Nicknames of Cleveland explained

There have been several nicknames for the City of Cleveland throughout its history. These include:

• "The 216" – Referring to the local area code.^{[1] [2]}
• "America's North Coast" or "The North Coast" – Referring to the city's geographic position on the Lake Erie shore.^[3]
• "Believeland" – Originated in 2007 and culminated in the 2016 NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors.^[4]
• "The Best Location in the Nation" – Nickname commonly used for Cleveland during the 1950s, also referring to the city's geographic position.^{[5] [6]}
• "C-town" or "C-land" – Used by many performing artists and locals to denote Cleveland.^{[3] [7]}
• "City of Champions" – Referring to Cleveland's golden age of sports victories in the 1940s and 1950s.^{[8] [9]}
• "City of Light"^[10]
• "The CLE" or simply "CLE"^[11] – From the IATA code for Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
• "The Cleve" – Nickname used in TV show 30 Rock.^{[12] [13]}
• "The Forest City" – Cleveland's oldest nickname. Introduced in the early 19th century, it refers to the forested nature of the city.^{[14] [15] [3] [11]}
• "The Land" – A term originating in Cleveland-made hip-hop music in the 1990s, and became popular in the national media in the mid-2010s.^{[11] [16] [17]}
• "Metropolis of the Western Reserve" – A historical nickname for Cleveland, referring to the historical Connecticut Western Reserve.^[3]
• "The Mistake on the Lake" – A pejorative term for the city, originating from the late 1960s.^{[3] [18]}
• "The New American City"^[19]
• "Prodigy of the Western Reserve" – A nickname for Cleveland coined by local journalist George E. Condon, also referring to the Connecticut Western Reserve.^[20]
• "The Rock and Roll Capital of the World" – Originated in the early 1970s. Refers to Cleveland's association with rock and roll music. Today, Cleveland is home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^{[11] [21]}
• "Sixth City" – An early 20th century nickname due to Cleveland being the sixth largest city in the nation at the time.^{[22] [23]}

See also

• List of city nicknames in Ohio
• Lists of nicknames – nickname list articles on Wikipedia

Further reading

• J. Mark. Souther. From 'The Mistake On The Lake' To 'Defend Together': The Long (And Amusing) History Of Trying to Rebrand Cleveland. Belt Magazine. October 3, 2017. April 8, 2023.

Notes and References

1. https://www.twitter.com/216bot 216 Bot's Twitter page
2. https://fansided.com/2016/06/22/stipe-miocic-leads-cleveland-cavaliers-championship-parade Stipe Miocic leads Cavaliers championship parade - Fansided.com
3. Web site: Marshall . Alli. January 24, 2007. Of Cleveland, by Cleveland, for Cleveland (and the world). https://web.archive.org/web/20110617064324/http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2007/0124orchestra.php . June 17, 2011 . MountainX: Asheville Arts and Entertainment. Mountain Xpress. July 5, 2010 . Nicknames include the 'Forest City,' 'Metropolis of the Western Reserve', and 'C-Town.'.
4. News: AP. June 6, 2016. The Wait: Cleveland Rocks, Aches for Sports Championship. New York Times. June 18, 2016. "I feel like some of the energy from 'Believeland' has opened up something sort of spiritual that is going to help all of this come together.".
5. Book: Porter, Philip W. . Cleveland: Confused City on a Seesaw . 1976 . Chapter Nine: Erieview, the Big Mistake: 1953–1962 . http://clevelandmemory.org/SpecColl/porter/Chapt09.html#p180 . 9780814202647 . 180 . . Columbus, Ohio . July 22, 2009 . Transcription at The Cleveland Memory Project website.
6. Encyclopedia: Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co.. The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History . . July 22, 2019. April 4, 2019.
7. News: Anne . Neville . August 16, 2009 . Buffalo by any other name . . October 25, 2010 . Cleveland has been called by many titles, including The Forest City, The Metropolis of the Western Reserve and The Rock 'n' Roll Capital of the World. The city is also affectionately called... "C-Town" .
8. News: Schneider. Russell. Those Championship Seasons: Cleveland's Rich Sports History. The Plain Dealer. November 3, 1991 . 206. Once upon a time, Cleveland was known as the 'City of Champions.'.
9. News: Mayor Proclaims Sunday 'Browns Anniversary Day'. The Plain Dealer. October 18, 1955. 29. In his proclamation, Mayor Celebrezze calls attention to the Browns' 'great organization, which, during the past decade, has been an instrumental factor in helping earn the title for Cleveland as the 'City of Champions.'.
10. Web site: Scene Staff. March 4, 2016. 21 Fun Cleveland Facts to Wow Your Friends and Neighbors. CleveScene.com. Cleveland Scene. July 19, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160513175129/http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/better-know-the-forest-city/Content?oid=4715694. 2016-05-13. dead.
11. Web site: Press release. April 13, 2016. A Tale Of Two Host Cities: Philadelphia And Cleveland Put On 2016 Political Conventions. PR Newswire. PR Newsire Association LLC. June 26, 2016. Nicknames: ... Cleveland - Forest City, Rock and Roll Capital of the World, The Land, The CLE. https://web.archive.org/web/20160626172731/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/a-tale-of-two-host-cities-philadelphia-and-cleveland-put-on-2016-political-conventions-300250187.html. June 26, 2016 .
12. Web site: Rupersburg . Nicole. May 6, 2012. Flee to the Cleve. New York Post. New York Post. June 18, 2016 . Flee to the Cleve.
13. Web site: Adams . Erik. November 18, 2014. 30 Rock: "Cleveland" / "Hiatus". A.V. Club. The A.V. Club. June 18, 2016 . Jack speaks the vacation wishes of every red-blooded American: "We’d all like to flee to the Cleve and club-hop down at the Flats and have lunch with Little Richard…".
14. Encyclopedia: Forest City. The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Case Western Reserve University. June 5, 2020.
15. Web site: The Forest City. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230724/http://www.forestcityforever.com/fye/2012/07/20/the-forest-city/ . March 3, 2016 . Forest City Forever. 22 March 2013. 20 July 2012.
16. News: Smith, Troy L.. January 18, 2016. Cavaliers-Warriors rivalry pits 'The Land' vs. 'The City'. Cleveland.com. Northeast Ohio Media Group. June 9, 2016. Meanwhile, since LeBron James' return to Cleveland, Cavs fans have taken to calling their hometown 'The Land.'.
17. Web site: Why is Cleveland called The Land?.
18. Book: Edward McClelland. Ted McClelland. How to Speak Midwestern. 2016. Belt Publishing. 978-0-9977742-7-6.
19. Web site: Cleveland - The New American City . 2016-06-18.
20. Book: Condon, George E.. Cleveland: Prodigy of the Western Reserve. 1979. Continental Heritage Press. Tulsa. 9780932986061.
21. Encyclopedia: Rock 'n' Roll . 2009 . The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History . . June 22, 2010 .
22. News: Cleveland Court Winner: Sixth City Gets Permanent Possession of Inter-Lake Trophy. August 3, 1919. The New York Times. July 6, 2010.
23. News: October 11, 1937. Ohio: Sixth City. https://web.archive.org/web/20100818100032/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,770907,00.html . dead . August 18, 2010 . Time.com. July 5, 2010.