List of city nicknames in Michigan
Encyclopedia
This partial list of city nicknames in Michigan compiles the aliases
, sobriquet
s and slogan
s that cities
in Michigan
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. 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 "brand
ing" themselves by adopting new slogans.
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.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
, sobriquet
Sobriquet
A sobriquet is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. It is usually a familiar name, distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation...
s and slogan
Slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
s that cities
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
are known by (or have been known by historically), officially and unofficially, to municipal governments, local people, outsiders or their tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
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 "brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
ing" themselves by adopting new slogans.
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.
- AlmaAlma, MichiganAlma is the largest city in Gratiot County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,275 at the 2000 census. It was incorporated as the Village of Alma in 1872 and became a city in 1905....
- Scotland, USA - Ann ArborAnn Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
- A2 or A-squared (among townies, it is often "Ace Deuce")
- Tree Town
- AtlantaAtlanta, MichiganAtlanta is an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Michigan, along the 45th parallel. It is a census-designated place for statistical purposes and does not have any legal status as an incorporated municipality. The population was 757 at the 2000 census...
- Elk Capital of Michigan - Battle CreekBattle Creek, MichiganBattle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
- Breakfast Capital of the World
- Cereal Bowl of the World
- Cereal City
- Beaver Island - America's Emerald Isle
- BeldingBelding, MichiganBelding is a city in Ionia County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,877 at the 2000 census. Belding is a small rural city surrounded almost entirely by farmland...
- Apple Capital
- Silk City
- Berrien SpringsBerrien Springs, MichiganBerrien Springs is a village in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,862 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Oronoko Charter Township. Berrien Springs is best known for its Seventh-day Adventist community and Andrews University...
- Christmas Pickle Capital of the World - Champion - Horse Pulling Capital of the U.P.
- ColonColon, MichiganColon is a village in St. Joseph County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,227 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Colon Township...
- Magic Capital of the World - DavisonDavison, MichiganDavison is a city in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan and a suburb of Flint. The population was 5,536 at the 2000 census. Davison is located within Davison Township, but is administratively autonomous....
City of Flags - Detroit
- America's Comeback City
- Arsenal of Democracy
- City of Trees
- City of the Straits
- Hitsville, USA
- HockeytownHockeytownHockeytown and Hockey Town are generic words used in common practice throughout the United States and Canada to identify any town, city or community that has a history and reputation of participating in the sport of hockey...
- The Motor City
- Motown
- The Paris of the Midwest
- The Renaissance City
- America's Automotive Capital
- Drummond Island - Gem of the Huron
- Eau ClaireEau Claire, MichiganEau Claire is a village located in east central Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 656 at the 2000 census.The village lies partially within Pipestone Township and partially within Berrien Charter Township.-Geography:...
- Cherry Pit Spitting Capital of the World - FairviewFairview, MichiganFairview is an unincorporated community in Comins Township, Oscoda County in the northeastern Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is at the intersection of routes M-33 and M-72 at...
- Wild Turkey Capital of Michigan - FlintFlint, MichiganFlint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
- (The) Auto City
- Garbage City USA
- The Birthplace of General Motors
- (The) Vehicle City
- FrankenmuthFrankenmuth, MichiganFrankenmuth is a city in Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,838 at the 2000 census. The 2009 census estimate places the population at 4,619. The city is located within Frankenmuth Township, but is politically independent. Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland, which bills...
- Michigan's Little Bavaria - GaylordGaylord, MichiganGaylord is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 3,681. It is the county seat of Otsego County. The city is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord; it is by far the smallest settlement serving as the location of an active Roman...
- Michigan's Alpine Village - GreenvilleGreenville, MichiganGreenville is a city in Montcalm County of the U.S. state of Michigan. Portions of the county are associated with the Western region while others are more closely associated with the Central Michigan region. The population was 8,481 at the 2010 census...
- The Danish Festival City - Grand RapidsGrand Rapids, MichiganGrand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
- Furniture City - HamtramckHamtramck, MichiganHamtramck is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 22,423. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small portion of the western border that touches the similarly surrounded city of Highland Park...
- City Within the City
- The World Within Two Square Miles
- HollandHolland, MichiganHolland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River ....
- Tulip City - JacksonJackson, MichiganJackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...
- Birthplace of the Republican Party - KalamazooKalamazoo, MichiganThe area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
- Bedding Plant Capital of the World
- Celery City
- Kazoo (or K’Zoo)
- Mall City (First outdoor pedestrian mall in the US)
- The Paper City
- MesickMesick, MichiganMesick is a village in Springville Township, Wexford County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 447 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land.-Demographics:...
- Mushroom Capital of the World - Mount ClemensMount Clemens, MichiganMount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 17,312. It is the county seat of Macomb County.-Early history:...
- Bath City - MuskegonMuskegon, MichiganMuskegon is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 38,401. The city is the county seat of Muskegon County...
- The Beer Tent Capital of the World
- Port City
- The Riviera of the Midwest
- Lumber Queen of the World
- NewberryNewberry, MichiganNewberry is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Luce County. Located within McMillan Township at its very southern end, it shares some administrative responsibilities with the surrounding township. The population was 2,686 at the 2000 census.The village was named in...
- Moose Capital of Michigan - NilesNiles, MichiganNiles is a city in Berrien and Cass counties in the U.S. state of Michigan, near South Bend, Indiana. The population was 11,600 at the 2010 census. It is the greater populated of two principal cities of and included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a...
- The City of Four Flags
- Garden City
- NorthvilleNorthville, MichiganNorthville is a city located in and divided by Oakland and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of Michigan and a suburb in Metro Detroit. The population was 5,970 at the 2010 census. The Oakland County portion is surrounded by the city of Novi. The Wayne County portion is surrounded by Northville...
- Hamlet of the Hills, Switzerland of Wayne County - OmerOmer, MichiganOmer is a city in Arenac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 313. Though self-proclaimed through signage on US-23 as "Michigan's Smallest City," it is actually the second-smallest city in the state as of the 2010 census...
- Michigan's Smallest City - OnawayOnaway, MichiganOnaway is a city in Presque Isle County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 933 at the 2000 census. Onaway is the Sturgeon Capital of Michigan.-Commercial airports:...
- Sturgeon Capital of Michigan - ParadiseParadise, MichiganParadise is an unincorporated community in Whitefish Township, Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan.Paradise is on the northeastern portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the western side of Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior, about by road from Sault Ste. Marie and about north of the...
- Wild Blueberry Capital of Michigan - PellstonPellston, MichiganPellston is a village in Emmet County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 771 at the 2000 census. The village is the home of Pellston Regional Airport. Its motto is "Icebox of the Nation"; Pellston recorded the state of Michigan's record low temperature, a frigid -53°F...
- Icebox of the Nation - PinconningPinconning, MichiganPinconning is a city in Bay County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,386 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Bay City, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area....
- Cheese Capital of Michigan - RomulusRomulus, MichiganRomulus is a suburban city of Metro Detroit, located in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 23,989 at the 2010 census, an increase from 22,979 in 2000. Romulus is home to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and a General Motors plant that opened in 1976...
- Speed Trap City
- Gateway to The World
- Saint Johns - The Mint City
- Saint Louis - Middle of the Mitten
- Sault Ste. MarieSault Ste. Marie, MichiganSault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
- The Soo
- Michigan's Oldest City (founded 1668)
- South HavenSouth Haven, MichiganSouth Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city is in Van Buren County, although a small portion extends into Allegan County. The population was 5,021 at the 2000 census....
- Blueberry Capital of the World - Traverse CityTraverse City, MichiganTraverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse...
- Cherry Capital of the World - UticaUtica, MichiganUtica is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,577 at the 2000 census. The 2008 Census Bureau Estimate places the population at 4,924.- History :...
- Hothouse Rhubarb Capital of the World
- Mushroom Capital of Michigan
- VassarVassar, MichiganVassar is a city in Tuscola County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The small town was founded March 1, 1849. The population was 2,697 at the 2010 census and 2,823 at the 2000 census...
- Cork Pine City - Whitefish Point - Cranberry Capital of Michigan
See also
External links
- a list of American and a few Canadian nicknames
- U.S. cities list