List of city nicknames in Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This partial list of city nicknames in Michigan compiles the aliases, sobriquets and slogans that cities in Michigan are known by (or have been known by historically), officially and unofficially, to locals, outsiders or their tourism boards. City nicknames can help in establishing a civic identity, helping outsiders recognize a community or attracting people to a community because of its nickname; promote civic pride; and build community unity.[1] They are also believed to have economic value, but that economic value is difficult to measure.[1]
Some of the nicknames are positive, while others are derisive. The unofficial nicknames listed here are those that have been used for such a long time or have gained so wide a currency that they have become well-known in their own right.
- Ann Arbor
- Atlanta - Elk Capital of Michigan.[7]
- Battle Creek
- Bay City - the city by the bay[citation needed]
- Belding - Apple Capital.[11]
- Berrien Springs - Christmas Pickle Capital of the World.[12]
- Cadillac - Cattletracks [13]
- Dearborn
- Dearborn Heights
- Detroit
- Eau Claire - Cherry Pit Spitting Capital of the World.[12]
- Essexville - The gateway to the bay[citation needed]
- Flint - The Birthplace of General Motors.[22]
- Gaylord - The Alpine Village
- Grand Rapids - Furniture City.[23]
- Jackson - Birthplace of the Republican Party.[24]
- Kalamazoo
- Mesick - Mushroom Capital of the World.[11]
- Muskegon
- Newberry - Moose Capital of Michigan.[28]
- Niles - The City of Four Flags.[29]
- Onaway - Sturgeon Capital of Michigan.[30]
- Romulus
- Gateway to the World[citation needed]
- Rom-City[citation needed]
- South Haven - Blueberry Capital of the World.[11]
- Traverse City - Cherry Capital of the World.[31][11]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Muench, David "Wisconsin Community Slogans: Their Use and Local Impacts", December 1993, accessed April 10, 2007.
- ^ Kerry Rutherford's Bio and Blog August August 16, 2007
- ^ Michigan Lingo in 2006 Graduate Handbook for the Political Science Department of the University of Michigan
- ^ The city's official web site is www.a2gov.org
- ^ Replanting Tree Town page on Ann Arbor City Government website (accessed January 12, 2008)
- ^ http://www.a2gov.org/news/Documents/TTL_Nov_2007.pdf
- ^ Claims to Fame - Animals, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ This moniker appears on the city seal, displayed on the Battle Creek city website.
- ^ Claims to Fame - Food, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ The One Dollar Miracles of Battle Creek by Jim Middleton
- ^ a b c d e Claims to Fame - Agriculture, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ a b Claims to Fame - Favorites, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ [1] "Mesick is in MI... LOL look halfway between Cattletracks (Cadillac) and Traverse City..." (Accessed July 23, 2007; A quick Web search for "Cattletracks Michigan" turns up numerous Web pages mentioning Cadillac by this name.)
- ^ a b c d e f U.S. City Monikers website, accessed January 5, 2008
- ^ Solnit, Rebecca (2007-07-01). "Detroit arcadia: Exploring the post-American Landscape" (PDF). Harper's Magazine 157 (9): 65–73.
- ^ a b The Greening of Detroit, accessed May 8, 2007. "The Greening of Detroit seeks to return the city of Detroit to its former glory as "The City of Trees" and "The Paris of the Midwest" by reforesting the city through tree planting projects and by using environmental education to generate the resolve, the necessary support, and the essential abilities necessary to ensure a safe, sustainable ecosystem for healthy trees with the city of Detroit."
- ^ Barry Popik, Smoky City, barrypopik.com website, March 27, 2005
- ^ Mnatsaknov says limo crash altered lives of his family : Ice Bears : Knoxville News Sentinel
- ^ Human Events
- ^ a b Claims to Fame - Business, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ Detroit: Sights & Activities, Fodor's, accessed May 8, 2007. "Though the city nicknamed itself "Renaissance City" in the 1970s, it did little to deserve the title until recently."
- ^ About the University of Michigan-Flint, accessed May 8, 2007. "Flint is a mid-size city with a population of approximately 125,000. Although the city is best known as the birthplace of General Motors..."
- ^ More Than Furniture City, accessed May 8, 2007. "After an 1876 international exhibition held in Philadelphia, Grand Rapids gained worldwide recognition as 'Furniture City.'"
- ^ Birthplace of the Republican Party - "Under the Oaks", accessed May 8, 2007.
- ^ a b c d The History of Kalamazoo MI, accessed May 8, 2007. "It's been called "The Paper City," for its many paper and cardboard mills; "The Celery City," after the crop once grown in the muck fields north, south, and east of town; and "The Mall City," after construction of the first outdoor pedestrian shopping mall in the United States in 1959. The fertile soil on which Kalamazoo is built has led the area to most recently be called the "Bedding Plant Capital of the World," as the county is home to the largest bedding plant cooperative in the U.S. "
- ^ Burns, Robert C. "Brewmaster to create ale, pub downtown", Muskegon Chronicle, September 13, 2006. Accessed May 8, 2007. "Although Muskegon is known by some, very informally, as the 'Beer Tent Capital of the World,' the business plan cites 'an enormous unmet need in the microbrewery market in Muskegon.'"
- ^ a b c History of Muskegon, accessed May 8, 2007. "A river meets the lake at a place that’s been know as the Lumber Queen of the world, the Port City and the Riviera of the Midwest; our own Muskegon."
- ^ Official Newberry Michigan Area Chamber of Commerce, accessed May 8, 2007. "Snowmobile the Moose Capital of Michigan & Tahquamenon Country!"
- ^ City of Niles. Motto listed on web site logo, accessed May 8, 2007.
- ^ Claims to Fame - Fish, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ The World Capital of Whatever, The New York Times by Harold Faber, September 12, 1993.
[edit] External links
- a list of American and a few Canadian nicknames
- U.S. cities list
