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

[Tom In Chicago]

On a separate note, my g/f's family is from southern California and they refer to it as "L.A." - which I always thought of as one of those out of towner references. . .

. . .

[Tom In Chicago]

Originally Posted by jd3189

"South Beach" is flattering and offensive to me. It's flattering since it shows what the region is mainly famous for but it's offensive since it assumes that all there is down here are people wasting time near the ocean. Outside of the coast, Miami is like everywhere else. People trying to get by. It's been a while since I've been to the beach.

I have a hard time calling it "South Beach". . . it's just Miami or Miami Beach if you're being specific. . .

. . .

[JManc]

I hate any term for Houston other than "Houston"

H-Town
Screwstown
Clutch City (you can only milk the Rockets back to back so long)
Bayou City
Space City (ok this one is cool)

[pj3000]

Area codes as nicknames for cities is stupid and weak.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by pj3000

Area codes as nicknames for cities is stupid and weak.

And ghetto.

[Xing]

I lived in Washington DC for 2 years, and I noticed everyone called it “DC.” I still call it “DC.” “Washington” was too confusing with “Washington State”. “Washington DC” was too long.

I grew up east of St Louis, and it had a variety of nicknames. The one that sticks is “STL.”

Since I also grew up near East St Louis, many of my friends there called it, “East Saint.” I like that, and I still use it.

For Chicago, new nicknames came and went. I liked calling it “The Chi,” or just by its formal name, “Chicago.” (Saw Tom’s comment on this one, but yeah I use it, as do my Chicago friends).

“Chi town” seemed more common by out of towners. Out of towners often misunderstood the meaning behind “Windy City.” So I often avoided using that one too.

[cannedairspray]

Originally Posted by Xing

I lived in Washington DC for 2 years, and I noticed everyone called it “DC.”

I really can't remember the last time I heard someone in the area call it "Washington". I might have literally heard it called "The District" more and I don't hear that very often at all. It's "DC" like 99.8% of the time.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by cannedairspray

I really can't remember the last time I heard someone in the area call it "Washington". I might have literally heard it called "The District" more and I don't hear that very often at all. It's "DC" like 99.8% of the time.

Same.

Typically the majority of the people who I hear say "Washington" are members of the political news media (who commonly cover / report on "what's happening in Washington") and older people who live in the deep South.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by Xing

I lived in Washington DC for 2 years, and I noticed everyone called it “DC.” I still call it “DC.” “Washington” was too confusing with “Washington State”. “Washington DC” was too long.

I grew up east of St Louis, and it had a variety of nicknames. The one that sticks is “STL.”

Since I also grew up near East St Louis, many of my friends there called it, “East Saint.” I like that, and I still use it.

For Chicago, new nicknames came and went. I liked calling it “The Chi,” or just by its formal name, “Chicago.” (Saw Tom’s comment on this one, but yeah I use it, as do my Chicago friends).

“Chi town” seemed more common by out of towners. Out of towners often misunderstood the meaning behind “Windy City.” So I often avoided using that one too.

And, as previously noted, "Chi City" (pronounced SHY city) was, at least at some point, a commonly used reference among some of the area's rappers.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001

I live in Flagstaff and can confirm. People who live here go "down to the Valley" or "come back from the Valley" a lot.

The media always calls Tucson "the Old Pueblo" but I never hear people call it that in regular conversation. It doesn't have any nicknames I hear.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by pj3000

Area codes as nicknames for cities is stupid and weak.

I agree. Seems like they're most commonly used as nicknames by rappers. Obviously Ludacris dedicated an entire song to area codes, and Pitbull (cringe) commonly refers to Miami / South Florida as the 305.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by Tom In Chicago

On a separate note, my g/f's family is from southern California and they refer to it as "L.A." - which I always thought of as one of those out of towner references. . .

. . .

I lived in Los Angeles for years. The most commonly used reference among natives / locals is either L.A. or Los Angeles.

If you refer to the city or the area as "Hollywood", "Tinseltown" or "La La Land" (as a previous poster noted), you are DEFINITELY an out of towner.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by JAYNYC

Same.

Typically the majority of the people who I hear say "Washington" are members of the political news media (who commonly cover / report on "what's happening in Washington") and older people who live in the deep South.

Well, as I said, I spent the first 17 years of my life in the area. Certainly the usual reference was to "the District" or "DC"--most often as in, "Let's go to the District and have some beers" because the drinking age there then was 18 but 21 in Maryland. But I know the word "Washington" was used because I well remember training myself NOT to put an "r" in there in the local fashion as in Warshington when I realized the whole world didn't pronounce it that way. It's been too long ago to remember small distinctions that would heve determined when the "W" word might have been used as compared to the other designations.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by dave8721

Sportscasters and such referring to Miami as "South Beach".

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith is by far the most guilty of this, usually within the context of a Miami Heat-related topic.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by JAYNYC

I lived in Los Angeles for years. The most commonly used reference among natives / locals is either L.A. or Los Angeles.

If you refer to the city or the area as "Hollywood", "Tinseltown" or "La La Land" (as a previous poster noted), you are DEFINITELY an out of towner.

Only one thing matters--if you put a "the" in front of freeway numbers, everybody in CA knows you are from the LA area or at least SoCal--I'm not sure to what extent they also do that around San Diego but they DON'T do it in northern CA. Or at least they didn't used to. Some of that Southland (there's another term) speak is gaining traction up north it seems.

Incidentally, often in CA if somebody refers to "the South" or "I'm going down South" they don't mean the Southeastern US. They mean southern CA.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

Well, as I said, I spent the first 17 years of my life in the area. Certainly the usual reference was to "the District" or "DC"--most often as in, "Let's go to the District and have some beers" because the drinking age there then was 18 but 21 in Maryland. But I know the word "Washington" was used because I well remember training myself NOT to put an "r" in there in the local fashion as in Warshington when I realized the whole world didn't pronounce it that way. It's been too long ago to remember small distinctions that would heve determined when the "W" word might have been used as compared to the other designations.

My post wasn't intended to distinguish between those who say "Washington" and those who pronounce it "WaRshington". It was intended to point out that the only people who I hear NOT commonly refer to it as "D.C." typically fall within the two categories of people I noted.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by JAYNYC

My post wasn't intended to distinguish between those who say "Washington" and those who pronounce it "WaRshington". It was intended to point out that the only people who I hear NOT commonly refer to it as "D.C." typically fall within the two categories of people I noted.

I know, but I'm a native, born in DC to one native and a Mom who lived there most of her life--putting us outside your two groups--and we used the word "Washington" but I can't remember the context when we would have used it and not used "DC" or "the District" about which you are correct--they would have been more common in casual conversation.

[ThePhun1]

Originally Posted by ocman

“The OC” But it’s a good way to tell if the person is a twit whose geography comes from bad television.

Yep, never heard anyone call Orange County the OC until seeing the TV show though I used it sometimes depending upon the scenario.

[ThePhun1]

Originally Posted by skyscraperpage17

Louisville is similar.

While most people think it's pronounced "Louie-ville" (as in King Louie Village), locals pronouce it as "Loo-vuhl" and will have a fit if you say it any other way.

I always thought it was Lew-UH-vuhl.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by ThePhun1

I always thought it was Lew-UH-vuhl.

i think its something in between...