ManchVegas

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ManchVegas (also Manch-Vegas) is a local colloquial nickname for Manchester, New Hampshire, often used by residents and visitors to the area (especially young people.)

The term is a portmanteau of Manchester and Las Vegas.

The origin of the term "ManchVegas" was derived from illegal gambling in local businesses during the late 80's or early 90s. Many pizza shops and local bars had video poker machines that would pay out real money. Following a city-wide bust of these machines, brothers Jim and Bill O'Mahoney, of Manchester, coined the nickname. It was then followed by the younger crowd as a lampoon of the city's limited entertainment opportunities. Recently the term has grown into a source of pride as the city's entertainment scene has grown during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

A 2003 note on Virtualtourist.com notes, "Residents reflect the regional dry humor by referring to sedate Manchester as 'ManchVegas'."

The use of the term is not limited to youth circles, however. An article in Manchester's Hippo Press newspaper (a local alternative weekly) in August, 2005, noted that then-Manchester Mayor Robert A. Baines, "is pushing to replace the nickname ManchVegas with Manchhatten" (meaning Manchester+Manhattan).

As of January, 2006, nine businesses in New Hampshire had registered with the New Hampshire Secretary of State's Corporate Division to use the name "ManchVegas" in their business. The earliest was registered August 11, 1998. Manch Vegas T-shirts are also becoming popular.

The term is frequently used on the Internet, especially on message boards such as MySpace.

Other notable nicknames are "ManchAngeles" (Manchester+Los Angeles), "Manchentucky" (Manchester + Kentucky) and Manchvegistan (Referencing the cities large immigrant population)