List of city nicknames in Maryland explained

This partial list of city nicknames in Maryland compiles the aliases, sobriquets and slogans that cities in Maryland 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" are also believed to have economic value. Their economic value is difficult to measure, 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.

List of nicknames

• • • Annapolis Crabtown^[3]
  • Naptown^[4]
• Baltimore
  • America's Comeback City^[5]
  • Bodymore, Murdaland^[6]
  • Charm City^{[5] [7]}
  • The City of Firsts^{[8] [9]}
  • The City That Reads^[10]
  • Crab Cake Capital of the World^[11]
  • The Greatest City in America^[12]
  • Harm City^[13]
  • Mobtown^{[14] [15]}
  • Monument City^[16]
• Columbia – The Next America^[17]
• Crisfield – Seafood Capital of the World
• Cumberland – Queen City of the Alleghenies^[18]
• Ellicott City – Little Sneedville^[19]
  • • Frederick Key City^[20]
• Hagerstown
  • Hub City^[21]
  • Maryland's Gateway to the West
• Takoma Park
  • Azalea City^[22]
  • The People's Republic of Takoma Park^[23]

See also

• List of city nicknames in the United States

Notes and References

1. Muench, David "Wisconsin Community Slogans: Their Use and Local Impacts", December 1993, accessed April 10, 2007.
2. Alfredo Andia, Branding the Generic City :), MU.DOT magazine, September 10, 2007
3. https://web.archive.org/web/20070421021404/http://irvineworldnews.com/Astories/febs22/cityside.htm
4. Arin Shortz, Know All About Naptown, Charms of the Chesapeake website, accessed April 18, 2012.
5. http://www.taglineguru.com/monikerlist.html U.S. City Monikers
6. Van Smith and Fred Siegel, Can Mayor O’Malley Save Ailing Baltimore?, City Journal, Winter 2001
7. [Barry Popik|Popik, Barry]
8. Web site: Baltimore; The City of Firsts . September 30, 2007 . City of Baltimore, Maryland. https://web.archive.org/web/20071011100651/http://www.baltimorecity.gov/faq/firsts.php . October 11, 2007.
9. Web site: Baltimore City Heritage Area . September 30, 2007 . Maryland Historical Trust .
10. Web site: WHAT MAKES BALTIMORE THE CITY THAT READS?. December 20, 2007. Baltimore Urbanite. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070829194845/http://www.urbanitebaltimore.com/sub.cfm?ArticleID=287&IssueID=31&SectionID=4. August 29, 2007. mdy-all.
11. Web site: The World Capital of Whatever. The New York Times. Harold . Faber. 1993-09-12. 2018-11-15.
12. O'Mara, Richard."Backstory: Baltimore - 'Home of 1,000 Slogans'". The Christian Science Monitor. January 5, 2006. URL retrieved on January 27, 2007.
13. http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/harm_city/ Entry from July 18, 2008: Harm City
14. Connery, William. "Maryland’s Mob Town Supplied Links Through Rail and Fort". May 2002. URL retrieved on January 27, 2007.
15. Smith, Van. "Mob Rules" . Baltimore City Paper. October 6, 2004. URL retrieved on January 27, 2007.
16. Web site: Best Monument . September 19, 2007 . September 21, 2005 . 2005 Baltimore Living Winners . Baltimore City Paper . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071012081217/http://citypaper.com/bob/story.asp?id=10574 . October 12, 2007 . mdy-all .
17. http://nexus.umn.edu/Papers/NextAmerica.pdf The Next America Revisited
18. Book: Patrick H. Stakem. Railroading Around Cumberland. 2008. Arcadia Publishing. 978-0-7385-5365-8. November 10, 2012 . Located at the confluence of Wills Creek and the Potomac River, Cumberland, Maryland, is known as the Queen City of the Alleghenies..
19. News: Meyer . Eugene L. . Maryland Life . 2020-12-22 . The Washington Post . September 19, 1985.
20. Web site: Key City Food & Farm Market The City of Frederick, MD - Official Website. www.cityoffrederick.com. 2019-02-15.
21. http://www.mdoe.org/hagerstown.html Hagerstown, Maryland
22. http://www.epodunk.com/slogans/plants.html Claims to Fame - Plants
23. Amit R. Paley, Takoma Park Council Backs Same-Sex Unions, Washington Post, July 15, 2004, page B01.