List of city nicknames



         


cities are sometimes known by, officially and unofficially, to locals, outsiders or their tourism boards.

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Patterns

There are some common types of city nicknames.

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Agricultural or Industrial Capitals

Many cities have nicknames which claim that the international or, less commonly, the national or regional capital of a particular industry, hobby or other phenomenon, especially the agricultural production of a certain plant. These include:

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Self-proclaimed Capitals of the World

Many cities and towns (particularly in North America) claim to be a "Capital of the World" of a certain subject or other item. These nicknames are usually based on the city's cultural heritage or history. Here is an incomplete list of those cities.

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Birthplace

Some cities take nicknames based on an industry, invention or other phenomenon which allegedly arose there. These include:

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Comparative nicknames

Some cities have nicknames which refer to other cities with established reputations. For example, a city might bill itself as the "Athens of the North" to establish a link with the major cultural contributions of Athens, Greece.

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'Venice of the ...'

Many places have been described as the Venice of the North, Venice of the South, Venice of the East or Venice of the West, after Venice in Italy:

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North

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South

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East

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West

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China

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Hong Kong

  • Tai O village
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Middle East

Also, the country name of Venezuela means "little Venice".

There is Venice, California in Los Angeles, which is modeled on Venice, Italy, and includes a canal district. There is also Venise-en-Québec, Quebec.

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Folk heroes

The American folk hero Paul Bunyan, and his blue ox Babe, have at least three towns vying for being considered his homeland. These include Bemidji, Minnesota, Brainerd, Minnesota and Westwood, California.

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Complete list

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Cities in Argentina

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Cities in Australia

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Cities in Brazil

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Cities in Canada

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Cities in China

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Cities in Colombia

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Cities in the Czech Republic

  • Prague
    • The Golden City
    • The City of One Hundred Spires
    • The Heart of Europe
    • The Rome of the North
  • Ostrava
    • The Steel Heart of the Republic (historically)
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Cities in Egypt

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Cities in Finland

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Cities in France

  • Paris
    • City of Lights
    • City of Love
    • Paname
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Cities in Germany

  • Berlin
    • Spree-Athens (Spree river)
  • Dresden
    • Elbflorence (because of the Elbe river)
  • Frankfurt
    • Mainhattan (because of the Main river and the skyline)
    • Bankfurt
  • Hamburg
    • Gateway to the World (das Tor zur Welt)
  • Munich (München)
    • Cosmopolitan City with Heart (Weltstadt mit Herz)
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Cities in Guatemala

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Cities in Hungary

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Cities in India

  • Benares
    • Luminous City
  • Calcutta, India
    • City of Palaces
    • City of Love
    • City of Joy (after the book by Dominique Lapierre on a slum in Calcutta)
  • Jaipur, India
    • The Pink City
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Cities in Ireland