List of city nicknames in Alabama

This partial list of city nicknames in Alabama compiles the aliases, sobriquets and slogans that cities in the U.S. state of Alabama are known by (or have been known by historically), officially and unofficially, to locals, outsiders or their tourism boards.

City nicknames can help establish a civic identity, help outsiders recognize a community, attract 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" ^[2] are also believed to have economic value. ^[1] This value is difficult to measure, ^[1] 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.

Birmingham's nickname "The Pittsburgh of the South" recalls the historical importance of the steel industry in both cities. This history is the focus of the Sloss Furnaces historical site in Birmingham.

• Alabaster – The City for Families ^[3]
• Albertville – The Fire Hydrant Capital of the World ^{[4] [5] [6]}
• Anniston – The Model City ^[7]
• Auburn – The Loveliest Village on the Plains ^[8]
• Bayou La Batre – Seafood Capital of Alabama ^[9]
• Bessemer – The Marvel City ^{[10] [ failed verification ]}
• Birmingham
  • B'ham ^{[11] [12]}
  • Bombingham
  • The Magic City ^[13]
  • The Pittsburgh of the South ^{[14] [15]}
  • The Steel City ^[16]
  • The Tragic City ^[17]
• Cedar Bluff – Crappie Capital of the World ^[18]
• Daphne – The Jubilee City ^[19]
• Decatur
  • Ballooning Capital of Alabama ^[20]
  • The Chicago of the South ^[21]
  • Home of America's First Wave Pool ^[22]
  • The River City ^[23]
  • Wave Pool Capital of the World ^[24]
• Demopolis – City of the People ^[25]
• Dothan
  • Condom Capital of the World ^[26]
  • The Peanut Capital of the World ^{[27] [28]}
• Douglas – City of Eagles ^[29]
• Enterprise – City of Progress ^[30]
• Eufaula – Bass Capital of the World ^[18]
• Fort Payne – Sock Capital of the World ^[5]
• Gadsden – City of Champions ^[31]
• Gordo – The Armpit of Civilization
• Greenville – The Camellia City ^{[32] [33]}
• Haleyville – Home of 911 ^[34]
• Hartselle – The City of Southern Hospitality ^[35]
• Hueytown – Home of the Alabama Gang ^[36]
• Huntsville
  • The Rocket City ^{[37] [38]}
  • Watercress Capital of the World ^[39]
• Jackson – The Pine City
• Jacksonville – Gem of the Hills ^[40]
• Lincoln – The Motorsports City ^[41]
• Madison – Where Progress Meets Preservation ^[42]
• Mentone – Camping Capital of the World ^[43]
• Mobile
  • The Azalea City ^[44]
  • The City of Six Flags ^[45]
  • The Home of Mardi Gras ^[46]
  • The Port City ^[47]
• Monroeville – Literary Capital of the World ^[48]
• Montgomery
  • Capital of the South
  • The Cradle of the Confederacy
  • The Gump
• Mountain Brook
  • Small Kingdom [52]
• Muscle Shoals – The Hit Recording Capital of the World (formerly) ^[49]
• Ozark – The Home of Fort Rucker ^[50]
• Prattville
  • The Fountain City ^[51]
  • The Preferred City ^[51]
• Selma
  • Butterfly Capital of Alabama ^[52]
  • Queen of the Alabama Black Belt ^{[52] [53]}
• Slocomb – The Tomato Capital of the South ^[54]
• Summerdale – The Sunshine City ^[55]
• Sylacauga – The Marble City ^[56]
• Tuscaloosa
  • The Druid City ^[57]
  • T-Town
  • Tusca Town
• Tuskegee – The Pride of the Swift-Growing South ^[58]
• Union Springs – Bird Dog Field Trial Capital of the World ^[59]
• Vestavia Hills – The Jewel City ^[60]
• Wetumpka – Rumbling Waters ^[61]
• Winfield – City on the Move ^[62]

See also

• List of city nicknames in the United States
• List of cities in Alabama

References

1. Muench, David (December 1993). "Wisconsin Community Slogans: Their Use and Local Impacts" (PDF). University of Wisconsin Extension. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 9, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2007.
2. Alfredo Andia, Branding the Generic City :) Archived 2008-05-21 at the Wayback Machine , MU.DOT magazine, September 10, 2007
3. Alabaster, Alabama, accessed March 28, 2007.
4. Greetings From America's Secret Capitals, Time (magazine) , July 13, 1998.
5. Claims to Fame - Products Archived 2007-04-08 at the Wayback Machine , Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
6. Maney, Kevin. "Claims to fame", USA Today , May 20, 2005. Accessed June 3, 2009.
7. The Model City of the New South: Anniston, Alabama, 1872-1900, accessed March 28, 2007.
8. "Loveliest Village" Inspiration Award Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine , accessed March 27, 2007.
9. Faber, Harold (1993-09-12). "The World Capital of Whatever". The New York Times . Retrieved 2018-11-15.
10. Bessemer Area Chamber of Commerce, accessed March 28, 2007.
11. " @cityofbhamal " on Twitter
12. "Original B'ham". Archived from the original on 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
13. Birmingham: The Magic City, accessed March 28, 2007.
14. Birmingham: Introduction, accessed March 28, 2007.
15. U.S. City Monikers, Tagline Guru website, accessed January 5, 2008
16. Steel City Jazz Festival, accessed December 9, 2015
17. "TragicCity.com: A Birmingham Guide to Living Uniquely". Archived from the original on 2011-06-21. Retrieved 2011-05-12., accessed May 12, 2011.
18. Claims to Fame - Fish Archived 2008-02-18 at the Wayback Machine , Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
19. City of Daphne, Alabama website Archived 2010-10-05 at the Wayback Machine , accessed October 5, 2010. The "Jubilee" nickname refers to a phenomenon in Mobile Bay in "blue crabs, shrimp, and fish swimming from the depths of the bay [are brought] into the shallow waters of the shoreline."
20. Alabama Jubilee Hot-Air Balloon Classic, accessed March 28, 2007. Archived February 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
21. Railroad keyed Decatur's growth Archived 2007-09-30 at archive.today , The Decatur Daily , February 27, 2007.
22. Decatur History, accessed March 28, 2007. Archived February 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
23. Decatur - The River City Review Archived 2007-03-04 at the Wayback Machine , accessed March 28, 2007.
24. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-02-20. Retrieved 2010-04-14., accessed April 14, 2010.
25. Rural Southwest Alabama: "Demopolis, Alabama is where the 'City of the People' and two rivers meet." Accessed December 9, 2015
26. "Alabama town which calls itself the "Sock Capital of the World" may soon lose that title to China. Mighty sock lobby pressuring Bush to limit sock imports".
27. City of Dothan, accessed March 28, 2007.
28. Claims to Fame - Agriculture, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
29. Douglas, Alabama profile, accessed March 28, 2007.
30. www.enterpriseal.gov https://www.enterpriseal.gov . Retrieved September 3, 2017.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)^{[ title missing ]}
31. "Visitors | Gadsden, AL - Official Website".
32. Greenville, Alabama city profile Archived 2018-03-30 at the Wayback Machine , Epodunk, accessed March 28, 2007.
33. Claims to Fame - Plants Archived 2007-12-17 at the Wayback Machine , Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
34. CONGRATULATING THE CITY OF HALEYVILLE, ALABAMA AS THE HOME OF 911, accessed March 28, 2007. ^{[ dead link ]}
35. City of Hartselle, accessed March 28, 2007.
36. The Alabama Gang Archived 2008-04-16 at the Wayback Machine , Alabama Live, accessed March 29, 2007. "The Alabama Gang was especially forceful during the formative years of NASCAR as brothers Bobby and Donnie Allison and Red Farmer set up shop in Hueytown, Ala., putting that town on the sports map."
37. "National Affairs: Rocket City, U.S.A." Time. February 17, 1958. Archived from the original on August 31, 2008. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
38. Huntsville: Rocket City Archived 2016-11-08 at the Wayback Machine , About.com, accessed March 29, 2007.
39. A Brief History of Huntsville Archived 2010-05-27 at the Wayback Machine , Marshall Space Flight Center, accessed March 29, 2007. "During these years Huntsville was famed as the "Watercress Capital of the World," and Madison County was Alabama's leader in cotton production."
40. Jacksonville, Alabama profile, accessed March 29, 2007.
41. Talladega County: Quality of Life Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine , accessed March 29, 2007. "The City adopted the nickname "Motorsports City" due to its proximity next to the Talladega Superspeedway. "
42. Madison, Alabama city profile, accessed March 29, 2007.
43. "Bed and Breakfast Alabama". Archived from the original on 2010-04-30. Retrieved 2010-04-14., accessed April 14, 2010.
44. Public Television Features Mobile's Azalea Trail Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine , University of Alabama Center for Public Television & Radio press release. Accessed May 17, 2007. "MOBILE--This town is known as The Azalea City, and the evergreen azaleas for which it is famous are an indispensable part of the city's character."
45. Sheboygan Press, The Sheboygan Press May 20, 1932. "Q. What city is called The City of Six Flags? A. Mobile, Alabama. It has been under French, Spanish, British, American, Alabama, and Confederate Flags."
46. The Mother of All Mardi Gras, accessed March 29, 2007.
47. "Encyclopedia of Alabama: Steamboats in Alabama" Archived 2010-12-13 at the Wayback Machine , Encyclopedia of Alabama , September 2008. Accessed March 22, 2011. "The state's most important towns developed along...navigable rivers, and Mobile, the largest metropolis, became known as the Port City."
48. http://www.southernliterarytrail.org/monroeville.html Archived 2009-05-25 at the Wayback Machine , accessed April 10, 2010.
49. "Muscle Shoals Music - Shoals Chamber of Commerce" Archived 2011-03-25 at the Wayback Machine , shoalschamber.com, accessed 2011-02-22. "By the close of the 1980s, the music business no longer regarded Muscle Shoals as "The Hit Recording Capital of the World."
50. Ozark Area Chamber of Commerce Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
51. Visiting or Staying? , Prattville, Alabama. Accessed May 17, 2007. "Long before Prattville became "The Preferred Community," it was known as "The Fountain City" because of its numerous artesian wells".
52. "City of Selma official website". Archived from the original on 2012-11-22. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
53. "Freedom March Begins at Selma; Troops on Guard" (PDF). New York Times. March 22, 1965. Selma, which calls itself queen of the Alabama Black Belt -- the swath of rich, dark soil and heavy Negro population across south-central Alabama.
54. Slocomb Tomato Festival at WTVY.com Archived 2008-04-16 at the Wayback Machine , accessed August 9, 2007
55. South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce Archived 2007-07-23 at the Wayback Machine , accessed March 29, 2007. "Just north of Foley lies Summerdale, which offers a picturesque view of rural farm life and lives up to its slogan, 'The Sunshine City.'"
56. Claims to Fame - Rocks Archived 2008-02-18 at the Wayback Machine , Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
57. Frequently Asked Questions , DCH Health System website, accessed May 29, 2011. "In the late 1800s, the city fathers of Tuscaloosa planted oak trees along downtown streets. Just as the City of Birmingham was known as the Magic City because of its amazing growth, the City of Tuscaloosa became known as the Oak City, or, in recognition of the ancient British tribe that worshipped oaks, the Druid City."
58. Welcome to Tuskegee University Archived 2008-04-16 at the Wayback Machine , accessed March 29, 2007.
59. "Bird Dog Monument". Archived from the original on 2018-01-06. Retrieved 2010-04-14.
60. Vestavia Hills, Alabama Archived 2009-04-26 at the Wayback Machine , RelocateAmerica website
61. About Wetumpka, accessed March 29, 2007. "Abundant in lore and legend, Wetumpka (an Indian term meaning rumbling waters) is rich in aboriginal history. "
62. Motto ought to be boffo, Irvine World News, February 22, 2004

External links

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