You enter the Queen City of Cincinnati when you cross the Ohio River. You’re in the Big Apple, and everyone knows what happens when you go to Manhattan. Do you intend to travel to Los Angeles, sometimes referred to as the “City of Angels”?
I’ll bite my tongue and get right to the point because this specific exercise has been one of my favorite rabbit holes for decades. Oh, all right, another one…”The Windy City” is Chicago. Okay, let’s get started.
Unofficial…AND Official Nicknames for Kentucky Cities
Tell me, then: how frequently have you been to Vette City? How recently have you visited the Athens of the West? Do you often travel to Derby City in the first part of May? You already know that they are referring to Lexington, Louisville, and Bowling Green, respectively, if you are able to respond to these questions at all. Bravo if you are aware of the second one, by the way. The College of Medicine at the University of Kentucky provides an explanation, although I’ve never heard it.
And perhaps, like me, you live in Owensboro, also known as the Barbecue Capitol of the World.
Not only do the four biggest cities in the Commonwealth have official nicknames, but there are many more, and I’m not familiar with the majority of them. What about nicknames that aren’t official? We also have those. They also give me more fun.
Louisville — The Ville
I’ve always assumed that Derby City was Louisville’s sole official moniker, and that its citizens also used “The Ville” as an unofficial abbreviation. However, I discovered it on that list, so we’ll proceed.
Lexington — LexVegas
Like Nashville, or NashVegas, Lexington also receives the “Vegas” suffix. It just describes a town that’s a lot of fun to visit. The accuracy of that is up to you to determine.
Growling Bean — Bowling Green
During my undergraduate years, I first heard this, and I have loved it ever since. Of course, it’s merely a matter of flipping the initial letters of both words. That’s like calling Ohio County “Oh Cow Heinie.”
OTown — Owensboro
I’ve never heard of this one, although I’m from Owensboro. Along with my fave, The Boro, I’ve heard “The Big O” quite a bit.
How about you? Are there any other unofficial names for cities in Kentucky that you are aware of?
[RESOURCE: Reddit]
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