List of settlement nicknames in Washington
Encyclopedia
The following is a list of nicknames, aliases
, sobriquet
s and slogan
s for municipalities
and unincorporated communities
in the U.S. state
of Washington.
City nicknames can help in establishing a civic identity, helping outsiders recognize a community or attracting people to a community because of its nickname; promote civic pride; and build community unity. Nickname
s and slogans that successfully create a new community "ideology or myth" are also believed to have economic value. Their economic value is difficult to measure, but there are anecdotal reports of cities that have achieved substantial economic benefits by "brand
ing" themselves by adopting new slogans.
This list includes both official and unofficial nicknames. Some of the nicknames that were used historically may no longer be in use.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
, sobriquet
Sobriquet
A sobriquet is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. It is usually a familiar name, distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation...
s and slogan
Slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
s for municipalities
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and unincorporated communities
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Washington.
City nicknames can help in establishing a civic identity, helping outsiders recognize a community or attracting people to a community because of its nickname; promote civic pride; and build community unity. Nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s and slogans that successfully create a new community "ideology or myth" are also believed to have economic value. Their economic value is difficult to measure, but there are anecdotal reports of cities that have achieved substantial economic benefits by "brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
ing" themselves by adopting new slogans.
This list includes both official and unofficial nicknames. Some of the nicknames that were used historically may no longer be in use.
- AberdeenAberdeen, WashingtonAberdeen is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States, founded by Samuel Benn in 1884. Aberdeen was incorporated on May 12, 1890. The city is the economic center of Grays Harbor County, bordering the cities of Hoquiam and Cosmopolis...
- Port of Missing Men - AlgonaAlgona, WashingtonAlgona is a city in King County, Washington, United States, and the Seattle metropolitan area, surrounded by the suburbs of Auburn to the north and east, Pacific to the south, and unincorporated King County to the west...
- City of the Great Blue Heron - AuburnAuburn, Washington-Parks:Auburn has an extensive system of parks, open space and urban trails comprising 29 developed parks, 5 undeveloped sites under planning, 2 skate parks, 2 water roatary parks, and over of trails , and almost of open space for passive and active recreation.-Environmental Park:The Auburn...
- More Than You Imagined - BellevueBellevue, WashingtonBellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
- City in a Park - BellinghamBellingham, WashingtonBellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
- City of Subdued Excitement
- Let Us Surprise You,
- BlaineBlaine, WashingtonBlaine is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. The city's northern boundary is the Canadian border. Blaine is the shared home of the Peace Arch international monument...
- The Peace Arch City - BothellBothell, WashingtonBothell is a city located in King and Snohomish Counties in the state of Washington. It is part of the Seattle metropolitan area. The population was 33,505 as of the 2010 census...
- For a Day or a Lifetime - BurlingtonBurlington, WashingtonBurlington is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population is 8,388 as recorded by the 2010 census. It is included in the Mount Vernon–Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
- The Hub City - ChehalisChehalis, WashingtonChehalis is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,259 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Lewis County.-History:...
- Rose City - ColvilleColville, WashingtonColville is a city in Stevens County, Washington, United States. The population was 4,673 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stevens County.- History :...
- Washington's Most Livable Community - CosmopolisCosmopolis, WashingtonCosmopolis is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,649 at the 2010 census. The city is often referred to by locals by its unofficial motto: "Cosmopolis: City.....
- City of the World - EnumclawEnumclaw, WashingtonEnumclaw is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,669 at the 2010 census.The Enumclaw Plateau, on which the city resides, was formed by a volcanic mudflow from Mount Rainier approximately 5,700 years ago....
- The Gateway to Mount Rainier - ForksForks, Washington-Government:The City is organized under Washington State law as a Non-charter Code City. Its structure is that of an elected Mayor and a five member elected City Council...
- The Logging Capital of the World - IlwacoIlwaco, WashingtonIlwaco is a city in Pacific County, Washington, United States. The population was 950 at the 2000 census and decreased to 936 at the 2010 census.-History:...
- By Land or By Sea - KelsoKelso, WashingtonKelso is a city in southwest Washington State, United States, and is the county seat of Cowlitz County. At the 2010 census, the population was 11,925. Kelso is part of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 102,410. Kelso shares its long western border...
- City of Friendly People
- Smelt Capital of the World.
- KirklandKirkland, WashingtonKirkland is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is a suburb of Seattle on the Eastside . The population was 48,787 at the 2010 census makes it the 9th largest city in King County and the 20th largest city in the state...
- Gateway to Seattle (adopted in 1926)
- The Little City that Could
- LyndenLynden, WashingtonLynden is the second largest city in Whatcom County. Named and established in 1874 on the site of the Nooksack Indian village Squahalish , the town of Lynden began as a pioneer settlement headed by Holden and Phoebe Judson and is today home to one of the largest Dutch American communities in the...
- The Gem City - MarysvilleMarysville, WashingtonMarysville is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 60,020 at the 2010 census. Marysville is known as "The Strawberry City" due to the large number of strawberry farms that once surrounded the city in its earlier days. Over the past decade, and continuing...
- The Strawberry City - PoulsboPoulsbo, WashingtonPoulsbo is a city on Liberty Bay in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is the fourth largest city in Kitsap County and one of the main suburbs of Seattle in the Kitsap area. The population was 9,200 at the 2010 census....
- Little Norway - PullmanPullman, WashingtonPullman is the largest city in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 24,675 at the 2000 census and 29,799 according to the 2010 census...
- Lentil Capital. - RedmondRedmond, WashingtonRedmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 54,144 at the 2010 census,up from 45,256 in 2000....
- Bicycle Capital of the Northwest - SeattleSeattle, WashingtonSeattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
- City of Flowers (adopted in the 1940s)
- Coffee Capital of the World.
- Emerald City: official since 1982
- Jet City: for the prominence of the aerospace industry, especially BoeingBoeingThe Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
. - Queen City (of the Pacific Northwest): official from 1869-1982
- Rain City
- Sedro-Woolley, WashingtonSedro-Woolley, WashingtonSedro-Woolley is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,540 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Mount Vernon–Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
- Gateway to the North Cascades
- SpokaneSpokane, WashingtonSpokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
- The Lilac City
- SumnerSumner, WashingtonSumner is a city in northern Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 9,451 at the 2010 census. Nearby cities include Puyallup to the west, Auburn to the north, and Enumclaw to the east.-History:...
- Rhubarb Pie Capital. - TacomaTacoma, WashingtonTacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
- America’s #1 Wired City
- The City of Destiny - Applied in 1873 when Tacoma was the terminus for the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- Tackyoma
- T-Town
- Grit City
- Walla WallaWalla Walla, WashingtonWalla Walla is the largest city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,731 at the 2010 census...
- The City was so Nice, They Named it Twice - WenatcheeWenatchee, WashingtonWenatchee is located in North Central Washington and is the largest city and county seat of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925...
- Apple Capital of the World. - YakimaYakima, WashingtonYakima is an American city southeast of Mount Rainier National Park and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the eighth largest city by population in the state itself. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 91,196 and a metropolitan population of...
- The Palm Springs of Washington