List of city nicknames in Illinois
This partial list of city nicknames in Illinois compiles the aliases, sobriquets and slogans that Illinois cities are known by (or have been known by historically), officially and unofficially, to municipal governments, local people, outsiders, or their tourism boards or chambers of commerce. 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] Nicknames and slogans that successfully create a new community "ideology or myth"[2] are also believed to have economic value.[1] Their economic value is difficult to measure,[1] but there are anecdotal reports of cities that have achieved substantial economic benefits by "branding" themselves by adopting new slogans.[2]
Some unofficial nicknames are positive, while others are derisive. The unofficial nicknames listed here have been in use for a long time or have gained wide currency.
See also
References
- ^ a b c Muench, David "Wisconsin Community Slogans: Their Use and Local Impacts", December 1993, accessed April 10, 2007.
- ^ a b Alfredo Andia, Branding the Generic City :), MU.DOT magazine, September 10, 2007
- ^ Village of Algonquin. Accessed August 18, 2007.
- ^ Welcome To Aurora, City of Aurora. Accessed July 17, 2007. "Later, when the City was the first in the United States to use electric lights for publicly lighting the entire City, it achieved the nickname of “City of Lights”."
- ^ Claims to Fame - Energy, ePodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ a b Claims to Fame - Agriculture, ePodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ Pantagraph.com | Sesqui!
- ^ Pantagraph.com | Twin City Guide
- ^ U.S. City Monikers, Tagline Guru website, accessed January 5, 2008
- ^ City of Chester website. Chester was the home town of E. C. Segar, the creator of Popeye, and some characters in his cartoons were based on people of Chester.
- ^ Berman, John and Meewalla, Shani. When A Tattoo Goes Wrong, A Trend Develops. ABC News, April 7, 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
- ^ Chicago Park District website
- ^ a b c Chicago Nicknames. Chicago Public Library. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
- ^ 030909-MotorcoachMap
- ^ a b c The World Capital of Whatever, The New York Times by Harold Faber, September 12, 1993.
- ^ a b Claims to Fame - Food, ePodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ City of Crystal Lake. Accessed August 18, 2007.
- ^ "ADM lunch puts soy in spotlight - The company spreads the word about food's health benefits." Paul Brinkmann, Decatur Herald & Review, Saturday, November 20, 1999 p.A1
- ^ "Central Park skateboarders back to getting the boot - Mayor chases out those bored with their Fairview Park facility." Mike Frazier, Decatur Herald & Review, Saturday, November 11, 2006, p.A1
- ^ a b City of Elgin
- ^ City of Elgin Sustainability Action Plan, Version 2.1 (August 2011), City of Elgin website, accessed October 28, 2011
- ^ Elgin Fire Department 2006 Annual Report, City of Elgin website, accessed October 28, 2011
- ^ [1], "Pretzel City USA" accessed May 8, 2009
- ^ Claims to Fame - Birds, ePodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ Village of Huntley. Accessed August 18, 2007.
- ^ Joliet JackHammers website (accessed June 7, 2008)
- ^ a b c d Illinois Farmers' Institute (1919), Annual Report and Proceedings of the Twenty-fourth Annual Meeting Held in Joliet, Illinois, February 19, 20, and 21, 1919. "Joliet is known as 'stone city,' 'prison city,' 'steel city,' and city of 'snap and progress.'
- ^ a b Joliet, Illinois, Encyclopedia of Chicago
- ^ Tony Graf, Joliet’s oldest school building is a limestone classic, The Herald-News (published by Chicago Sun-Times), October 9, 2011
- ^ Joliet Central High School History, Joliet Township High School District 204 website, accessed October 28, 2011. Before 1935, the school's sports teams were known as "The Prison City Boys."
- ^ Joliet out to escape past ties to prison: City says its image is no longer behind bars, Chicago Tribune, August 13, 2006. "For the first time in nearly 150 years, calling Joliet a prison town would be just plain wrong, city officials contend."
- ^ Claims to Fame - Animals, ePodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ Lombard Info, National University of Health Sciences, accessed April 21, 2007. "Held each year during the first three weeks in May, regardless of the vagaries of the growing season, Lilac Time is Lombard’s celebration of a 70-year-old horticultural tradition that has led to the town’s designation as “The Lilac Village,”"
- ^ Sloganville Awards, Tagline Guru website, accessed October 28, 2011
- ^ Louis Miglio, "A Geography Alumnus Fondly Remembers," Glacial Deposits, Volume 29, 2000-2001, Illinois State University, pages 5-7
- ^ Southern Illinois
- ^ Morton Pumpkin Festival Information, Morton Chamber of Commerce, accessed April 21, 2007. "Morton is the "Pumpkin Capital of the World". Home of Nestle/Libby's pumpkin packing plant, 80% of the world's canned pumpkin is processed here."
- ^ An Invitation To Party In Naperville, A-Infos News Service, accessed September 27, 2007. "Welcome to Naperville, Illinois, USA. Please have your credit card ready. This is the golden city of corporate globalization. A city of opulent automobiles and grande lattes, expensive clothes and overpriced restaurants. We have been voted the "best place in the country to raise children," and many CEOs and owners with companies and factories in Chicago choose Naperville as a place to store their wealth. Ours is truly a city without a care in the world."
- ^ White Squirrel Wars, Roadside America, accessed April 21, 2007. "Olney, IL; Marionville, Missouri; Kenton, Tennessee; Brevard, North Carolina; Exeter, Ontario. Not one, but five towns use albino squirrels as their claims to fame, and none is particularly happy about the others."
- ^ City of Pana Illinois
- ^ a b c Barry Popik, Smoky City, barrypopik.com website, March 27, 2005
- ^ Claims to Fame - Plants, ePodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ Another Gem City Landing?, WGEM, April 10, 2007, accessed April 21, 2007. "QUINCY - It was an event that attracted thousands of people from around the world to the Gem City and then it moved to a different location -- Rantoul."
- ^ About Rockford, City of Rockford, Illinois website (accessed June 7, 2008)
- ^ St. Charles, Illinois Traffic Counts, City of St. Charles website, accessed December 6, 2010. "We’re the Pride of the Fox, Come see why!"
- ^ Thomson Chamber of Commerce website (accessed June 8, 2008)
- ^ The History of Wilmington, IL, City of Wilmington website
External links