Chester Greenwood made Farmington, Maine, the "Earmuff Capital of the World" 118 years ago. Because Hereford, Texas, provides its citizens with natural fluorides and iodides, it proclaims itself the "Town Without a Toothache."
Crystal City, Texas, calls itself the "Spinach Capital of the World," and in 1937 city fathers verified the claim by erecting a statue of Popeye the Sailor Man.These are just a few of the literally thousands of nicknames (from "nekename," a Middle English term for also name) and slogans applied over the years to cities and states. Many of them were recounted in a recent issue of American Heritage Magazine.
Some nicknames are the result of legislative action, but most reflect private economic interests and celebrate a dominant industry or hustle for tourism. Some of them have managed to stick more easily than others, either out of cleverness or because of postcards, license plates or Chamber of Commerce logotypes.
Memories of the horse age, for instance, can be recalled in Westfield, Mass., known as the Whip City because of the town's early reputation for making buggy whips. Dodge City, Kan., one of the best-known old cities of the West, was known as the "Wickedest Little City in America" because of such colorful characters as Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.
For many years, Cheyenne, Wyo., was known as "Hell on Wheels," and Missouri is the "Show Me State," emanating from the full expression, "I'm from Missouri; you've got to show me."
Arkansas calls itself the "Toothpick State" because of the reputed dexterity of its citizens with the Arkansas toothpick, otherwise known as the Bowie knife. And North Dakota was known as the "Flickertail State" because of a ground squirrel known to panic at the slightest sign of danger and disappear into its hole with a flick of the tail.
A newer slogan has been unveiled for New Mexico's Albuquerque - "A Little West of Washington, a Little East of L.A." Only time will tell if it sticks as well as some of these well-known derivative nicknames:
Boston, Mass. - "Athens of America"; Lexington, Ken. - "Athens of the West"; Waco - "Athens of Texas"; Fayetteville - "Athens of Arkansas"; Albany, N.Y. - "Edinburgh of America"; Lake Placid, N.Y. - "America's Switzerland"; Memphis, Tenn. - "Babylon on the Bluff"; Pensacola, Fla. - "Annapolis of the Air"; Bennington, Vt. - "Williamsburg of the North"; Lincoln, Neb. - "Hartford of the West"; Rapid City - "Denver of South Dakota"; Fairbanks - "Kansas City of Alaska."
There are also a number of descriptive nicknames, such as "Big Smoke" for Pittsburg; "Big Windy" for Chicago; "Cockpit of the Revolution" for New Jersey; "The Mile High City" for Denver; "Mile Square City" for Hoboken, N.J.; "America's Ice Box" for Alaska; "Most Northern Southern City" for Tulsa, Okla.; "The City Where Mexico Meets Uncle Sam" for Brownsville, Texas; and "The Town Too Tough to Die" for Tombstone, Ariz.
A number of places are known as birthplaces, such as Pennsylvania, "Birthplace of the Nation"; Dayton, Ohio, "Birthplace of Aviation"; Cooperstown, N.Y., "Birthplace of Baseball"; San Diego, "Birthplace of California"; and Waikiki, Hawaii, "Birthplace of Surfing."
There are huge numbers of "city of" nicknames, like Pullman, Ill., "City of Brick"; New Haven, Conn., "City of Elms"; Birmingham, Ala., "City of Executives"; Huntsville, Ala., "City of Governors"; Colorado Springs, Colo., "City of Millionaires"; Quincy, Mass., "City of Presidents"; and Sheboygan, Wis., "City of Cheese, Chairs, Children and Churches."
Clearly economic nicknames have been applied to Waterbury, Conn. ("Brass City"); Akron, Ohio ("Rubber City"); Wheeling, W.Va. ("Nail City"); Kalamazoo, Mich. ("Celery City"); Allentown, Penn. ("Cement City"); Rochester, N.Y. ("Snapshot City"); Yakima, Wash. ("Fruitbowl of the Nation"); Chicago ("Hog Butcher for the World"); Sacramento ("Almond Capital of the World"); and Les Allemands, La. ("Catfish Capital of the World").
We must be a country of nicknames because there are thousands more.