City nicknames lists (1881, 1883, 1884, 1889, 1894)

[Geoffrey Nunberg]

As a San Franciscan, I missed the old post-earthquake description of
this city as "The City That Waits To Die" (which among other things
was the title of a 1971 documentary about the earthquake). That name
led some to refer to the neighboring town of Colma, which is largely
covered by cemeteries, as "The City That Waits For The City That
Waits To Die To Die," a phrase that comes in handy when you're
teaching students about center-embedding.

Geoff Nunberg


>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Bapopik at AOL.COM
>Subject:      City nicknames lists (1881, 1883, 1884, 1889, 1894)
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>    From ancestry.com historical newspapers:
>
>
>    15 December 1881, GRAND TRAVERSE HERALD (Traverse City, Michigan),
>supplemetn, pg. 3?, col. 2:
>       _Popular Names of States and Cities._
>       STATES.
>Virginia, the Old Dominion.
>Massachusetts, the Bay State.
>Maine, the Border State.
>Rhode Island, Little Rhody.
>New York, the Empire State.
>New Hampshire, the Granite State.
>Vermont, the Green Mountain State.
>Connecticut, the Land of Steady Habits.
>Pennsylvania, the Keystone State.
>North Carolina, the Old North State.
>Ohio, the Buckeye State.
>South Carolina, the Palmetto State.
>Michigan, the Wolverine State.
>Kentucky, the Corn-crackers.
>Delaware, the Blue Hen's Chicken.
>Missouri, the Puke State.
>Indiana, the Hoosier State.
>Iowa, the Hawkeye State.
>Wisconsin, the Badger State.
>Florida, the Peninsular State.
>Texas, the Lone Star State.
>       CITIES.
>Philadelphia, the Quaker City.
>Boston, the Modern Athens; the Hub.
>New York, Gotham.
>Baltimore, the Monumental City.
>Cincinnati, the Queen City.
>New Orelans, the Crescent City.
>Washington, the City of Magnificent Distances.
>Chicago, the Garden City.
>Detroit, the City of Straits.
>Cleveland, the Forest City.
>Pittsburgh, the Smoky City.
>New Haven, the City of Elms.
>Indianapolis, the Railroad CIty.
>St. Louis, the Mound City.
>keokuk, the Gate City.
>Louisville, the Fall CIty.
>Nashville, the City of Rocks.
>Hannibal,m the Bluff City.
>Alexandria, the Delta City.
>
>
>    15 November 1883, HERALD AND TORCH LIGHT (Hagerstown, Maryland), pg.1,
>col. 7:
>    _NICKNAMES OF CITIES._
>Alexandria--Delta City.
>Alton, Ill.--Tasselburgh.
>Baltimore--Monumental City; City of Mobs.
>Boston--Modern Athens; The Hub.
>Brooklyn--City of Churches.
>Chicago--Garden City; City of Sin.
>CIncinnati--Queen City; Porkopolis.
>Cleveland--Forect City.
>Denver--City of the Plains.
>Detroit--City of the Straits.
>Duluth--Zenith City.
>Hannibal--Bluff City.
>Holyoke, Mass.--Paper City.
>Indianapolis--Railroad City.
>Kansas City--Mushroomopolis.
>Keokuk--Gate City.
>Lafayette--Star City.
>Little Rock--City of Roses.
>Louisville--Falls City.
>Lowell--City of Spindles.
>Madison, Wis.--Lake City.
>Milwaukee--Cream City; City of Beer and Bricks.
>Minneapolis--City of FLour and Sawdust.
>Mobile--Shell City.
>Nashville--City of Rocks.
>New Haven--City of Elms.
>New Orleans--Crescent City.
>New York--Gotham; Empire CIty.
>North Adams, Mass.--The Tunnel City.
>Pekin, Ill.--Celestial City.
>Peoria, Ill.--Whiskeytown.
>Philadelphia--Quaker City.
>Pittsburg--Smoky City.
>Quincy--Gem City.
>Racine, Wis.--Bell City.
>Rochester, N. Y.--Flour City.
>San Francisco--'Frisco.
>St. Paul--Gem City.
>St. Louis--Mound CIty; Future Great.
>Toledo--Corn City.
>Washington--City of Magnificent Distances.
>
>
>    7 October 1884, DAILY MINER (Butte, Montana), pg.1, col. 6:
>    _Nicknames of American Cities._
>    The following are some of the queer nicknames of American cities:
>Pittsburgh, Smoky City; Alexandria, Delta City; Cincinnati,
>Porkopolis; Boston, Modern
>Athens, the Hub; New York, Gotham; Nashville, City of Rocks; Indianapolis,
>Railroad City; Detroit, City of the Straits; Denver, City of the Plains; New
>Orleans, Crescent City; Baltimore, Mountain City; Washington, City
>of Magnificent
>Distances; New Haven, City of Elms; Racine, WIsconsin, Belle City; Little
>Rock, City of Roses; Mobile, Shell City; Kansas City, Mushroomopolis; Lowell,
>City of Spindles; ; Minneapolis, City of Four; Holyoke, Massachusetts, Paper
>City; North Adams, Massachusetts, the Tunnel City; Peoria, Illinois,
>WHiskytown;
>Alton, Illinois, Tassleburg; Pekin, Illinois, Celestial City.
>
>
>    23 September 1889, DECATUR DAILY DISPATCH (Decatur, Ill.), pg. 2?, col. 5:
>       _THEIR NICKNAMES._
>    Baltimore is the "Monumental City."  Boston is the "City of Notions," "Hub
>of the Universe," "Puritan City," "Athens of America" or "Modern Athens."
>    Brooklyn is "The City of Churches."  Buffalo is "The Queen City of the
>Lakes."  Chicago is "The Garden City" or "Lake City."
>    Cincinnati is "The Queen City."  Cleveland is the "Forest City."
>    Detroit is the "City of the Straits."  Indianapolis is the "Railroad
>City."
>    Keokuk is the "Gate City."  Louisville is the "Falls City."
>    Lowell is the "City of Spindles."  Milwaukee is the "Cream City."
>    Nashville is the "City of Rocks."  New Haven is the "City of Elms."  New
>Orleans is the "Crescent City."
>    New York is the "Empire City" or "Gotham."  Philadelphia is the "City of
>Brotherly Love."
>    Pittsburg is the "Iron CIty."  Rochester is the "Flower City."
>    St. Louis is the "Mound City" or "Future Great."
>    Washington is the "City of Magnificent Distances."
>
>
>    3 March 1894, LOWELL DAILY SUN (Lowell, Massachusetts), pg.2, col. 6:
>       _Popular Names of Cities._
>    The nicknames given to the various prominent cities in the United States
>are as follows: Brooklyn, City of Churches; Boston, Hub of the Universe;
>Baltimore, Monumental City; Buffalo, Queen City of the Lakes;
>Chicago, Garden CIty;
>CIncinnati, Queen CIty; Cleveland, Forest City; Detroit, City of the Straits;
>Hannibal, Bluff CIty; Indianapolis, Railroad CIty; Keokuk, Gate City;
>Louisville, Falls City; Loweel, City of Spindles; New York, Gothan,
>Empire City; New
>Orleans, Crescent City; Nashville, City of Rocks; New Haven, City of Elms;
>Philadelphia, Quaker CIty, City of Brotherly Love; Pittsburg, Iron
>City; Portland,
>Me., Forest City; Rochester, Flour CIty; St. Louis, Mound CIty; Springfield,
>Ills., Flower City; Washington, City of Mangificent Distances.