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

[JAYNYC]

When I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, it seemed like the only accepted nickname references for the area were:

The Bay (the greater Bay Area)
The City (San Francisco)
The Town (Oakland)
The Land (Oakland)

Naturally, people were also okay with each city being referred to by its actual name (e.g., San Francisco, Oakland, etc.).

But I noticed that there were certain nicknames - most commonly used by people visiting the area from out of state - that really irked and rubbed the natives and locals I knew the wrong way, and were a clear sign of an out-of-towner. These included:

San Fran
Frisco

Other commonly used city nicknames that I have observed locals being in strong opposition to (or not commonly using amongst their selves):

The Big Apple (NYC)
Beantown (Boston)
San Antone (San Antonio)
The Windy City (Chicago)

Interestingly, it seems that most natives / locals I know refer to Washington, D.C. as "D.C.", whereas visitors are the ones who most frequently refer to the city as "Washington".

What city nicknames have you heard that the natives / locals seem to despise, find corny, or infrequently use?

[skyscraperpage17]

Hot'lanta (Atlanta). A-Town and "The A" also wore out their welcome long ago.

ATL, Black Mecca and "City in a Forest" are all still acceptable and regularly used. Y'allywood (and Hollywood of the South) has slowly started to catch on too with the booming film industry.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Hell (Phoenix)

[pj3000]

The Steel City (Pittsburgh)

N'Awlins (New Orleans)

[softee]

Toronto:

Hogtown
The Big Smoke
T-Dot
The 6ix

[Gresto]

Originally Posted by softee

Toronto:

Hogtown
The Big Smoke
T-Dot
The 6ix

I don't mind the first two, but I dislike the third one and loathe the last one. I also don't like "The Centre of the Universe", which is a moniker given to us, I think, by people in the ROC.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by JAYNYC

When I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, it seemed like the only accepted nickname references for the area were:

The Bay (the greater Bay Area)
The City (San Francisco)
The Town (Oakland)

Naturally, people were also okay with each city being referred to by its actual name (e.g., San Francisco, Oakland, etc.).

But I noticed that there were certain nicknames - most commonly used by people visiting the area from out of state - that really irked and rubbed the natives and locals I knew the wrong way, and were a clear sign of an out-of-towner. These included:

San Fran
Frisco

Now you've stepped in it.

As far as this 37 year resident of the city is concerned, you are quite correct but the last time the issue came up a couple of Californians (but , as I recall, not actually San Franciscans) wanted to disagree intensely. I really don't understand where they are coming from. I never hear people in the city call it anything other than "San Francisco" (slurring the thing together into as close to two syllables as they can (Snnnfrasco) or something or the sort or just "The City" (which used to be what every New Yorker I knew going to school with hundreds of them called their city too).

Interestingly, it seems that most natives / locals I know refer to Washington, D.C. as "D.C.", whereas visitors are the ones who most frequently refer to the city as "Washington".

What city nicknames have you heard that the natives / locals seem to despise, find corny, or infrequently use?

I was born in DC and grew up in its inner suburbs. Most people called it DC--you're right again. But "Warshinton" was acceptable--no dropping the "R".

Then of course there's Washington's neighbor, Baltimore. Again, the New Yorkers with whom I was going to school there called it "Billyville" (as in hillbilly) and the locals called it Balmer. Poor Baltimore.

[ozone]

For Sacramento it’s “Sacra-tomatoes” - it’s old nickname from when the city was a processing center for tomatoes. But it doesn’t make sense. I think it’s a corruption an earlier nickname - “Sack-of-Tomatoes”.
SacTown (more recent)

Never heard anyone call Oakland the “Town.” They say “OakTown.”
I know people hate it when Los Angeles is called “LaLa Land.”

Would like to know the origin of “Beantown” (Boston).
Btw any portmanteau that uses another original famous place bugs me- example Bollywood and Y’allwood.

[a very long weekend]

SF: I've never met anyone that calls anything "the Bay" or anyone that calls Oakland "the Town." But "San Fran" and "Cali" really annoy me for some reason. "Frisco" is lame when used by some people, but it's a common and perfectly legit work among blacks and bikers.

Some newcomers say "NorCal" which is mildly annoying and clear indication of not being local.

"Oaktown" is very common, "Oaksterdam" really annoys.

People saying "the valley" for Silicon Valley rubs any local as totally weird, but so many people down there say are so new and say it that it's getting to be normal.

Saying "Sacto" which is very common outside of Sacramento really seems to annoy people up there. Sac is the preferred nomenclature, I guess.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by a very long weekend

SF: I've never met anyone that calls anything "the Bay" or anyone that calls Oakland "the Town."

Have you ever met any Black people - whether from the Bay Area, California, or in general? Not intending to offend, but I am seriously wondering as "The Bay", "The Town", and, for that matter, "The Land" are all very common nicknames used among Blacks I know.

[Ant131531]

Originally Posted by JAYNYC

Have you ever met any Black people - whether from the Bay Area, California, or in general? Not intending to offend, but I am seriously wondering as "The Bay", "The Town", and, for that matter, "The Land" are all very common nicknames used among Blacks I know.

Do you know any black people? I've never heard any blacks using those terms. I hear The Bay Area alot though.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by a very long weekend

Some newcomers say "NorCal" which is mildly annoying and clear indication of not being local.

I agree. When I lived in the Bay Area, I would frequently hear people refer to anything north of Fresno as "NorCal" (that, and/or "NoCal"), and both I and many others I knew found it annoying and indicative of an out of towner or a newbie.

I cringe at the sound of "Cali" as well. Ugh.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

Do you know any black people?

Well, seeing as how I'm Black (and lived in Oakland - i.e., the Blackest city on the West Coast), I would certainly hope so.

[Ant131531]

Originally Posted by JAYNYC

Well, seeing as how I'm Black (and lived in Oakland - i.e., the Blackest city on the West Coast), I would certainly hope so.

The blackest city on the west coast which is still only like 25% black lol. At least here in Atlanta, I've never heard another black person refer to The SF Bay Area as those terms.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

The blackest city on the west coast which is still only like 25% black lol.

Not sure where you're going with the "lol", but besides Atlanta, DC, Chicago, New Orleans, Detroit, Baltimore, Memphis, Houston and maybe a handful of others how Black is any U.S. city with >500K population really? Like what's your point?

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

At least here in Atlanta, I've never heard another black person refer to The SF Bay Area as those terms.

Gee, I don't know, I'll go out on a limb and guess - maybe that's because you're in ATLANTA (i.e., 2,500 miles from the Bay Area)?

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

Do you know any black people? I've never heard any blacks using those terms. I hear The Bay Area alot though.

SOURCE: Luniz (Oakland, CA-based rap duo)

"I Got 5 On It"

People in Oakland, Oakland
See I'm riding higher and higher
Kinda broke so ya know all I got's five, I got five

[Verse 1: Yukmouth]
Player, give me some brew and I might just chill
But I'm the type that like to light another joint like Cypress Hill
I'm-a steal doobies, spit loogies when I puff on it
I got some bucks on it but it ain't enough on it
Go get the S-t. I-d-e-s
Nevertheless I'm hella fresh, rolling joints like a cigarette
So pass it across the table like ping pong, I'm gone
Beating my chest like King Kong
It's on wrap my lips around a 40
And when it comes to getting another stogie fools all kick in like Shinobi
No, he ain't my homie to begin with
It's too many heads to be proper to let my friend hit it
Unless you pull out the fat, crispy
5 dollar bill on the real before it's history
Cause fools be having them vacuum lungs
An if you let em hit it for free you hella dum-da-dum-dumb
I come to school with the Taylor on my earlobe
Avoiding all the thick teasers, skeezers, and weirdos
That be blowing off the land like where the bomb at
Give me two bucks, you take a puff and pass my bong back
Suck up the dank like a Slurpee
The serious bomb will make a niggy go delirious like Eddie Murphy
I got more Growing Pains than Maggie
Cause homies nag me to take the dank out of the baggie

[Hook:]
I got five on it
Grab your 40, let's get keyed
I got five on it
Messing with that Indo weed
I got five on it
It's got me stuck and not go back
I got five on it
Partner lets go half on a sack

[Verse 2: Numskull]
I take sacks to the face whenever I can
Don't need no crutch, I'm so keyed up 'till the joint be burning my hand
Next time I roll it in a hampa
To burn slow, so the ashes won't be burning up my hand, bro
Hoochies can hit but they know they got to pitch in
Then I roll a joint that's longer than your extension (hahaha)
Cause I'll be damned if you get high off me for free
Hell no, you better bring your own spliff, chief
What's up, don't babysit that better pass the joint
Stop hitting cause you know you got asthma
Crack a 40 open homie
And guzzle it, cause I know the weed in my system is getting lonely
I gotta take a whiz test to my P-O
I know I failed cause I done smoked major weed bro
And every time we with Chris that fool rolling up a fatty
But the Tanqueray straight had me

[Hook]

[Verse 3: Numskull]
Hey, make this right man, stop at the light man
My yester-night thing got me hung off the night train
You fade, I face, so let's head to the east
Hit the stroll to 9-0 so we can roll big hashish
I wish I could fade the eighth, but I'm low budget
Still rolling a two door Cutlass same old bucket
Foggy windows, soggy Indoe
I'm in the 'land getting smoked wit my kinfolk

[Verse 4: Yukmouth]
Been smoked, Yuk'll spray ya, lay ya down up in the O-A-K the Town
Homies don't play around we down to blaze a pound
Then ease up, speed up through the E-S-O
Drink the V-S-O-P with a lemon squeeze up
And everybody's rolled up, I'm da roller
That's quick to fold a blunt out of a buncha sticky doja
Hold up, suck up my weed is all you do
Kick in feed, cause where I be we need half like um-foo-foo

[Hook]

And you were saying?

[mhays]

People call the Seattle area the Puget Sound, like we're a body of water. "Puget Sound area" is accurate of course.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by a very long weekend

SF: I've never met anyone that calls anything "the Bay" or anyone that calls Oakland "the Town." But "San Fran" and "Cali" really annoy me for some reason. "Frisco" is lame when used by some people, but it's a common and perfectly legit work among blacks and bikers.

Some newcomers say "NorCal" which is mildly annoying and clear indication of not being local.

Might be a generational thing, but I’ve heard PLENTY of local people use the terms “The Bay” and “The Town”. In fact, the Golden State Warriors have actual jerseys that they wear that sport those names. The fact you haven’t heard this is really bizarre.

Also, “NorCal” is widely used and accepted amongst born and raised locals too. Especially in the context of comparing NorCal vs SoCal.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by homebucket

might be a generational thing, but i’ve heard plenty of local people use the terms “the bay” and “the town”. In fact, the golden state warriors have actual jerseys that they wear that sport those names. The fact you haven’t heard this is really bizarre.

exactly.