List of city nicknames in New Jersey explained

This partial list of city nicknames in New Jersey compiles the aliases, sobriquets and slogans that cities, other municipalities, and other populated places in New Jersey 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.

• Asbury Park – The Dark City^[3]
• Atlantic City – A.C.,^[4] America's Playground,^[5] "The City" (inside Atlantic County)
• Belleville – The Cherry Blossom Capital of America
• Byram Township – The Township of Lakes^[6]
• Caldwell – The Denver of the East^[7]
• Carlstadt, New Jersey – Home of the Nation's First Kindergarten^[8]
• Cranford – The Venice of New Jersey^[9]
• Denville – Hub of Morris County^[10]
• East Orange – Illtown^[11]
• Elizabeth – Eastwick^[12]
• Fair Lawn – The Lawn^[13]
• Fort Lee – The Birthplace of the Motion Picture Industry^[14]
• Fortescue – Weakfish Capital of the World^[15]
• Franklin – Fluorescent Mineral Capital of the World^[16]
• Garfield - The City of Champions^[17]
• Garwood – The Industrial Center of Union County^[18]
• Hackensack – A City in Motion^[19]
• Hammonton – Blueberry Capital of the World^[20]
• Hasbrouck Heights – Hasbro Nation
• Hoboken – The Mile Square City^[21]
• Irvington – Ghost Town, formerly known as Camptown
• Jersey City – America's Golden Door,^{[22] [23] [24] [25] [26]} Chilltown,^[27] Wall Street West,^[28] The Sixth Borough^[29]
• Keansburg – The Burg, Gem of the Bayshore
• Lambertville – Antique Capital of New Jersey
• Long Beach Island – L.B.I.^[30]
• Long Branch – America's First Seaside Resort,^[31] The Friendly City^[32]
• Madison – The Rose City^[33]
• Maplewood – MapSo (in reference to the town's close/symbiotic relationship with neighboring town, South Orange)
• Metuchen – The Brainy Boro^[34]
• Millville – The Holly City^[35]
• Morristown – Motown, The Military Capital of the American Revolution
• Mount Laurel – Hotel Land
• Neptune Township – The Crossroads of the Jersey Shore
• New Brunswick – Health Care City,^[36] Hub City^[37]
• Newark – Brick City,^[38] Gateway City,^[39] Renaissance Newark
• North Arlington – Where Bergen County Begins^[40]
• Ocean City – America's Greatest Family Resort,^[41] A Moral Seaside Resort (historic slogan from the 19th century)
• Paterson – Silk City^[42]
• Perth Amboy – City by the Bay^[43]
• Plainfield – Queen City^[44]
• Pleasantville – P-Ville
• Rutherford – Borough of Trees,^[45] The First Borough of Bergen County^[46]
• Seaside Heights – Sleazeside^[47]
• South Orange – SoMa (in reference to the township's close/symbiotic relationship with neighboring town, Maplewood)
• Spring Lake – The Irish Riviera^[48]
• Trenton – Capital City,^[49] The Town
• Tuckerton – Clamtown
• Union City – Embroidery Capital of the United States,^{[50] [51] [52]} Havana on the Hudson^[53]
• Vineland – Dandelion Capital of the World^[54]

See also

• List of city nicknames in the United States
• List of municipalities in New Jersey (by population)

External links

• a list of American and a few Canadian nicknames
• U.S. cities list

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. http://www.ahherald.com/newsbrief-mainmenu-2/artsculture-mainmenu-85/8777-annual-artscap-event-features-author-hisani-dubose Annual ArtsCAP Event Features Author Hisani Dubose
4. Laughlin, Jason. "Settlement reached in A.C. parking garage collapse", Courier-Post, April 12, 2007, accessed April 12, 2007.
5. https://web.archive.org/web/20070901200355/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,882578,00.html "Atlantic City Dream"
6. http://www.byramtwp.org/ Welcome to Byram Township's Official Web Site
7. Web site: The History of Caldwell . 2015-01-03 . 2015-01-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150103191017/http://www.caldwell-nj.com/content/81/default.aspx . dead .
8. https://www.google.com/maps/@40.8358597,-74.0925517,3a,23y,89.52h,83.57t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1saKHLst1wnJq-bDsxodiCAQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 Google Street View
9. http://www.bobdevlin.com/cranhist.html Cranford History
10. http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=COMMUNITIES12&template=town Denville profile
11. Various businesses, including Illtown Unisex Salon, Illtown Blues
12. Web site: Downtown Eastwick. 2020-06-29. Foursquare. en.
13. Web site: About New Jersey - City Nicknames. 2020-06-29. The Jersey Devlin Directory. en-US.
14. http://www.fortleefilm.org/history.html History of the Film Industry in Fort Lee
15. http://www.downetwpnj.org/More%20About%20Downe.htm Natural, Undisturbed Beauty of Nature, Right Here in the Northeast Corridor
16. http://www.epodunk.com/slogans/rocks.html Claims to Fame - Rocks
17. Kuperinsky, Amy. "'The Jewel of the Meadowlands'?: N.J.'s best, worst and weirdest town slogans", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 22, 2015. Accessed July 12, 2016. "Garfield, a city spanning two square miles on the Passaic River, is 'The City of Champions' because of some athletic feats from the distant past — including a championship by the 1939 high school football team."
18. Web site: A New Year ignites discussion of change in Garwood. Cranford Chronicle. Carolyn Freundlich. 2010-01-16. 2010-06-14.
19. http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/magazine/01fa/hack.html "Hackensack"
20. http://www.epodunk.com/slogans/agriculture.html Claims to Fame - Agriculture
21. http://www.hudsonreporter.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15308847&BRD=1291&PAG=461&dept_id=551343&rfi=6 Hit musical 'Hair' was written in Hoboken: Mile-square city housed the seminal musical's authors in the 1960s
22. Web site: The Golden Door....... Random Number. 2012-10-10. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121112103937/http://randomnumber.nu/?p=1745. 2012-11-12.
23. Web site: Jersey City America's Golden Door . Legal Force Trademarks . 2012-10-10.
24. News: Jersey City: "Wall Street West" . Business Weekly . October 28, 2001 . https://web.archive.org/web/20011122145433/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/01_44/b3755057.htm . dead . November 22, 2001 . 2012-10-10 .
25. Web site: Hudson Shakespeare Company . Hudson Shakespeare Company . 2012-10-10.
26. Web site: Jersey City New Jersey USA . The Rotary Club . 2012-10-10 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110521155017/http://www.jerseycityrotary.org/JerseyCity/tabid/178/Default.aspx . 2011-05-21 .
27. http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/2404239/article-Why-do-people-call-Jersey-City--Chilltown--Residents-shed-light-on-origin-of-rap-nickname? "Why do people call Jersey City 'Chilltown'?"
28. https://web.archive.org/web/20011122145433/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/01_44/b3755057.htm Jersey City: "Wall Street West" - After September 11, the ranks of businesses hopping the Hudson swell
29. Holusha, John. " Commercial Property / The Jersey Riverfront; On the Hudson's West Bank, Optimistic Developers", The New York Times, October 11, 1998. Accessed May 25, 2007. "'Given that the buildings on the New Jersey waterfront are new and equipped with the latest technology and just a few stops on the PATH trains from Manhattan, they become an attractive alternative. 'It's the sixth borough,' he said."
30. Web site: Long Beach Island, New Jersey Regional Guide and Newsmagazine . 2008-01-06 . 2007-12-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071231022937/http://www.longbeachisland.com/ . dead .
31. http://asburyparkpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061019/NEWS/61014020 "Refuges of the famous saw economic, political change"
32. http://atlanticville.gmnews.com/news/2007/0601/Letters/034.html 'Friendly City' overtaxes residents
33. http://www.shakespearenj.org/plan/plan.html Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey
34. Spies, Stacy E. "Images of America: Metuchen", accessed via Google Books, 2011-07-07.
35. Web site: Cumberland County, NJ - About Millville . 2013-06-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120711105940/http://www.co.cumberland.nj.us/content/171/219/442/3365.aspx . 2012-07-11 . dead .
36. http://www.injersey.com/day/story/0,2379,215242,00.html 7:30 a.m. -- Filling cracks in the HealthCare City
37. http://www.injersey.com/day/story/0,2379,215695,00.html A wet day in the Hub City
38. http://media.www.rutgersobserver.com/media/storage/paper822/news/2007/04/03/Observations/Blame.The.City.For.Lifeless.Campus-2823058.shtml Blame the city for lifeless campus
39. Web site: NJ.com. Vinessa Erminio NJ Advance Media for. 2005-12-09. Gateway? Renaissance? A reviving city earns its nicknames. 2021-03-15. nj. en.
40. https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/local/2018/04/26/new-jersey-town-slogans-might-sound-great-but-can-dubious/545718002/ NJ Town Slogans May Sound Great, But Can Be Dubious
41. http://www.baltimoresun.com/travel/beaches/bal-beach-ocnj,0,6910107.story?coll=bal-bayandbeach-storyutil Ocean City, N.J.: This family-oriented resort thrives on its virtuous origins.
42. https://www.nytimes.com/cq/2007/03/07/cq_2373.html New Jersey Rep. Pascrell Hopes PAC Fundraising is Smooth as Silk
43. http://www.ci.perthamboy.nj.us/ City of Perth Amboy
44. http://www.plainfield.com/index.aspx City of Plainfield
45. Kvasager, Whitney. "Leaves ablaze with colors of the season", The Record (Bergen County), October 31, 2004. Accessed March 10, 2010. "In the Saturday drizzle, Rutherford – the Borough of Trees – was living up to its title."
46. http://www.rutherford-nj.com/default.asp Rutherford Borough
47. http://www.seaside-heightsnj.org/beachinfo.html Seaside Heights Beach Information
48. http://www.aboutnewjersey.com/JerseyShore/SpringLake/index.php Spring Lake, AboutNewJersey.com website
49. The Trentonian,Trenton Mayor announces ‘Summer in the Capital City’, The Trentonian, June 22 2017.
50. Book: Cunningham , John . This is New Jersey 4th ed.. 2004. Rutgers University Press; Hudson River Museum. Yonkers, NY. 0-8135-2141-6. 100.
51. Union City 2000 Calendar; 2000; culled from History of West Hoboken and Union Hill by Ella-Mary Ryman; 1965 and "The Historical Background of Union City" by Daniel A. Primont, William G. Fiedler and Fred Zuccaro; 1964
52. http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/florida/entry/little_havana_miami_little_havana_on_the_hudson_union_city_new_jersey/ "Little Havana (Miami) & Little Havana on the Hudson (Union City, New Jersey)" BarryPopkik.com; August 15, 2006
53. Rosero, Jessica. "Most liquor licenses? Bumpiest town? Local municipalities hold unusual distinctions", Hudson Reporter, August 27, 2006. Accessed June 25, 2007.
54. Web site: The World Capital of Whatever. The New York Times. Harold . Faber. 1993-09-12. 2018-11-15.