City Nickname(s) That Natives / Locals Despise Or Find Corny

[JManc]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

New Yorkers refer to Manhattan as "the City." Some New Yorkers of a certain age will also use "New York" to refer specifically to Manhattan, but I really only hear that from Baby Boomers and older.

"NYC" is also probably the most common way to refer to the city as a whole, with "the five boroughs" or "the boroughs" being the second most common.

"The City" is pretty common usage throughout Upstate as well for all of NYC. At least outside of Buffalo or Rochester. Although if you mentioned "New York", it is usually assumed you're going to Manhattan as people name the other boroughs specifically.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by LMich

There isn't really any from Detroit I've found universally despise residents. However, among more bougie folks of all races there is a pronunciation of the city's name that can be like a record scratch to some: over-emphasizing the first syllable like 'DEE' in normal conversation (Instead of 'DIH' or 'DUH') can be sort of a giveaway of either outsiders or people seen as lower-class. It's kind of seen as hickish or country reminding them of their grandparents and great-grandparents (e)migrations. The funny thing is that every Detroiter that uses the city's name in a literary way in a song or in other kind of wordplay uses the hard D.

But, even that isn't something all that widely spread, anymore.

I switch between the "Dih" or a toned down "Dee." But yeah, if you stress the "Dee" too much it's a class signifier (unless you're doing the "Deee-troit Baaasketballlll" chant).

Something that I find slightly irritating is the uninitiated referring to the city as "the D." That moniker was popularized by people who were born between the early 70s and early 90s, and was only used by people who had lived within the city limits at some point in their life.

I still remember there was a minor uproar from Detroit in the late 90s when Dallas started to popularize "the Big D" as a moniker for that city.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by JManc

"The City" is pretty common usage throughout Upstate as well for all of NYC. At least outside of Buffalo or Rochester. Although if you mentioned "New York", it is usually assumed you're going to Manhattan as people name the other boroughs specifically.

Yeah, I meant to add that outside of NYC, but within the area of influence, "the City" refers to all five boroughs. But I think this is pretty common for most big metropolitan areas. In Michigan, going to "the City" means going to Detroit.

[ThePhun1]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Yeah, I meant to add that outside of NYC, but within the area of influence, "the City" refers to all five boroughs. But I think this is pretty common for most big metropolitan areas. In Michigan, going to "the City" means going to Detroit.

I thought around NYC, Manhattan alone was the City?

[10023]

Originally Posted by ThePhun1

I thought around NYC, Manhattan alone was the City?

Anecdotally, friends who grew up in Long Island and live in Brooklyn, call Manhattan alone “the City”. Brooklyn is Brooklyn, Manhattan is the City.

And it’s not really analogous to Detroit, Chicago or anywhere else in the US because those places don’t have boroughs. NYC is also huge, geographically, for an East Coast city (compare it to Boston, Philly, DC).

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by ThePhun1

I thought around NYC, Manhattan alone was the City?

Yes, "The City" refers to Manhattan only. The rest of NYC is not "The City" in local parlance.

[dimondpark]

Areas that refer to New York City as 'the city'-the redder the more prevalent. NorCal and Northern IL are glaring exceptions because those respondents thefe
refer to SF and Chicago.


Otherwise, much of the country thinks of NYC.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by ThePhun1

I thought around NYC, Manhattan alone was the City?

Within NYC, "the City" is Manhattan. If you're further out in New Jersey you could say "the City" to mean proper New York City and someone would understand that.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by 10023

Anecdotally, friends who grew up in Long Island and live in Brooklyn, call Manhattan alone “the City”. Brooklyn is Brooklyn, Manhattan is the City.

And it’s not really analogous to Detroit, Chicago or anywhere else in the US because those places don’t have boroughs. NYC is also huge, geographically, for an East Coast city (compare it to Boston, Philly, DC).

Maybe not in Chicago, but Metro Detroiters absolutely do refer to Detroit as "the City."

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by dimondpark

Areas that refer to New York City as 'the city'-the redder the more prevalent. NorCal and Northern IL are glaring exceptions because those respondents thefe
refer to SF and Chicago.

Otherwise, much of the country thinks of NYC.

I can assure you that if you go to Michigan and say "the City,' no one would think you're talking about New York.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by dimondpark

Areas that refer to New York City as 'the city'-the redder the more prevalent. NorCal and Northern IL are glaring exceptions because those respondents thefe
refer to SF and Chicago.


Otherwise, much of the country thinks of NYC.

Map source? Or was it totally subjective?

I find it odd that Houston, Cincinnati, lower Mississippi, Nashville, Memphis and the Carolinas are "warm pockets" whose residents supposedly frequently refer to NYC as "The City".

Miami / South Florida makes sense to a degree due to the high level of migration between that area and the Tri-State.

[BnaBreaker]

That makes no damn sense at all. Why would anyone in, say, suburban Los Angeles be referring to a place 3,000 miles away when using the phrase "the city," and not the metropolis at their doorstep?

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by BnaBreaker

That makes no damn sense at all. Why would anyone in, say, suburban Los Angeles be referring to a place 3,000 miles away when using the phrase "the city," and not the metropolis at their doorstep?

Because it's a specific reference to a specific geography.

Your question is like asking "Why would anyone in Boston or NYC refer to the Bay Area as such when they're on bays too"?

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Because it's a specific reference to a specific geography.

Your question is like asking "Why would anyone in Boston or NYC refer to the Bay Area as such when they're on bays too"?

Do they? I've seen the area around other bays, certainly the Chesapeake, referred to as the "Bay Area". I don't recall that so much growing up there, but lately I've seen it in regional media.

[ThePhun1]

Where I live is considered the Bay Area (in reference to Galveston Bay). It's not uncommon at all, it's just that San Francisco is the most famous bay in the US.

[Illithid Dude]

The only nickname I can think of in LA is The Valley or the 818 referring to The Valley, but I don't think anyone dislikes those names. It's part of the culture at this point.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by Pioneer

To me, The Windy City and Chitown are lame.

I like "Second City" best. If it wasn't such a mouthful, the City of Big Shoulders would be most apt.

I love Chicago, but hasn't L.A. been the "Second City" (in population, not skyscrapers) almost since the 1980 census? And Houston is gaining on you too.

[CaliNative]

Why is New Orleans called "The Big Easy"? Do the locals use that term, or is that something dreamed up by a film producer?

[muppet]

In the UK people say 'go into town' whenever they mean trekking into the centre, whether its London or Little Tiddling.

London's also been known as the Big Smoke, back in the day when its 'pea-soupers' could kill 12,000 people at a pop.

[10023]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Maybe not in Chicago, but Metro Detroiters absolutely do refer to Detroit as "the City."

That’s not what I mean.

I meant that no one refers to only a section of the city of Detroit as “the City”, in the way that New Yorkers only mean Manhattan and not the boroughs.