List of city nicknames in Michigan
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 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.
Nicknames for Eau Claire and Traverse City are a reminder that cherries are an important crop in Michigan.
- Alma - Scotland, USA[3]
- Ann Arbor
- Atlanta - Elk Capital of Michigan[9]
- Battle Creek
- Beaver Island - America's Emerald Isle[13]
- Belding
- Berrien Springs - Christmas Pickle Capital of the World[16]
- Champion - Horse Pulling Capital of the U.P.[17]
- Colon - Magic Capital of the World[18]
- Davison City of Flags [19]
- Detroit
- America's Comeback City [20]
- Arsenal of Democracy<ref name='Harper's 2007-07-01'>Solnit, Rebecca (2007-07-01). "Detroit arcadia: Exploring the post-American Landscape" (PDF). Harper's Magazine 157 (9): 65–73. Retrieved 2007-07-30.</ref>[21]
- City of Trees[22]
- City of the Straits[23]
- Hitsville, USA [20]
- Hockeytown[20][21]
- The Motor City[20][24]
- Motown[20][24]
- The D[25]
- The Paris of the Midwest[22]
- The Renaissance City[20][26]
- America's Automotive Capital
- Drummond Island - Gem of the Huron[27]
- Elsie - Michigan's Dairy Capital[28]
- Eau Claire - Cherry Pit Spitting Capital of the World[16]
- Fairview - Wild Turkey Capital of Michigan[29]
- Flint
- Frankenmuth - Michigan's Little Bavaria[33]
- Fremont - Baby Food Capital of the World[34]
- Gaylord - Michigan's Alpine Village[35]
- Glenn - The Pancake Town[36]
- Greenville - The Danish Festival City[37]
- Grand Rapids
- Hamtramck
- Holland - Tulip City[42]
- Huntington Woods - City of Homes[43]
- Jackson - Birthplace of the Republican Party[44]
- Kalamazoo
- Linwood - Michigan's Walleye Capital[47]
- Mesick - Mushroom Capital of the World[14]
- Mount Clemens - Bath City[48]
- Mount Pleasant - The Oil Capital of Michigan [49]
- Muskegon
- Naubinway - Top of the Lake[52]
- Negaunee - Irontown, USA[53]
- Newberry - Moose Capital of Michigan[54]
- Niles
- Northville - Hamlet of the Hills, Switzerland of Wayne County
- Omer - Michigan's Smallest City[57]
- Onaway - Sturgeon Capital of Michigan[58]
- Paradise - Wild Blueberry Capital of Michigan[59]
- Pellston - Icebox of the Nation[60]
- Pinconning - Cheese Capital of Michigan[61]
- Portland - City of Two Rivers[62]
- Romulus
- Gateway to The World [63]
- Saint Johns - The Mint City[14]
- Saint Louis - Middle of the Mitten[64]
- Sault Ste. Marie
- South Haven - Blueberry Capital of the World[14]
- Traverse City - Cherry Capital of the World[14][67]
- Utica
- Vassar - Cork Pine City[69]
- Vicksburg - The Village with a Vision[70]
- Whitefish Point - Cranberry Capital of Michigan[71]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Muench, David (December 1993). "Wisconsin Community Slogans: Their Use and Local Impacts" (PDF). University of Wisconsin Extension. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 9, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2007.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Alfredo Andia, Branding the Generic City :), MU.DOT magazine, September 10, 2007
- ↑ Alma Highland Festival accessed April 8, 2010.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce accessed August 1, 2010.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 Claims to Fame - Agriculture, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007
- ↑ Belding was once the third-largest silk producing city in the world
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Claims to Fame - Favorites, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007
- ↑ Champion page on infomi.com, accessed July 14, 2010
- ↑ Village of Colon accessed May 11, 2010.
- ↑ This moniker appears on the city seal, displayed on the Davison city website
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 U.S. City Monikers, Tagline Guru website, accessed January 5, 2008
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Saul Anuzis, All Eyes Look to Michigan: A Report From the Presidential Hustings, Human Events, November 6, 2007
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 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
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Claims to Fame - Business, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007
- ↑ This moniker appears in the Entertainment Link on the local television station WDIV's Click On Detroit website
- ↑ 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."
- ↑ Drummond Island Chamber of Commerce accessed Sept. 5, 2010
- ↑ Elsie Michigan - Historic Town accessed August 12, 2012
- ↑ Community Ties site accessed May 11, 2010.
- ↑ 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..."
- ↑ All Things Buick. A History of the Buick factories at Flint, Michigan accessed August 12, 2012
- ↑ Flint: Vehicle City, Michigan History Online website, accessed August 19, 2009
- ↑ Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau accessed May 30, 2011.
- ↑ National Baby Food Festival accessed December 4, 2014.
- ↑ Gaylord Convention & Tourism Bureau accessed May 30, 2011.
- ↑ Glenn Community Center accessed August 13, 2013.
- ↑ City of Greenville accessed April 9, 2010.
- ↑ More Than Furniture City, accessed May 8, 2007 "After an 1876 international exhibition held in Philadelphia, Grand Rapids gained worldwide recognition as 'Furniture City.'"
- ↑ Ellison, Garret (May 13, 2013). "Grand Rapids wins Beer City USA 2013 poll outright with 27,000 votes". MLive Media Group. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ↑ modeldmedia accessed August 1, 2010.
- ↑ Charles Sercombe (January 14, 2011), "Movers and Shakers . . . Christine Komisarz", The Review (Hamtramck, Michigan)
- ↑ Tulip Time Festival accessed May 30, 2011.
- ↑ City of Huntington Woods accessed October 11, 2012
- ↑ Birthplace of the Republican Party - "Under the Oaks", accessed May 8, 2007
- ↑ 45.0 45.1 45.2 45.3 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. "
- ↑ Sloganville, USA Awards For Best City Mottos & Monikers, Tagline Guru website, accessed March 15, 2010
- ↑ Walleye Tournament Trail, accessed August 12, 2012
- ↑ City of Mt. Clemens accessed April 8, 2010.
- ↑ "Michigan Petroleum History Exhibit". American Oil & Gas Historical Society. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ↑ 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.'"
- ↑ 51.0 51.1 51.2 History of Muskegon, accessed May 8, 2007 "A river meets the lake at a place that’s been known as the Lumber Queen of the world, the Port City and the Riviera of the Midwest; our own Muskegon."
- ↑ http://www.topofthelake.org/ Top of the Lake Communities Association, accessed July 3, 2013.
- ↑ Negaunee Irontown Association, accessed August 12, 2012.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Historical nickname commemorating the elaborate garden created and maintained by German immigrant gardener John Gipner, at the Michigan Central Railroad depot in Niles, per "Stations of Distinction", Michigan History Online website, accessed May 30, 2009
- ↑ "Michigan's Smallest City" accessed April 9, 2010.
- ↑ Claims to Fame - Fish, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ↑ Paradise, Michigan Chamber of Commerce accessed April 9, 2010.
- ↑ "waymarking.com" accessed July 6, 2010.
- ↑ Pinconning page on Roadside America.com, accessed April 9, 2010.
- ↑ Portland Community site accessed April 3, 2012
- ↑ http://www.romulusgov.com accessed on July 16, 2010.
- ↑ City of St. Louis accessed March 22, 2010.
- ↑ Sault Ste. Marie Convention & Visitors Bureau accessed August 1, 2010.
- ↑ City of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan accessed August 1, 2010.
- ↑ The World Capital of Whatever, The New York Times by Harold Faber, September 12, 1993.
- ↑ 68.0 68.1 "Retired teacher completes work on history book," The Macomb Daily, June 12, 2010. Accessed Jan. 13, 2011.
- ↑ City of Vassar accessed May 30, 2011.
- ↑ Vicksburg, MI | Village Government and Information
- ↑ Centennial Cranberry Farm accessed Sept. 5, 2010.
External links
- a list of American and a few Canadian nicknames
- U.S. cities list
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