This partial list of city nicknames in Kentucky compiles the aliases, sobriquets and slogans that cities and towns in Kentucky 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.Muench, David "Wisconsin Community Slogans: Their Use and Local Impacts" , December 1993, accessed April 10, 2007. 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. Bardstown – Bourbon Capital of the WorldClaims to Fame – Products Epodunk. Retrieved on 2010-10-16 Bellevue – B-town Benham – The Little Town That International Harvester, Coal Miners, and Their Families BuiltCity of Benham Retrieved on 2010-10-19 Berea – Folk Arts and Crafts Capital of KentuckyClaims to Fame – Art Epodunk. Retrieved on 2010-10-16 Bowling Green Vette CityWe Go Places-Bowling Green, Kentucky Retrieved on 2010-2-9 The Park City Retrieved on 2010-2-9 Burnside – The Only Town on Lake CumberlandBurnside, Kentucky tourism Retrieved on 2010-10-15 Cave City – Gateway to Mammoth CaveCave City, Kentucky Official website. Retrieved on 2010-10-15 Covington – Gateway to the SouthCity of Covington, Kentucky Retrieved on 2010-2-9 Crestwood – WhiskersSolganville, USA Awards For Best City Mottos and Monikers Retrieved on 2010-10-16 Cumberland – Black Bear Capital of Kentucky Danville – City of Firsts Elizabethtown – E Town Elkhorn City – Gateway to the BreaksElkhorn City, Kentucky Official website. Retrieved on 2010-10-15 Fort Mitchell - Titletown Fort Thomas – The City of Beautiful HomesHistory of Fort Thomas Retrieved on 2010-10-19 Grayson – Heart of the ParksCity of Grayson, Kentucky Retrieved on 2010-10-16 Hazard – Queen City of the MountainsHazard/Perry County Tourism Retrieved on 2010-10-19 Hopkinsville – HoptownHopkinsville/Christian County Visitors Bureau Retrieved on 2010-2-9 Hyden – Redbud Capital of the World Retrieved on 2010-12-19 Lexington Athens of the WestLexington, Kentucky:Athens of the West National Park Service. Retrieved on 2010-10-15 Horse Capital of the WorldClaims to Fame – Animals Epodunk. Retrieved on 2010-10-16Visit Lexington, Kentucky, accessed April 7, 2007. "Visiting a horse farm while you're in the Horse Capital of the World is a uniquely Bluegrass kind of experience you'll long remember." Louisville City of Beautiful Churches Jonathan Meador, Art: Behold the mega church , LEO Weekly, January 20, 2010. "Louisville has its fair share of nicknames — River City, Falls City, Derby City, Aliville ... the list goes on. But there's one nickname that you might not be aware of: Due to the numerous and varied houses of worship within the city limits, Louisville was once known as the 'City of Beautiful Churches'." Derby CityLouisville Historic Tours, Historic Old Louisville Visitors Center website, accessed June 27, 2010 The Fall City (reported in the 1880s)Smoky City Retrieved on 2010-10-16 or Falls City Gateway to the SouthHorse Racing in Kentucky, Part II, accessed April 7, 2007. "By then Louisville businesses had severed their northern ties since the only market for Louisville-made tools and food staples was in the war-ravaged South, making "former Confederate officers and soldiers precious commodities when the city's Board of Trade began promoting Louisville as the 'Gateway to the South.'" River CityParking Authority of River City. Retrieved 2008-02-14. The Ville Madisonville – Best Town on EarthRich Davis, Words to live by; Pride extends from 'Best Town on Earth' to 'Hub of Universe', Evansville Courier & Press, January 27, 2008. "Until a few decades ago, Madisonville, Ky., had 'Best Town on Earth' signs spanning some of its thoroughfares. 'It goes back to 1903 when the local paper, then known as the Madisonville Daily Hustler, ran a contest to come up with a slogan,' says mayoral assistant Leslie Curneal." Manchester – City of Hope Mayfield – Pearl of the Purchase Middlesboro The Athens of the MountainsArt Council Formed in Middlesboro Middlesboro Daily News. Retrieved on 2010-10-15 The City Built Inside a Meteorite CraterMiddlesboro, Kentucky Welcome Sign Retrieved on 2010-05-29 Crater City Little Las VegasCumberland Manor Bed and Breakfast Retrieved on 2010-10-15 The Magic City Retrieved on 2010-10-15 Monticello – Houseboat Capital of the WorldFirst Southern National Bank - Wayne County Retrieved on 2010-05-29 Mount Sterling – Gateway Between the Bluegrass and the Mountains{https://mtsterlingtourism.com/} Retrieved on 2020-06-01 Owensboro – Barbecued Mutton Capital of the WorldThe Capital of Whatever The New York Times by Harold Faber, September 12, 1993. Retrieved on 2010-10-16 Paducah – Quilt CityPaducah takes center stage in Quilt City USA , Kentucky Educational Television, February 23, 2004. Paintsville – The City Between the LakesOfficial site of the City of Paintsville Retrieved on 2010-2-9 Paris – Thoroughbred Capital of the WorldCity of Paris, Kentucky Retrieved on 2010-11-25 Pikeville – The City That Moves Mountainsofficial site of The City of Pikeville, Kentucky, accessed April 7, 2007. For the origin of this motto, see Pikeville Cut-Through. Prestonsburg – The Star City of Eastern KentuckyPrestonsburg Convention and Visitors Bureau Retrieved on 2010-10-16 Renfro Valley – Kentucky's Country Music Capital Shelbyville – The Gateway to the BluegrassCity of Shelbyville, Kentucky Retrieved on 2010-10-19 Simpsonville – American Saddlebred Capital of the WorldCity of Simpsonville Retrieved on 2010-10-19 Somerset Car Cruise Capital of Kentucky Spirit of Southern Kentucky Williamsburg – Your Gateway to the CumberlandsCity of Williamsburg, Kentucky Retrieved on 2010-10-15

See also List of city nicknames in the United States List of cities in Kentucky

References

External links a list of American and a few Canadian nicknames U.S. cities list