List of nicknames for Chicago

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The following is a list of nicknames for the city of Chicago, Illinois

"Hog butcher for the world,
Tool maker, stacker of wheat,
Player with railroads and the nation's freight handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the big shoulders."
—Carl Sandburg's "Chicago" (1916)

[edit] Major Nicknames

  • "The Windy City" — It is often said—erroneously—that this nickname was first used by Charles Anderson Dana, editor of the New York Sun, in 1890 in reference to the city's claims for the World's Columbian Exposition. Barry Popik and others, however, have found numerous earlier references to the "Windy City." Earlier attestations are found in the Cleveland Gazette dated September 19, 1885 and the Cincinnati Enquirer dated February 12, 1877 (pg. 5, col. 2); undoubtedly other antedatings will emerge. Some continue to believe that the name may indicate the summer breezes as is described at Doctor's Weather History, but early evidence does not support this theory. 19th-century citations reveal that the nickname arose in connection with (1) the longwindedness of politicians, both residents and those visiting for political conventions; and (2) the city's many boosters who commended the western metropolis to the world's attention. (The complete article on the nickname from the University of Chicago Press's Encyclopedia of Chicago (2004) is available here.) Further explanation of the various origins can be found at Windy City, Origin of Name (Chicago). However, the breeziness of the city's weather helps reinforce the nickname. In Chicago, this nickname has become a signifier for businesses and organizations that are gay-owned or gay-friendly—for example, the Windy City Times is one of the city's two main gay community newspapers, and the Windy City Cycling Club draws most of its members from the gay community.
  • "Second City" — A reference to Chicago's rebirth after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The nickname has often been used to deride the city as having second billing to New York. The term was popularized in the 1950s by a tongue-in-cheek work by A.J. Liebling that appeared in The New Yorker entitled "Chicago, the Second City." The improvisational comedy troupe The Second City uses the nickname ironically in the same sense as the article. A very common misconception is that "Second City" is to refer to Chicago as the second largest city in population, which is false (as Los Angeles surpassed Chicago in population in the mid 1980s).
  • "Chi-town" or simply "Chitown" — Pronunciation of this nickname can vary from /tʃɪ.tæʊn/ to /ˈʃaɪ.tæʊn/ to /ˈtʃi.tæʊn/. (An ironic homophone to "shy-town".)
  • Chicagoland — A term for the city together with its surrounding suburbs, coined by the Chicago Tribune in the early 1900s. Correctly, the term encompasses the city and the nine counties around it; however, it is often used to mean only the suburbs or in redundant phrases like "greater Chicagoland area." Largely used by TV announcers and headline writers, it is making inroads into the common speech.

[edit] Minor Nicknames

  • "Dat Killa Chi!" - Used by many Chicago Gangs
  • "Da Chi" - Used by many popular rap musicians from the area, such as Kanye West and R. Kelly. (pronounced "duh shy" much like "Chi-town.")
  • "The Chill or Chi Ill" - Also used by rap musicians from the area (Chill as in Chicago Illinois).
  • "City of Broad Shoulders" - A popular variant of "City of the Big Shoulders"
  • "City of the Century."
  • "The 312" - The onetime area code for Chicago and surrounding communities, which now applies only to the Loop and several immediately surrounding neighborhoods. Many rap artists refer to Chicago by this name, and many pro sports players from the Chicago area use 312 to signify their hometown. Dwyane Wade is an example: A small triangle on his shoes contains the numbers 312 in reference to his birthplace.
  • "The Big Onion" - An homage to the original Native name for the area (which meant "onion"), in parallel with a popular New York nickname, "The Big Apple"
  • "City in a Garden" - After the motto on the seal "Urbs in Horto."
  • "Hog-Butcher to the World" - From "Chicago."
  • "Beirut by the Lake" - From a Wall Street Journal article during the Council Wars of the 1980s
  • "New York Done Right" - Denoting that Chicago is all the good things about New York, without any of the bad things.
  • "Illville" - Chicago is the largest metropolis in Illinois.
  • "I Will" City - From the "I Will" Symbol.
  • "Paris on the Prairie" - From the 1909 plan for the City of Chicago created by Daniel Burnham.
  • "Heart of America" - Chicago is one of the largest transportation centers in America and its location near the center of the United States.
  • "Shot-Town" - People located on the southern part of Chicago call it Shot-Town because of the high numbers of homicides caused by gun shots and firearms.
  • "The 773" - Chicago's second area code, and mainly used in areas outside of the "Loop."
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