List of city nicknames in Missouri

This partial list of city nicknames in Missouri compiles the aliases, sobriquets and slogans that cities in Missouri are known by (or have been known by historically), officially and unofficially, to municipal governments, local people, outsiders or their tourism boards or chambers of commerce. 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.[1] Nicknames and slogans that successfully create a new community "ideology or myth"[2] are also believed to have economic value.[1] Their economic 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.

• Branson
  • Las Vegas If Ned Flanders Ran It[3]
• Brunswick – Home of the World's Largest Pecan[4]
• Carthage – The Maple Leaf City[5]
• Chillicothe – Home of Sliced Bread[6]
• Columbia
  • The Athens of Missouri
  • CoMo
• Cuba – Mural City[7]
• Hannibal
  • America's Hometown[8]
  • The Bluff City[9]
• Independence – Where the Trails Start and the Buck Stops[10]
• Jefferson City – City of Thomas Jefferson[11]
• Kansas City
  • BBQ Capital of the World[12]
  • City of Fountains[13]
  • Cowtown[12]
  • Jazz Capital of the World[12]
  • K.C. (inspiring the nickname of Casey Stengel, among others)[12]
  • KCMO[12]
  • Paris of the Plains[14]
• King City – The Gem of the Highway[15]
• Kirkwood – The Green Tree City[16]
• Lathrop – Mule Capital of the World[17]
• Marionville – Home of the White Squirrels[18]
• Moberly – Magic City[19]
• Neosho – Flower Box City[20]
• Nixa – Home of Jason Bourne[21]
• Peculiar – Where the Odds Are with You[10]
• St. Louis
  • Chess Capital of the World [22]
  • Gateway to the West[23]
  • Lion of the Valley[24]
  • The Lou[25]
  • Mound City[9][23]
  • River City[26]
  • Rome of the West[27]
  • There's More Than Meets the Arch[10]
• Salem – Charcoal Capital of the World[28]
• Sedalia – The Queen City of the Prairie[29]
• Springfield
  • Birthplace of Route 66[30]
  • Queen City of the Ozarks[31]
• Sumner – Wild Goose Capital of the World[32]
• Warrensburg – The Burg[33]
• Washington – Corn Cob Pipe Capital of the World[20]

See also

• List of city nicknames in the United States

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. Sarah Fenske (May 21, 2015). "The Most Dangerous City in Missouri Is ... Branson?". Riverfront Times. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
4. McKinney, Wanda (April 2005). "Our Favorite Town Slogans". Southern Living. Archived from the original on 2007-11-07.
5. Welcome to "America's Maple Leaf City" Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, Carthage, Missouri Convention & Visitors Bureau. Accessed June 13, 2007.
6. Kennedy, Pagan (March 1, 2013). "Who Made That Sliced Bread?". New York Times Sunday Magazine.
7. "Cuba, Missouri: Mural City". University of Missouri – Convergence Journalism. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
8. Lindsey Marschka (December 2014). "Hannibal, MO: "America's Hometown" Amidst Fictional Landscape". Artifacts: A Journal of Undergraduate Writing. University of Missouri. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
9. Barry Popik, Smoky City, barrypopik.com website, March 27, 2005
10. Tagline Guru City Branding Survey, Tagline Guru website, accessed August 18, 2009
11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2014-04-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
12. Kansas City Background Information Archived 2008-10-13 at the Wayback Machine, 16th Annual ACI-NA Conference & Exhibition. Accessed June 13, 2007. "Kansas City, Missouri is often abbreviated as 'KCMO', or just 'KC' (although this often refers to the entire metro area). It is officially nicknamed the City of Fountains, with over 200 installations, ranking second in the world and exceeded only by Rome. It is also nicknamed the Heart of America because it is within 250 miles (400 km) of both the geographic and population centers of the United States. Informal nicknames include Jazz Capital of the World, Cowtown, and the BBQ Capital of the World, while residents are known as Kansas Citians."
13. City of Fountains, Experience KC. Accessed June 13, 2007. "It's Kansas City. And these are but a few of the hundreds of majestic fountains that make their home in this Midwestern treasure, known as the City of Fountains."
14. "Kansas City Draws Upon Its Jazz Heritage at Paris Air Show", Kansas City infoZine. June 11, 2007. "The Kansas City Aviation Department, Greater Kansas City Area Development Council, Platte County (Mo.) Economic Development Council and State of Missouri will join forces to host a 'Paris of the Plains' booth inside the U.S.A. Pavilion at the Paris Air Show (Hall 3, Booth D13B), featuring the music of well-known jazz icons such as Kansas City natives Charlie 'Yardbird' Parker, William 'Count' Basie and Jay McShann."
16. Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Archived 2011-10-02 at the Wayback Machine, City of Kirkwood. Missouri, September 27, 2002. Accessed June 13, 2007. "Known as 'The Green Tree City,' the City is an attractive suburban residential community with tree- lined streets."
17. City of Lathrop, Mo - Mule Capital of the World Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine (official city website), accessed September 19, 2008
18. White Squirrel Wars, Roadside America, accessed April 21, 2007. "Olney, IL; Marionville, MO; Kenton, TN; Brevard, NC; Exeter, ON. Not one, but five towns use albino squirrels as their claims to fame, and none is particularly happy about the others."
19. Welcome to Moberly, Missouri, Moberly, MO – Official Website. Accessed June 13, 2007. "Founded in 1866, Moberly's explosive growth in 1873 earned it the title, 'The Magic City'."
20. Claims to Fame - Favorites, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
21. "Nixa, Missouri: Home of Jason Bourne". Springfield News-Leader – Convergence Journalism. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
22. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36257742
23. U.S. City Monikers, Tagline Guru website, accessed January 5, 2008
24. James Neal Primm, "Lion of the Valley: St. Louis, Missouri, 1764-1980", Saint Louis, MO: Missouri History Museum Press, 1998, p.327
25. Steve Parker, Offended by "The Lou", St. Louis Post-Dispatch editors' blog, 05.01.2008
27. Camille Phillips, "Why Is St. Louis Named After A French King Who Was Born 800 Years Ago?, St. Louis Public Radio All Things Considered, 04.22.2014
28. Faber, Harold (1993-09-12). "The World Capital of Whatever". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
29. Whistle Stops 1 - 15 Archived 2008-07-20 at the Wayback Machine, Sedalia's Heritage Trail. Accessed June 13, 2007. "We’re proud to be called the Queen City of the Prairie."
30. Springfield sits at the crossroads of history! Archived 2006-10-02 at Archive.today, Springfield, Missouri, Convention & Visitors Bureau. Accessed June 13, 2007. "Officially recognized as the birthplace of Route 66, it was in Springfield on April 30, 1926, that officials first proposed the name of the new Chicago-to-Los Angeles highway."
31. Billings, Hank. "Historian puts date on origin of 'Queen City'" Archived 2015-06-07 at the Wayback Machine, Springfield News-Leader, June 4, 2007. Accessed June 13, 2007. "Does Springfield's title as Queen City of the Ozarks go back to 1876?"
32. Claims to Fame - Birds, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
33. goBurg.com