List of city nicknames in Georgia (U.S. state)
This partial list of city nicknames in Georgia compiles the aliases, sobriquets and slogans that cities in Georgia 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.[1] Nicknames and slogans that successfully create a new community "ideology or myth"[2] are also believed to have economic value.[1] Their economic value is difficult to measure,[1] but there are anecdotal reports of cities that have achieved substantial economic benefits by "branding" themselves by adopting new slogans.[2]
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
- Abbeville - Wild Hog Capital of Georgia[3]
- Albany - The Good Life City[4]
- Alpharetta - Awesome Alpharetta![5]
- Ashburn - Peanut Capital of the World[6]
- Athens - The Classic City[7]
- Atlanta
- Contemporary nicknames of Atlanta include, in alphabetical order:
- The A/da A: It is used in local media such as Only in the A, a video channel shown on MARTA rapid transit trains in Atlanta,[8] The Indispensable A, an Atlanta-based email publication,[9] and Straight from the A, an Atlanta-based blog targeted at African Americans.[10] "The A" or "da A" is also used in hip hop and rap songs such as Ludacris and Lloyd's "How We Do It (in da A)", Lil Scrappy's "The A", and T.I.'s "In da A". Atlanta newspaper Creative Loafing listed as one of its "reasons to love Atlanta" that it's "the only city easily identified by just one letter".[11]
- A-Town[citation needed]
- The ATL,[12] for its airport code
- The Big A, trucker CB slang[citation needed]
- The Big Peach[13]
- Black Hollywood, Atlanta is home to a thriving black entertainment industry.[14][15][16][17]
- Black gay mecca[18][19][20]
- Black mecca[21][22][23]
- Capital City of the American South[24]
- City in a Forest[25] or City of Trees,[26] for its unique tree canopy
- Dogwood City[27]
- Empire City of the South[28]
- Hot 'Lanta, also spelled Hotlanta, first popularized by an instrumental song performed by the Allman Brothers Band. It debuted on their live album At Fillmore East, released in July 1971, the fifth song on the album.[29][30]
- Hollywood of the South, became popular recently due to the city's boom in the film industry.[31]
- LGBT Capital of the South[32][33][34]
- Running City USA[35]
- Silicon Peach[36]
- Wakanda: Atlanta has been compared[37] to the fictional country that is the home of the Black Panther in the Marvel Comics Universe, and portions of the 2018 film Black Panther were filmed in the Atlanta metro area.[38] Rapper and Atlanta native Killer Mike told Stephen Colbert, "Atlanta is Wakanda, for real.".[39]
- Historical nicknames for the city include:
- Gate City, Gate City of the South, or Gate City of the New South (from Reconstruction through the early 20th century)[40][41]
- New York of the South[42] (1870s–1890s)
- Chicago of the South (1880s–1900s): for Atlanta's "new men, new industries, new buildings, and new spirit" - though it was often remarked that the nickname was not quite accurate in terms of the size of Atlanta vs. the much larger Chicago[43][44][45]
- The City Too Busy to Hate[46][47] (during Jim Crow and the Civil Rights struggle)
- Convention City of Dixie (Land) (1910s–1920s)[48][49]
- Dogwood City[27]
- Augusta
- Blakely - Peanut Capital of the World[6]
- Canon - The Big Gun[13]
- Canton
- Film Capital of North Georgia
- Where Pedophiles go Post-Incarceration
- Claxton - Fruitcake Capital of the World[52][53]
- Colquitt - Mayhaw Capital of the World[52][53]
- Columbus
- Cordele - Watermelon Capital of the World[6]
- Dalton - Carpet Capital of the World[56][57]
- Darien - Hidden Gem of the Golden Isles[58]
- Dawson - Spanish Peanut Capital of the World[53]
- Decatur - People's Republic of Decatur[59]
- Dickhater
- Elberton - The Granite City[60]
- Ellijay - Georgia's Apple Capital[6]
- Fort Valley - Peach Capital of Georgia[6]
- Gainesville - Poultry Capital of the World[56]
- Griffin - Iris City[61]
- LaGrange - The Greatest Little City[62]
- Lithonia - City of Granite[60]
- Macon
- Metter - Everything's Better in Metter[65]
- Milledgeville - Old Capitol City[66]
- Milton - Rich White Bitches
- Nashville - City of Dogwoods[61]
- Newnan - City of Homes[61]
- Powder Springs - P-Town[61]
- Quitman - The Camellia City[67]
- Sandersville - Kaolin Capital of the World[56]
- Savannah
- Sylvester- Peanut Capital of the World[70]
- Thomasville - City of Roses[71]
- Thomson
- Tifton - The Friendly City[73]
- Valdosta
- Vidalia - Sweet Onion Capital of the World[6]
- Warner Robins - Georgia's International City[76]
- Warwick - The Grits Capital of Georgia or The Grits Capital of the World[77]
- Waynesboro - Bird Dog Capital of the World[69][78]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Muench, David "Wisconsin Community Slogans: Their Use and Local Impacts", December 1993, accessed April 10, 2007.
- ^ a b Alfredo Andia, Branding the Generic City :), MU.DOT magazine, September 10, 2007
- ^ Claims to Fame - Animals, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ AlbanyGeorgia.biz, accessed December 9, 2015
- ^ Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau page, Georgia Tourist Guide website, accessed January 8, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f Claims to Fame - Agriculture, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ Viewbook, University of Georgia
- ^ "Only in the A". OnllyInTheA.com. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
- ^ "The Indispensable A". TheIndispensableA.com. July 23, 2019. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
- ^ "Aboutn". StraightFromTheA.com. August 19, 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
- ^ ""Because we're the only city easily identified by just one letter"". Clatl.com. November 23, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ "Love it or loathe it, the city's nickname is accurate for the summer". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. June 16, 2008. p. C1.
- ^ a b U.S. City Monikers, Tagline Guru website, accessed January 5, 2008
- ^ "Tyler Perry Studios, the house 'Madea' built, becomes a landmark for black Hollywood". Los Angeles Times. October 2, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ Lisa Respers France (November 20, 2019). "Tyler Perry Studios reshapes Hollywood from Atlanta". News4jax.com. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ Severson, Kim (November 26, 2011). "Stars Flock to Atlanta, Reshaping a Center of Black Culture". The New York Times. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ "IS ATLANTA BLACK HOLLYWOOD?". Luxekurves.com. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ "Atlanta the new mecca for black gays". Advocate.com. August 16, 2005. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ "'Got Something To Say:' How ATL Became the Black Gay Mecca". Cassiuslife.com. June 8, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ "Black, Lesbian And Muslim In The South". Wunc.org. August 22, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ "A CHAMPION FOR ATLANTA: Maynard Jackson: 'Black mecca' burgeoned under leader", Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 29, 2003.
- ^ "the city that calls itself America's ' Black Mecca'"; in William Booth, "Atlanta Is Less Than Festive on Eve of Another 'Freaknik'", Washington Post, April 18, 1996.
- ^ "'The Black Mecca' leads the nation in numbers of African American millionaires; at the same time, it leads the nation in the percentage of its children in poverty"; in Robert D. Bullard, The Black Metropolis in the Twenty-first Century: Race, Power, and Politics, Rowman & Littlefield, 2007, p. 151.
- ^ "The new south: all roads lead to Atlanta, Georgia, city of black power". the Guardian. 2016-02-25. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
- ^ EndPlay (July 22, 2011). "Atlanta May No Longer Be 'The City In A Forest'". WSB-TV. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
- ^ Snyder, Karen K. (2007), Frommer's Atlanta, page 3
- ^ a b "The Democrats Atlanta: A City of Changing Slogans - TIME". October 18, 2007. Archived from the original on October 18, 2007. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ ""Could 'Empire City of the South' play host to 2024 summer games", s". 11Alive.com. Retrieved October 15, 2017. [permanent dead link]
- ^ McManus, John (January 11, 2016). "Taylor Morrison, Acadia Deal: What it Means". Builder. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- ^ "Florida city America's sex capital?". Fort Myers, Florida: WBBH. July 18, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- ^ "How Atlanta became the Hollywood of the South". The Washington Times. August 29, 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
- ^ "Atlanta: The Gay Capital of the South". Nostraightnews.com. July 15, 2020. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ "Atlanta still LGBTQ capital of South, but Census reveals decline in households". SaportaReport.com. October 13, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ "Gay Atlanta : The Essential LGBT Travel Guide". Queerintheworld.com. November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ King, Michael (3 July 2018). "Atlanta named 'Running City USA' because of AJC Peachtree Road Race". WXIA-TV. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
- ^ "'Silicon Peach': Atlanta surging up lists of top startup cities". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ Harriot, Michael (February 19, 2019). "Atlanta Is the Real Wakanda". The Root. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
- ^ Stafford, Leon (February 18, 2018). "'Black Panther': Five things to know about the movie's ties to metro Atlanta". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (January 18, 2019). "Watch Killer Mike Talk Trigger Warning, Starting His Own Religion, & Why Atlanta Is Wakanda On Colbert". Stereogum. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
I'm a black kid that grew up in Atlanta. In Atlanta, everything is possible for black kids, right? So I never really had a box to keep me in my imagination… …because Atlanta is Wakanda, for real.
- ^ ""Our Quiz Column", Sunny South, p.5". Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
- ^ Rebecca Burns (2009), Rage in the Gate City: The Story of the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot, University of Georgia Press, ISBN 0-8203-3307-7.
- ^ Sources documented on Barry Popik's Big Apple blog:
- 5 October 1872, Appletons' Journal of Literature, Science and Art, pg. 376: "Marvellous tales are told of this antique period in the history of the present 'New York of the South,' concerning acres upon acres of land, near the heart of the city, selling for fifty cents per acre, but which now are worth a snug little fortune. Such was Atlanta less than three decades ago."
- 17 June 1879, Daily Constitution (Atlanta, GA), pg. 4: "...the future New York of the south,France of Britain- as it was predicted at the opening of the Port Royal railroad in 1873."
- The Mother Of Continental Parliaments
- 6 July 1881, The New York Times, pg. 4: "The New-Orleans Democrat says that that city is the New-York of the South, and yet has no public library."
- 29 January 1884, Atlanta Constitution, pg. 4: "The New York of the South. From the New York Tribune: THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION draws a sad picture of its environment. "Within one hundred yards of the officer," is its plaintive mean, "wagons are literally up to the hub in mud. Part of Ellis street, in a quarter mile of the depot, is literally impassable." Assuming that our contemporary's account of these wagons and this streets is literally correct, it looks as if Atlanta was likely to be known as the New York of the south."
- 12 November 1891, Atlanta Constitution, pg. 4: "Atlanta is a grand city. It is the New York of the south, and henceforth it can get the finest attractions produced, for its patronage is sufficient to make the very best and most expensive show a financial success."
- 21 October 1892, Atlanta Constitution, pg. 5: "Work will cease altogether and the New York of the south will pay honor to the brave navigator, who in spite of the hardships he had to endure, pointed out a new land to the ignorant people of the time."
- 19 January 1895, Atlanta Constitution, pg. 4: "Cedartown Standard: Atlanta aspires to be the New York of the south - in fact, she is, and so it is perfectly natural that she should follow New York in having the big police scandal and investigation that is now on hand
- ^ Underwriters, National Association of Life (15 October 1893). "Proceedings of the Annual Convention". Retrieved 15 October 2017 – via Google Books.
- ^ Cooper, William J. Jr.; Terrill, Thomas E. (16 January 2009). The American South: A History. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 9780742564503. Retrieved 15 October 2017 – via Google Books.
- ^ Still, Bayrd (15 October 1974). Urban America: a history with documents. Little, Brown. Retrieved 15 October 2017 – via Internet Archive.
chicago of the south.
- ^ History Archived 2011-12-27 at the Wayback Machine, on City of Atlanta website
- ^ Ron French, Atlanta: Black-white gap shrinks, The Detroit News, January 28, 2002
- ^ "Whatever Happened to Georgia's Downtown Hotels?", Georgia History Today
- ^ International, Rotary (1 June 1916). "The Rotarian". Rotary International. Retrieved 15 October 2017 – via Google Books.
- ^ Augusta, Georgia
- ^ [1], Augusta Chronicle, accessed October 21, 2007.
- ^ a b Claims to Fame - Food, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ a b c The World Capital of Whatever, The New York Times by Harold Faber, September 12, 1993.
- ^ Weinraub, Anita Zaleski (1 December 2006). Georgia Quilts: Piecing Together a History. Wormsloe Foundation. p. 129. ISBN 978-0820328508.
- ^ Serafin, Faith (4 September 2012). Haunted Columbus, Georgia: Phantoms of the Fountain City. The History Press. ISBN 978-1609495527.
- ^ a b c Claims to Fame - Products, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ Greetings From America's Secret Capitals, Time (magazine), July 13, 1998.
- ^ "Visit Darien". Darien-McIntosh Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on December 24, 2011. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
- ^ "Squaring off over shutdown". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- ^ a b Claims to Fame - Rocks, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Claims to Fame - Plants, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ Julia Traylor Dyar, Remembering LaGrange: Musings from America's Greatest Little City, Arcadia Publishing. Accessed December 9, 2015
- ^ [2] The New York Times, June 8, 1895.
- ^ MaconGa.org, MaconGa.org, listed under Special Events, accessed June 10, 2010
- ^ Wanda McKinney, Our Favorite Town Slogans, Southern Living, April 2005
- ^ Old Capitol City Classic 5K and Fun Run, accessed December 9, 2015
- ^ [3]
- ^ http://www.americasmosthauntedcity.com/
- ^ a b Claims to Fame - Favorites, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ City of Sylvester website, accessed January 8, 2012. Nickname appears in the banner on the top of the page.
- ^ [4] Rogers, William W. "Thomasville." New Georgia Encyclopedia. 24 September 2014. Web. 13 March 2015.
- ^ a b Susan D. Morris and New Georgia Encyclopedia staff. "Thomson". New Georgia Encyclopedia.
- ^ [5] City website.
- ^ [6] City website. On city seal.
- ^ "Video". CNN. October 31, 1988.
- ^ Warner-Robins.org, in title graphic, accessed June 10, 2010
- ^ National Grits Festival website (accessed January 24, 2008). "On Feb. 12, 2002, Rep. Johnny Floyd of Cordele, Rep. Ray Holland of Ashburn led the Georgia House of Representatives to approve a resolution that made Warwick 'The Grits Capital of Georgia.' On March 19, 2003, Governor Sonny Perdue recognized Warwick as The Grits Capital of the World."
- ^ Rob Pavey, Even if White House got name wrong, world is now watching Burke County., Augusta Chronicle staff blog, February 18, 2010