City Nicknames Reflect True Identity?
By: Diane Tuman, Content Manager | December 7, 2007
Down in Florida, Coral Gables and Orlando were preparing for an all-out war over who gets to claim the nickname “The City Beautiful,” which seems like such a silly squabble, because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But, truth be told, Coral Gables is probably much more beautiful than Orlando’s theme-parked environs. It just has to be. Especially considering that Coral Gables has a Zindex of $581k and Orlando is $224K.
Do you know the nickname for your city? I’m talking about the official nickname as bestowed by public officials or something that may have been voted on by the city residents. In Seattle, we are officially known as the “Emerald City,” for obvious reasons. Which reminds me of a flight I was on from New York to Seattle last January. Most East Coast passengers, who were snow-laden and deprived of any color other than white and mud, oohed and awed when the lush, green color of Seattle appeared as we circled overhead. Someone from the flight crew piped in over the loudspeaker, “There’s a reason it’s so green down there.” Yeah, don’t remind us.
Back to city nicknames. I used to live in Baltimore where the nickname is “The Greatest City in America” as well as “Charm City.” For anyone who has visited Baltimore or lived there, I think we can all agree that this is an overstatement. I actually thought it was a joke being circulated by some snarky radio station. Benches all over Baltimore actually have the nickname stenciled onto them (photo above of litter strewn around a Baltimore bench from blogs.indiewire.com). For all of Baltimore’s shortcomings, the Baltimore people are fantastic and are trying hard to change it. From the looks of it, the population is slowly turning around. Maybe their new nickname should change to, “Gritty City and Proud of it.”
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Dave B on December 11, 2007 11:36 am
A lot of cities have unofficial nicknames as well that are just as descriptive of the town. I am from Boulder, Colorado, and ask anyone here where they are from, and they are likely to say “The People’s Republic of Boulder.” It’s a fitting way to describe Boulder in that the people here are just a bit different than most of the people you’ll meet in other cities. As much as the people here don’t like to admit it, there is a sense of Xenophobia in Boulder. Residents here have worked so hard to make Boulder a Utopian city, and anyone who comes in to shake it up is likely to get an earful instead of a welcome mat. It’s a weird mix here - openness and great ideas coupled with an unwillingness to change.
Bud Hovell on December 12, 2007 5:49 pm
Since Orlando had “The City Beautiful” plastered boldly across all its welcome signs MANY ages before Coral Gables even existed, it seems a bit cheeky the latter now hopes to hijack the phrase for its own use at this very late date.
Minnesota & Wisconsin Lake Property on January 17, 2008 6:34 pm
thats correct
Andrew on January 29, 2008 9:04 pm
I agree with your comment on Baltimore - having lived here now for two years and a neighbor for 6 - and I live in the semi-ghetto (Waverly, east of Greenmount - hardly as bad as some areas I will also say, sigh (he says) thinking of Cherry Hill, East Lanvale, Coppin State area etc.). Baltimore also called itself “The City that Reads”. The truth is that we are trying to turn it around. But I wonder too if not more realistic statements would be more profitable in the end, instead of laughable when put into effect. Baltimore’s “BELIEVE” campaign is one that I think is palpably different - it rings true in acknowledging the horrific deficit it was starting from (it was mostly about the schools and education but is a metaphor across the city scape for crime, trash, poverty etc.) while acknowledging the faith and skill of its residents (and faith IN those residents) that they could turn it around. Sadly the government here is full of the most useless pieces of shit I have ever encountered. While Sheila Dixon foists “community involvement” as paramount at every turn it leaves its parks, streets, community centers, schools in absolutely abysmmal state of repair. And it’s not simply a money thing. There’s money for charter schools, for Sheila Dixon’s neighborhood, for a new convention center hotel (that research showed we couldn’t possibly need) tax write-offs for LEGG MASON to move to a new building a quarter mile from its existing one (to newer, swankier Fells Point). Life above the harbor or south of it continues to be”The Greatest City in America that City Council Continues to Ignore While Lining the Pockets of Developers for Federal Hill and the Inner Harbor” - it’s going to take a helluva bench to write that on:
Oh, wait, I forgot - they tore out all the benches in our neighborhood because the homeless used to sleep on them - instead of giving them a place to stay, or policing to help(?!) them along into a shelter etc. The benches are still downtown of course….
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