NY NICKNAMES

1.THE EMPIRE CITY

• David Stravitz first printed this name in his photographic book titled New York
• Empire City: 1920-1945. It represents New York City’s wealth and resources.
• First president George Washington saw New York as the “seat of empire”.

2.THE BIG APPLE.

• In 1971, the name was officially adopted to increase tourism and NYC’s image.
• Jazz musicians called New York City “the Big Apple” in the 1920s and 1930s.
• They got the term from a horse track worker who said where to a horserace
• in NYC was referred to as the Big Apple.

3.THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS.

• A New York City nickname popularized from lyrics in the song “New York, New York”
• by the one and only Frank Sinatra. A no brainer, many stores and eateries are open
• 24 hours a day and bars close at 4am.

4.THE WORLD’S BIGGEST URBAN PLAYGROUND.

• NYC was named this because immigrant children played stickball
• throughout the New York Streets in the 1930s. Stickball is stilled played
• on New York streets today along with other sports like street hockey, football
• baseball, and even cricket.

5.THE MELTING POT

• No settlement in the New World was as racially integrated as the Dutch settlement
• New Amsterdam, later renamed New York, after the British assumed control.
• The term Melting Pot was first used in publication by Israel Zangwill in his play
• adapted from Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet titled The Melting Pot in 1908.

6.Manhatta.

• Manhatta was the nickname used by the Algonquin Indians when the island
• was first settled by the Dutch in the 1620s. The name Manhattan was quickly
• adopted by the settlers and today is the official name of the most famous borough.

7.The City of Skyscrapers.

• NewYork City has more skyscrapers than any other city in the world.
• Many NYC buildings have had the honor of tallest in the world at one point,
• two examples being the Empire State Building, and World Trader Center
• Twin Towers.

8.The Metropolis

• Metropolis is the fictional name of the New York City clone in the comic book Superman.

9.THE FINANCIAL HUB.

• With Wall Street leading the charge, New York City is the financial capital of the world.
• Enough said.

10.Gotham

• Washington Irvine wrote a satire titled the Salmagundi Papers
• calling New York City the name Gotham in 1807. Batman and DC Comics
• took it from there.