List of city nicknames in New York State

This partial list of city nicknames in New York compiles the aliases, sobriquets, and slogans that cities in the U.S. state of New York are known by (or have been known by historically), officially and unofficially, to municipal governments, local people, outsiders, or the cities' 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. Nicknames and slogans that successfully create a new community "ideology or myth" are also believed to have economic value. Their economic value is difficult to measure, but there are anecdotal reports of cities that have achieved substantial economic benefits by "branding" themselves by adopting new slogans.Alfredo Andia, Branding the Generic City: , mu.dot magazine, September 10, 2007

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 by city

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A Albany Cradle of the UnionMSN Encarta states that this nickname "resulted from the meeting here in 1754 of the Albany Congress, which adopted Benjamin Franklin's Plan of Union, the first formal proposal to unite the colonies." . Archived 2009-10-31. Nippertown"Nippertown returns with new focus on arts and culture" Smallbany (somewhat derisive)"Albany: Smallbany or Smalbany or SmAlbany (nickname)" Amsterdam – The Carpet CityThe Amsterdam Free Library , accessed April 5, 2007. "Amsterdam became known as "The Carpet City of the World."' Auburn History's Hometown The Prison City (for Auburn Correctional Facility, formerly Auburn Prison)E.g. Prison City Pub and Brewery, Prison City Ramblers car club

B Binghamton Parlor CityBinghamton: Building The Parlor City , WSKG-TV, accessed April 5, 2007. Carousel Capital of the WorldCarousel Capital of the World , accessed April 5, 2007. Valley of Opportunity The Triple Cities (with Johnson City and Endicott)The Legacy Of George F. Johnson And The Square Deal, accessed February 5, 2015. Hockey Town USA The Bronx (part of New York City) Boogie Down The Birthplace of Hip-Hop Brooklyn (part of New York City) The Borough of Homes and Churches (also "Borough of Churches" or "Borough of Homes")Ryley, Sarah. "Brooklyn Atlantic Yards: 'Wrong Church, Wrong Pew,' Says Manhattan Judge in Tenants' Case", Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 18, 2007. Accessed June 13, 2007. "State Supreme Court Justice Walter Tolub ruled the action 'was brought both in the wrong church and the wrong pew,' making reference to Brooklyn's early reputation as the 'City of Churches'. In a footnote, the judge cited an 1844 issue of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle as the origin of that nickname." The Borough of Trees, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. Accessed June 13, 2007. "'This once again proves that in addition to being the Borough of Churches and the Borough of Trees, that Brooklyn is the Borough of Light during the holidays, and throughout the year,' said Marty." Buffalo The City of Good NeighborsStudents Show Why We Are the City of Good Neighbors, WGRZ, November 10, 2006. The City of Light (nickname at the time of the 1901 World's Fair)Todd Natti, An Orphan of History , Art Voice, October 26, 2006 The City of No IllusionsThe Urban Design Project, The Queen City Hub: A Regional Action Plan for Downtown Buffalo , accessed February 12, 2011 The Nickel CityU.S. City Monikers, Tagline Guru website, accessed January 5, 2008 The Queen City (or The Queen City of the Great Lakes)Barry Popik, Smoky City, barrypopik.com website, March 27, 2005

C Canandaigua – The Chosen SpotCity of Canandaigua official website Chazy – The World Capital of McIntosh Apples Cooperstown – Birthplace of Baseball Corinth – Snowshoe Capital of the World Corning – The Crystal CityCorning, New York , accessed April 16, 2007. "Recognized as a world leader in glass-making – and dubbed "Crystal City" for its prominence – Corning boasts a heritage that dates to the 1860s." Cortland – The Crown CityLocal History , accessed April 5, 2007. "Known as the 'Crown City' because of its location on a plain formed by the convergence of seven valleys, Cortland is situated about 1,130 feet above sea level, making it the uppermost city to crown the state."

E Elba – Onion Capital of the WorldClaims to Fame - Agriculture, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007. Elmira – Soaring Capital of the World Endicott The Magic City The Triple Cities (with Binghamton and Johnson City)

F Florida – The Onion Capital of the WorldFlorida, New York , accessed April 16, 2007. "Onion farming became the primary source of agricultural revenue, resulting in the area being known as "The Onion Capital of the World." Growing, packing, and distribution of this crop continues to be Florida's most important industry." Fulton – City with a FutureMotola, Chris. "Nestle and Sonoco Plants Expected to Resume Operation Under New Ownership", Oswego County Business, December 10, 2003, accessed April 16, 2007. "Fulton may once again live up to its slogan, 'a city with a future.' New York State Gov. George Pataki arrived to unveil the good news at a press conference at the Fulton Municipal Building on Dec. 10 at 2PM."

G Geneva – Lake Trout Capital of the WorldClaims to Fame - Fish , Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007. Granville – Slate Capital of the WorldClaims to Fame - Rocks , Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.

H Hamburg – The Town That Friendship Built, accessed November 19, 2013. "It may be 'the town that friendship built.' But Hamburg’s three-member Town Board has been rife with bickering and discord." Hammondsport – Cradle of AviationGlenn Curtiss, accessed April 16, 2007. "Here, in the picturesque village of Hammondsport, known locally as the "cradle of aviation," Glenn H. Curtiss, world famous aviation pioneer who died unexpectedly in a Buffalo hospital, will be buried at 4 o'clock tomorrow afternoon." Haverstraw – Bricktown or Brickmaking Capital of the WorldThe Village of Haverstraw's History , Village of Haverstraw website, accessed December 24, 2008, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, accessed December 24, 2008Brick Making in the Hudson River Valley - Haverstraw, Powerpoint presentation by students in Marist College's Hudson Valley History Course, undated Hornell – The Maple CityCity of Hornell official website Hurley – Sweet Corn Capital of the World

I Indian Lake-The Whitewater Rafting Capital Ithaca - City of Gorges, Ten Square Miles Surrounded by Reality

J Jamestown The Furniture Capital of the World (1880s–1940s)Historical Map of Jamestown, NY - 1882. Worldmapsonline.com. Retrieved on 2014-06-19. The Pearl CityCity of Jamestown, New York - The Pearl City . Jamestownny.net. Retrieved on 2014-06-19. Johnson City Home of the Square DealAbout JC , accessed February 5, 2015 The Triple Cities (with Binghamton and Endicott)

K Kingston – Breadbasket of the RevolutionTechCity Properties , accessed December 1, 2011City of Kingston 2011 Visitors' Guide , page 26. Accessed December 1, 2011

L Lockport – Lock CityD'Onofrio, John. "FOOTBALL: Semi-pro football returns to Lock City" , Niagara Gazette, April 1, 2007, accessed April 16, 2007. Long Beach – The City by the SeaCity of Long Beach official website

M

Manhattan (borough of New York City) – The CityPurdum, Todd S. "POLITICAL MEMO; An Embattled City Hall Moves to Brooklyn", The New York Times, February 22, 1992. Accessed March 27, 2008. "Leaders in all of them fear that recent changes in the City Charter that shifted power from the borough presidents to the City Council have diminished government's recognition of the sense of identity that leads people to say they live in the Bronx, and to describe visiting Manhattan as 'going to the city.'" Mechanicville – The Paper City Monsey – Ir Hakodesh ("the holy city" in Hebrew) Mount Vernon - “Money Earnin’”

N

New Rochelle Queen City of the SoundJoseph Nathan Kane, Gerard L. Alexander, Nicknames and Sobriquets of U.S. Cities, States, and Counties, Scarecrow Press, 1979, Page 340 The City of HuguenotsNew Rochelle: The City of Huguenots, Knickerbocker Press, 1926, New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce The City of ParksModern New Rochelle and The National City Bank, The National City Bank, 1909, M.J.Dillon, Page 19 New York City The Big AppleWhy Is New York City Called "The Big Apple"? , accessed April 16, 2007. The Capital of the WorldFinn, Robin. "A Vigilant Eye on Threats to the 'Capital of the World'", The New York Times, June 8, 2007. Accessed June 13, 2007. "'What makes this the biggest challenge in all that we do as an agency is, well, as the late pope said, New York City is the capital of the world,' he says, leading the way into his spacious sanctum at 26 Federal Plaza." The City of Dreams The City So Nice, They Named It TwiceMullane, J.D. "Trumping a New Yorker", The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 25, 2007, accessed April 16, 2007. "'Here we go again,' I said. 'New York, New York. The city so nice they named it twice, right?'" The City That Never Sleeps"New York, New York" Lyrics , accessed April 16, 2007. "These vagabond shoes / Are longing to stray / And make a brand new start of it / New York, New York / I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps..." Empire CityArt and the Empire City: New York, 1825–1861, Metropolitan Museum of Art, accessed April 16, 2007. The Five Boroughs Fun City Gotham Niagara Falls – Cataract City, historically associated with Niagara Falls, New York. The expression appears in 19th century newspapers referring to local institutions such as the Cataract House hotel and the Niagara Falls Cataract newspaper. In 2026, the new Cataract Stairs were renamed after Cataract City. Modern usage is also documented by Canadian author Craig Davidson, who stated about the title of his 2013 novel Cataract City: "Cataract City is the nickname of Niagara Falls, so I just stole that".

North Tonawanda – Lumber CityThe Town of Tonawanda - History , accessed April 16, 2007. "By the turn of the century Tonawanda and North Tonawanda, jointly known as 'The Lumber City', was the largest lumber supply center in the world."

O Ogdensburg The Maple City (19th century)History of Ogdensburg, Thousand Islands. Accessed June 13, 2007. "Attracting people from far and wide, we became the 'New York of the North'. At that time the community was known as 'the Maple City' and a city form of government was adopted on April 27, 1868." The New York of the North (mid-19th century)

P Palmyra – Queen of Canal Towns, Palmyra. Accessed March 27, 2011. Pearl River – The Town of Friendly People, Pearl River Patch website, accessed January 12, 2012 Phelps – Sauerkraut CapitalClaims to Fame - Food , Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007. Pine Island – Onion Capital of the World Plattsburgh – Ville Sur Le Lac (French) or The Lake City (English)Tourism , City of Plattsburgh website, accessed April 13, 2011 Poughkeepsie Queen City of the Hudson

Q Queens—The World's Borough

R Rhinebeck – Anemone Capital of the World Rochester Crapchester The Flour City (historical)FAQs, Visit Rochester website, accessed April 28. 2012Rochester's History webpage; "1850–1899: Westward expansion has moved the focus of farming to the Great Plains. Rochester's importance as the center for flour milling has declined. Several seed companies in Rochester have grown to become the largest in the world. Rochester's nickname is changed from the Flour City to the Flower City." The Flower City (contemporary)The Flower City: Center of Nurseries and Fruit Orchards by Blake McKelvey, University of Rochester website; tells of the "almost world-wide fame that once redounded to the Flower City" during the latter half of the 19th century. Ra-Cha-Cha The Roc Roc CityE.g. Roc City Furniture, Roc City Skatepark, Roc City Rib Fest Snapshot City Young Lion of the West The World's Image Centre (1990's)