City Nicknames and The Stories Behind Them

21 City Nicknames and The Stories Behind Them 1. The Big Apple NEW YORK 3. Sin City LAS VEGAS 2. The Old Smoke LONDON Block 16 became famous in the early This phrase was first used in a book called 'The Wayfarer of New York back in 1909. The author, Edward S Martin, wrote about how other cities perceived New York as greedy, by writing "the big apple gets a disproportionate share of the national sap". London was always a smoky place, but it was The Great Smog in 1952 that really gave it its nickname. The smog polluted the air for 5 days and killed over 4,000 people! The 1900s for selling alcohol and for offering prostitution. The block was demolished after World War II, and Las Vegas was built up around the area. The history of the sins couldn't be demolished however, and the catastrophe led to the Clean Air Act 1956, but the nickname stayed put. nickname has stuck ever since! 6. Lion City 4. The City of Love PARIS 5. The Pearl of The Orient SINGAPORE HONG KONG France's capital city is renowned for its romantic scenery - there's the 'love lock bridge', the Eiffel Tower and French is even said to be the lanquage of love! Paris is also sometimes known Many people assume this romanticised nickname came from the city's traditions, art and legacy. However, from the years of 1959 to 1997, Hong Kong had a colonial Coat of Arms. The crest featured a lion holding a pearl, which represented the small but precious nature of the colony. The word 'Singapura' literally translates into English as Lion City'. Hence the nickname! The city's founder, Sir Stamford Raffles, says he gave it the name after seeing a merlion (a mix between a mermaid and a lion) despite lions not being native to the city whatsoever! as The City of Light, as it was the first city in Europe to use electric street lamps, and the Eiffel Tower lights up at night! 7. The Whitestone 8. Venice of The North 9. The City of Violet MOSCOW Crown AMSTERDAM ATHENS Pindar, an Ancient Greek lyric poet, once wrote that Athens was a "city of light, with thy violet crown, beloved of the poets, thou art the bulwark of Greece." In one of his surviving fragments. Hence the nickname, The City of Violet Crown! Moscow's nickname doesn't refer to the The city of Amsterdam is home to over 100km of canals. As a result, it is snow found in the area, but instead it was given to the city to highlight the architectural image of medieval Moscow! The majority of the architecture was built of white stone, including the famous Kremlin Wall of the XIV century - which has since been commonly compared to the city with the most famous canals in the world Venice. Although canals are about the only thing the two cities have in common, it's enough to earn the nickname! restored and is now a reddish colour. 10. The Big Smoke 11. The Windy City 12. The Big Easy VANCOUVER CHICAGO NEW ORLEANS Surprisingly, this doesn't relate to the weater. Chicago can get windy, but no more than other American cities. The 'Big' part of this nickname is easy to guess, as the city is almost 45 square miles in size. Vancouver can experience incredibly heavy fogs, but the 'Smoke' part of the nickname actually refers to the smog produced by the industrial pollution and the sawmill burners throughout the city! Pindar, an Ancient Greek lyric poet, once wrote that Athens was a "city of light, with thy violet crown, beloved of the poets, thou art the bulwark of Greece." In one of his surviving fragments. Hence the nickname, The City of Violet Crown! Instead, an editor for the New York Sun - Charles A Dana - once wrote an article about Chicago politicians being "full of wind' and it stuck. So, the nickname is an old diss! 14. The City of Brotherly Love 15. The Holy City JERUSALEM 13. The Bride of The Sea VENICE PHILADELPHIA There is an annual ancient ceremony in Venice, where the doge throws a consecrated ring into the sea. It occurs on Ascension Day, and the doge weds Venice to the sea by saying "We wed thee, sea, in the sign of the Lord" (but in Latin of course!) William Penn, an English Quaker, founded Philadelphia in the 1682. He wanted it to be a place where people could all live together in harmony, and the name was inspired by philos' and 'adelphos' This nickname doesn't require too much explaining. Jerusalem is widely renowned for being a religious city. It is regarded as an incredibly important and holy city tc Christians, Jews and Muslims due to its religious history. which are Greek for love and 'brother'! 16. The White City of The North 17. The City of Dreams 18. Motor City DETROIT HELSINKI MUMBAI Detroit in Michigan is recognised as Most people would assume Helsinki got this nickname due to the snowy conditions in the city. However, the nickname is actually said to originate from the major buildings in the city being constructed from local light coloured granite - making the city look predominantly white! Mumbai is not only the most populous city in India, but also the wealthiest. It is known as The City of Dreams as the historic heart of the American automotive industry - hence the nickname 'Motor City'! The city was home to the very first movig assembly line at Henry Ford's (the inventor of Ford Motors) automobile factory! many people move to the city in the hope of living a better quality of life and following their dreams particularly in the entertainment and Bollywood industries! 19. The Magic City 20. Big D 21. City of Angels MIAMI DALLAS LOS ANGELES In 1910, there were just over 5,000 people living in Miami. By 1920, there were almost 30,000! Today, almost half a million people call the city home! Due to the rapid growth of the city, particularly in the early days, Miami was said to have 'grown like magic' - hence the nickname! Los Angeles is widely known for its celebrity culture and film industry, so where do the angels come in? In 1781, the city was called 'EI Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles which translated to "The Towm of The Queen of Angels' in Spanish. It has since been shortened to simply "Los Angeles' - or in other words: "The Angels'. This city in Texas is almost 400 square miles, and is home to more than 1 million people - so that certainly explains the 'Big' part of the nickname. But what about the 'D'? Unfortunately there is no historic or interesting story behind this one, and the 'D' simply refers to the 'D' in Dallas! Sources: travelaway.me buzzfeed.com JUST THE FLIGHT mentalfloss.com wikipedia.org wisegeek.org americaslibrary.gov www.justtheflight.co.uk