Nicknames of Atlanta explained

An 1859 industrial journal was among the first to note nicknames for Atlanta, Georgia:^[1]

An orator claimed for it the signification of "a city among the hills" while a writer has declared that it was the opposite of "rus in urbe" ("country in the city") and proclaimed it "'the city in the woods".

Since then, the city has known numerous nicknames. As of the 2010s, ATL, and The A are the most prevalent.

Atlanta nicknames

• Contemporary nicknames of Atlanta include, in alphabetical order:
  • The A/da A: It is used in local media such as Only in the A, a video channel shown on MARTA rapid transit trains in Atlanta,^[2] The Indispensable A, an Atlanta-based email publication,^[3] and Straight from the A, an Atlanta-based blog targeted at African Americans.^[4] "The A" or "da A" is also used in hip hop and rap songs such as Ludacris and Lloyd's "How We Do It (in da A)", Lil Scrappy's "The A", and T.I.'s "In da A". Atlanta newspaper Creative Loafing listed as one of its "reasons to love Atlanta" that it's "the only city easily identified by just one letter".^[5]
  • A-Town
  • The ATL,^[6] for its airport code
  • The Big A, trucker CB slang
  • The Big Peach^[7]
  • Black Hollywood, Atlanta is home to a thriving black entertainment industry.^{[8] [9] [10] [11]}
  • Black gay mecca^{[12] [13] [14]}
  • Black mecca^{[15] [16] [17]}
  • Capital City of the American South^[18]
  • City in a Forest^[19] or City of Trees,^[20] for its unique tree canopy
  • Dogwood City^[21]
  • Empire City of the South^[22]
  • Hot 'Lanta, also spelled Hotlanta, first popularized by an instrumental song performed by the Allman Brothers Band. It debuted on their live album At Fillmore East, released in July 1971, the fifth song on the album.^{[23] [24]}
  • Hollywood of the South, became popular recently due to the city's boom in the film industry.^[25]
  • LGBT Capital of the South^{[26] [27] [28]}
  • Running City USA^[29]
  • Silicon Peach^[30]
  • Wakanda

Atlanta has been compared^[31] to the fictional country that is the home of the Black Panther in the Marvel Comics Universe, and portions of the 2018 film Black Panther were filmed in the Atlanta metro area.^[32] Rapper and Atlanta native Killer Mike told Stephen Colbert, "Atlanta is Wakanda, for real.".^[33]

• Historical nicknames for the city include:
  • Gate City, Gate City of the South, or Gate City of the New South (from Reconstruction through the early 20th century)^{[34] [35]}
  • New York of the South^[36] (1870s–1890s)
  • Chicago of the South (1880s–1900s): for Atlanta's "new men, new industries, new buildings, and new spirit" - though it was often remarked that the nickname was not quite accurate in terms of the size of Atlanta vs. the much larger Chicago^{[37] [38] [39]}
  • The City Too Busy to Hate^{[40] [41]} (during Jim Crow and the Civil Rights struggle)
  • Convention City of Dixie (Land) (1910s–1920s)^{[42] [43]}
  • Dogwood City^[21]

Nicknames of other Atlanta areas

SWATS

SWATS, The S.W.A.T.S. or S.W.A.T.S. ("Southwest Atlanta, too strong")^{[44] [45]} is, in street, hip-hop, or local contexts, Southwest Atlanta, plus territory extending into the adjacent cities of College Park and East Point. The term "SWATS" came into vogue around 1996 and was initially made popular by LaFace Records groups OutKast and Goodie Mob. This was the same time that "ATL" became popular as a nickname for Atlanta as a whole.^[46]

SWATS in Lyrics

The OutKast song "Peaches (Intro)" states: "For ... the SWATS ... Cause it ain't nuttin but King Shit, all day, err'day".^[47] Another Outkast song, "Ova da Wudz" states "put the SWATS, SWATS on your car."

Goodie Mob song "I Refuse Limitation" states "SWATS G.A. by way of Cascade Heights", while their song "Goodie Bag" states "Cause in da SWAT's red hots don't drip or bleed", and in "All A's", Cee Lo Green's chorus states "But don't you dare ride through the SWATS without, at least 30 shots".^[48]

Erick Sermon rapped "I'm in New York now but I represent the SWATS and A-Town.", in his song "Future Thug" from his sixth solo album 'Chilltown, New York' in 2004.

Media and artists named after SWATS

S.W.A.T.S. is the name of a 2010 web television series by Golden Street Entertainment taking place in Southwest Atlanta.^[45]

S.W.A.T.S. is the name of a song by rap group 9.17 on the album Southern Empire released by Motown in 2001.^[49]

Young Ju King of da SWATS is an artist featured on ReverbNation.^[50]

Also referenced as location of "Gina's Beauty Shop" in the movie with Queen Latifah.

Nawf Atlanta

Nawf Atlanta, or Nawfside is, a term popularized by rap trio Migos in reference to their place of origin Gwinnett County, primarily the central portion which is located north of the city of Atlanta via Interstate 85.^[51]

See also

• List of city nicknames in Georgia (U.S. state)

Notes and References

1. Book: DeBow's Review. 464. 1859. James Dunwoody Brownson De. Bow. William MacCreary. Burwell. J.D.B. De Bow. 15 October 2017. Internet Archive.
2. Web site: Only in the A. OnllyInTheA.com. October 15, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20190501023452/https://www.onllyinthea.com/. May 1, 2019. dead.
3. Web site: The Indispensable A. July 23, 2019. TheIndispensableA.com. 15 October 2017. July 23, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190723170702/http://theindispensablea.com/. dead.
4. Web site: Aboutn. August 19, 2007. StraightFromTheA.com. 15 October 2017.
5. Web site: "Because we're the only city easily identified by just one letter". https://web.archive.org/web/20111126104207/http://clatl.com/atlanta/because-were-the-only-city-easily-identified-by-just-one-letter/Content?oid=4291994. dead. November 26, 2011. Clatl.com. November 23, 2011. November 22, 2021.
6. News: Love it or loathe it, the city's nickname is accurate for the summer . . June 16, 2008 . C1.
7. http://www.taglineguru.com/monikerlist.html U.S. City Monikers
8. News: Tyler Perry Studios, the house 'Madea' built, becomes a landmark for black Hollywood. October 2, 2019. Los Angeles Times. November 22, 2021.
9. Web site: Tyler Perry Studios reshapes Hollywood from Atlanta. Lisa Respers France. November 20, 2019. News4jax.com. November 22, 2021.
10. Web site: Stars Flock to Atlanta, Reshaping a Center of Black Culture. Kim. Severson. November 26, 2011. November 22, 2021. The New York Times.
11. Web site: IS ATLANTA BLACK HOLLYWOOD?. Luxekurves.com. November 22, 2021. June 14, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210614013711/https://luxekurves.com/2020/08/17/is-atlanta-black-hollywood/. dead.
12. Web site: Atlanta the new mecca for black gays. August 16, 2005. Advocate.com. November 22, 2021.
13. Web site: 'Got Something To Say:' How ATL Became the Black Gay Mecca. Cassiuslife.com. June 8, 2018. November 22, 2021.
14. Web site: Black, Lesbian And Muslim In The South. August 22, 2014. Wunc.org. November 22, 2021.
15. "A CHAMPION FOR ATLANTA: Maynard Jackson: 'Black mecca' burgeoned under leader", Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 29, 2003.
16. "the city that calls itself America's ' Black Mecca'"; in William Booth, "Atlanta Is Less Than Festive on Eve of Another 'Freaknik'", Washington Post, April 18, 1996.
17. "'The Black Mecca' leads the nation in numbers of African American millionaires; at the same time, it leads the nation in the percentage of its children in poverty"; in Robert D. Bullard, The Black Metropolis in the Twenty-first Century: Race, Power, and Politics, Rowman & Littlefield, 2007, p. 151.
18. Web site: 2016-02-25. The new south: all roads lead to Atlanta, Georgia, city of black power. 2020-11-29. the Guardian. en.
19. Web site: Atlanta May No Longer Be 'The City In A Forest'. EndPlay. July 22, 2011. WSB-TV. October 15, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20141028224916/http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/atlanta-may-no-longer-be-the-city-in-a-forest/nDLGr/. October 28, 2014. dead.
20. Snyder, Karen K. (2007), Frommer's Atlanta, page 3
21. Web site: The Democrats Atlanta: A City of Changing Slogans - TIME. October 18, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20071018010734/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,967981,00.html. November 22, 2021. October 18, 2007.
22. Web site: "Could 'Empire City of the South' play host to 2024 summer games", s. 11Alive.com. October 15, 2017.
23. News: McManus. John. Taylor Morrison, Acadia Deal: What it Means. May 25, 2016. Builder. January 11, 2016.
24. News: Florida city America's sex capital?. May 25, 2016. WBBH. Fort Myers, Florida. July 18, 2012.
25. News: How Atlanta became the Hollywood of the South. 25 May 2016. The Washington Times. August 29, 2015.
26. Web site: Atlanta: The Gay Capital of the South. Nostraightnews.com. July 15, 2020. November 22, 2021. September 17, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210917190104/https://www.nostraightnews.com/atlanta-the-gay-capital-of-the-south/. dead.
27. Web site: Atlanta still LGBTQ capital of South, but Census reveals decline in households. October 13, 2019. SaportaReport.com. November 22, 2021.
28. Web site: Gay Atlanta : The Essential LGBT Travel Guide. Queerintheworld.com. November 15, 2019. November 22, 2021.
29. Web site: Atlanta named 'Running City USA' because of AJC Peachtree Road Race. 24 November 2018. 3 July 2018. WXIA-TV. King. Michael.
30. Web site: 'Silicon Peach': Atlanta surging up lists of top startup cities. Bizjournals.com. November 22, 2021.
31. News: Harriot . Michael . Atlanta Is the Real Wakanda . April 7, 2019 . The Root . February 19, 2019.
32. News: Stafford . Leon . 'Black Panther': Five things to know about the movie's ties to metro Atlanta . April 7, 2019 . The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . February 18, 2018.
33. News: Breihan . Tom . Watch Killer Mike Talk Trigger Warning, Starting His Own Religion, & Why Atlanta Is Wakanda On Colbert . April 7, 2019 . Stereogum . January 18, 2019 . I'm a black kid that grew up in Atlanta. In Atlanta, everything is possible for black kids, right? So I never really had a box to keep me in my imagination… …because Atlanta is Wakanda, for real..
34. Web site: "Our Quiz Column", Sunny South, p.5 . January 8, 2012 . December 18, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141218204849/http://atlnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/atlnewspapers/view?docId=news%2Fssw1891%2Fssw1891-0021.xml . dead .
35. Rebecca Burns (2009), Rage in the Gate City: The Story of the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot, University of Georgia Press, .
36. Sources documented on Barry Popik's Big Apple blog:
    • 5 October 1872, Appletons' Journal of Literature, Science and Art, pg. 376: "Marvellous tales are told of this antique period in the history of the present 'New York of the South,' concerning acres upon acres of land, near the heart of the city, selling for fifty cents per acre, but which now are worth a snug little fortune. Such was Atlanta less than three decades ago."
    • 17 June 1879, Daily Constitution (Atlanta, GA), pg. 4: "...the future New York of the south,France of Britain- as it was predicted at the opening of the Port Royal railroad in 1873."
    • The Mother Of Continental Parliaments
    • 6 July 1881, The New York Times, pg. 4: "The New-Orleans Democrat says that that city is the New-York of the South, and yet has no public library."
    • 29 January 1884, Atlanta Constitution, pg. 4: "The New York of the South. From the New York Tribune: THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION draws a sad picture of its environment. "Within one hundred yards of the officer," is its plaintive mean, "wagons are literally up to the hub in mud. Part of Ellis street, in a quarter mile of the depot, is literally impassable." Assuming that our contemporary's account of these wagons and this streets is literally correct, it looks as if Atlanta was likely to be known as the New York of the south."
    • 12 November 1891, Atlanta Constitution, pg. 4: "Atlanta is a grand city. It is the New York of the south, and henceforth it can get the finest attractions produced, for its patronage is sufficient to make the very best and most expensive show a financial success."
    • 21 October 1892, Atlanta Constitution, pg. 5: "Work will cease altogether and the New York of the south will pay honor to the brave navigator, who in spite of the hardships he had to endure, pointed out a new land to the ignorant people of the time."
    • 19 January 1895, Atlanta Constitution, pg. 4: "Cedartown Standard: Atlanta aspires to be the New York of the south - in fact, she is, and so it is perfectly natural that she should follow New York in having the big police scandal and investigation that is now on hand
37. Web site: Proceedings of the Annual Convention. National Association of Life. Underwriters. 15 October 1893. 15 October 2017. Google Books.
38. Book: The American South: A History. William J. Jr.. Cooper. William J. Cooper, Jr.. Thomas E.. Terrill. 16 January 2009. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. 15 October 2017. Google Books. 9780742564503.
39. Book: Still, Bayrd. Urban America: a history with documents. registration. chicago of the south.. 15 October 1974. Little, Brown. 15 October 2017. Internet Archive.
40. http://www.atlantaga.gov/Visitors/History.aspx History
41. Ron French, Atlanta: Black-white gap shrinks, The Detroit News, January 28, 2002
42. http://www.georgiahistory.com/files/0000/0276/GHT_V.2.3_Smaller.pdf "Whatever Happened to Georgia's Downtown Hotels?"
43. Web site: The Rotarian. Rotary. International. 1 June 1916. Rotary International. 15 October 2017. Google Books.
44. Web site: Vibe. Vibe Media. Group. July 22, 1998. Vibe Media Group. November 22, 2021. Google Books.
45. Web site: SWATSATLTV. YouTube. October 15, 2017.
46. Book: Hess, Mickey. Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide. November 22, 2009. ABC-CLIO. 9780313343216. November 22, 2021. Google Books.
47. Web site: Lyrics Mania. Lyricsmania.com. October 15, 2017. https://archive.today/20130128020228/http://www.lyricsmania.com/peaches_intro_lyrics_outkast.html. January 28, 2013. dead.
48. Web site: The Original Hip-Hop (Rap) Lyrics Archive. ohhla.com. October 15, 2017.
49. Web site: Southern Empire. April 24, 2001. Rhapsody.com. October 15, 2017.
50. "Young Ju Prince of da SWATS" on ReverbNation
51. News: How Migos Claimed Atlanta's Northside For The Trap. 2018-02-08. Uproxx.com. 2018-03-31. en-US.