Nicknames of Philadelphia

Philadelphia skyline as seen from Belmont Plateau, Fairmount Park.

Philadelphia has long been nicknamed "The City of Brotherly Love" or "The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection" from the literal meaning of the city's name in Greek (Greek: Φιλαδέλφεια ([pʰilaˈdelpʰeːa], Modern Greek: [filaˈðelfia]), "brotherly love"), from φίλος (philos, "loving") and ἀδελφός (adelphos, "brother").^[1] The city was first named by its founder, William Penn.^[2]

Philadelphia is also frequently shortened to simply Philly /fɪli/. The Philadelphia Phillies, the city's baseball team, officially formed in 1883.^[3]

Other nicknames

• "The Athens of America" - So called as early as 1733 by the directors of the Library Company of Philadelphia.^[4] Gilbert Stuart referred to the city using this phrase, referring to Philadelphia's reputation for science, industry, art, and intellectual life.^[5]
• "The Birthplace of America" - derived from Philadelphia's role in the American Revolution and location of the signing of the Declaration of Independence^[6]
• "The Cradle of Liberty" - derives from Philadelphia's role in the American Revolution. Also a nickname of Boston.^[7]
• "The Quaker City" - was given in reference to the religion of the city's early settlers.^[8]
• "The Workshop of the World" - Philadelphia's Industrial Revolution history gave it this nickname; in the pre-World War II 20th century, Philadelphia "led the nation in production of such diverse products as locomotives, streetcars, saws, steel ships, textiles, rugs, hosiery, hats, leather, and cigars. It held second place in the production of sugar, fertilizer, foundry castings, petroleum, products, chemicals, and drugs."^[9]
• "The City that Loves you Back" - this slogan was introduced by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) in a 1997 advertising campaign. The motto was both "a reply and a challenge to the 'I Love New York' slogan" and countered the "antisocial reputation" that Philadelphia had developed.^[10]
• "The City of Neighborhoods" - unclear how this name emerged; Philadelphia was called "The City of Homes" by the 1870s, and was called "a city of residences" in a book published in 1893, referencing the city's high levels of home ownership. The nicknamed refers to the city's many distinct neighborhoods and sense of neighborhood pride.^[11]
• "The City That Bombed Itself" - In 1985, Philadelphia police bombed a rowhouse occupied by MOVE, a radical black-power group. The bombing killed 11 people, destroyed 61 homes, left 250 people homeless, and earned the city this title.^[12][13]
• "Filthadelphia" or "Filthydelphia" - a reference to local environmental and sanitation issues^[14][15]

References