - pretty sure Delhi, Dhaka, and maybe Dongguan are larger metros. There is even a song about the Big D, but they didn’t mean Dallas - Ha! How many other cities have an actual popular song dedicated to their nickname? I also hate that Portland is city of roses because the *actual* rose city is Tyler, TX. Also did not know STL was Mound City. Interesting and I would never have known if not for you. I always learn somethin watchin you. Thank you! Always enjoy watchin your vids!
As a Phoenix native, I propose our nickname be the But It’s A Dry Heat City. Or Snowbird City. 😁
Or " HOTTER Than HELL " City.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Very nice. Thank you. (I really like your intro and associated sound effect. Also, Shiner, Texas is known as "The Cleanest Little City in Texas".)
That is better than the black eye of Texas!