Major nicknames

• "The Windy City" — perhaps the best-known nickname for Chicago. There are several different theories on the origin of the nickname.

• "Second City" — This was a derogatory nickname for the city used in a 1950s New Yorker
  The New Yorker
  The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
  
  article by A. J. Liebling
  A. J. Liebling
  Abbott Joseph Liebling was an American journalist who was closely associated with The New Yorker from 1935 until his death.-Biography:...
  
  ; the phrase was later appropriated by a Chicago comedy troupe
  The Second City
  The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
  
  .

• "Chi-Town" or "Chitown" — Pronunciation of this nickname can vary from ˈtʃaɪtaʊn to /ˈʃaɪtaʊn/ (from chai-town to shy-town).

• Chicagoland — A term for the city together with its surrounding suburbs. Sometimes the term encompasses the city and the nine counties around it. However, it is also used to mean only the suburbs.

Minor nicknames

• "The Miami of Canada" - As referred to by Mr. Burns in an episode of The Simpsons
  The Simpsons
  The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
  
  .

• "New Gotham" - Because of the vast amount of footage used of the city for the 2008 film The Dark Knight
  The Dark Knight (film)
  The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins...
  
  .

• "The Chill or Chi Ill" - Also used by rap musicians from the area (Chill as in Chicago Illinois).

• "City by the Lake" - Used in the Smashing Pumpkins' song "Tonight, Tonight."

• "City of Broad Shoulders" - A popular variant of "City of the Big Shoulders"

• "City on the Make" - From "Chicago, City on the Make
  Chicago, City on the Make
  Chicago: City on the Make is an essay by Nelson Algren published in 1951. Initially greeted with scorn by critics and newspaper editors in the city of its gaze , it is now widely regarded by scholars as the definitive prose portrait of the city of Chicago, although it has never rivaled the literary...
  
  " (1951), a prose poem by Nelson Algren
  Nelson Algren
  Nelson Algren was an American writer.-Early life:Algren was born Nelson Ahlgren Abraham in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Goldie and Gerson Abraham. At the age of three he moved with his parents to Chicago, Illinois where they lived in a working-class, immigrant neighborhood on the South Side...
  
  .

• "The City That Works" - According to former Mayor Richard J. Daley
  Richard J. Daley
  Richard Joseph Daley served for 21 years as the mayor and undisputed Democratic boss of Chicago and is considered by historians to be the "last of the big city bosses." He played a major role in the history of the Democratic Party, especially with his support of John F...
  
  .

• "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" - English translation of the Latin
  Latin
  Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
  
   motto on the city seal: "Urbs in Horto."

• "Beirut by the Lake" - From a Wall Street Journal article during the Council Wars
  Council Wars
  The Council Wars were a racially polarized political conflict in the city of Chicago from 1983-1986, centered on the Chicago City Council.The term came from a satirical comedy sketch of the same name written and performed by comedian and journalist Aaron Freeman in 1983, using the good-v.-evil plot...
  
   of the 1980s.

• "My Kind of Town" - According to the song "My Kind of Town (Chicago Is)"
  My Kind of Town
  My Kind of Town is an American television game show that premiered on August 14, 2005 on ABC. Part variety show, part game show, the series brings 200 people from a small town in the United States to New York City to compete for prizes and participate in games and assorted gags...
  
   (music by Jimmy Van Heusen, words by Sammy Cahn
  Sammy Cahn
  Sammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premiered by recording companies in the Greater Los Angeles Area...
  
  , 1964) popularized by Frank Sinatra
  Frank Sinatra
  Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
  
  . (Originally from the film, Robin and the Seven Hoods, about a fictional popular Chicago gangster).

• "Paris on the Prairie" - From the 1909 plan for the City of Chicago created by Daniel Burnham
  Daniel Burnham
  Daniel Hudson Burnham, FAIA was an American architect and urban planner. He was the Director of Works for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He took a leading role in the creation of master plans for the development of a number of cities, including Chicago and downtown Washington DC...
  
  .

• "Sweet Home" - From the Robert Johnson song Sweet Home Chicago
  Sweet Home Chicago
  "Sweet Home Chicago" is a popular blues standard in the twelve bar form. It was first recorded and is credited to have been written by Robert Johnson...
  
  .

• "Heart of America" - Chicago is one of the largest transportation centers in America and its location is near the center of the United States.

• "That Toddling Town" - According to the lyrics of the song "Chicago
  Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)
  "Chicago" is a popular song. It was written by Fred Fisher and was published in 1922. The song has been recorded by many artists, but the best-known version is by Frank Sinatra....
  
  " (music and words by Fred Fisher
  Fred Fisher
  Fred Fisher was a German-born American songwriter and Tin Pan Alley music publisher. Fisher founded Fred Fisher Music Publishing Company in 1907. He was born as Albert von Breitenbach in Cologne...
  
  , 1922) also popularized by Frank Sinatra
  Frank Sinatra
  Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
  
   (as well as Tony Bennett
  Tony Bennett
  Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
  
  ).

• "Hog Butcher for the World" - Described in a poem by Carl Sandburg
  Carl Sandburg
  Carl Sandburg was an American writer and editor, best known for his poetry. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and another for a biography of Abraham Lincoln. H. L. Mencken called Carl Sandburg "indubitably an American in every pulse-beat."-Biography:Sandburg was born in Galesburg,...
  
  .

• "The C" - The first letter in the word 'Chicago'

• "The Chi" - Described in the song "I'm A Flirt
  I'm a Flirt
  "I'm a Flirt" is a song by Bow Wow featuring R. Kelly. The song was scheduled to be the second single released from Bow Wow's fifth album The Price of Fame but the decision was changed to "Outta My System". Instead, it appears as a bonus track on the album. The remix of "I'm a Flirt" became the...
  
   Remix" by R. Kelly
  R. Kelly
  Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
  
  .

• "Chi-city" - Used by Kanye West
  Kanye West
  Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
  
   in the song "Homecoming" and Common in the song "Chi-City"

• "The City Beautiful" - Used by Hawk Harrelson when the Chicago White Sox
  Chicago White Sox
  The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
  
   open a game at U.S. Cellular Field
  U.S. Cellular Field
  U.S. Cellular Field is a baseball ballpark in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, it is the home of the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball's American League. The park opened for the 1991 season, after the White Sox had spent 81 years at old Comiskey Park...
  
  .