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City Branding Survey
   

Functional

Character-Driven

Aligned with
a Category

Aspirational

Slogans & Jingles

City Mottos &
Monikers

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY MOTTOS

Movie Taglines

U.S. Presidential
Campaign Slogans

Sobriquets

Tagline Hall
of Shame

 
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Criteria & Methodology

Approximately 350 city mottos and monikers were nominated from a field of 1,200. They were sent to 100 advertising, marketing, and branding professionals from more than 82 cities across 38 states. To level the playing field, a city could be ranked only once in the slogan or nickname category even though it had several mottos and monikers.

Both official and unofficial, as well as past and present, nicknames and slogans were included.

Informants were asked to rank their top 10 city slogans and top 10 city nicknames based on the following branding criteria:

  • Attributes: Do they express a city’s brand character, affinity, style, and personality?

  • Message: Do they tell a story in a clever, fun, and memorable way?

  • Differentiation: Are they unique and original?

  • Ambassadorship: Do they inspire you to visit there, live there, or learn more?

Nominated slogans and nicknames were given a weighted ranking based on the number of votes they received and the rank they were assigned.

The Top 50 U.S. City Mottos

1.
What Happens Here, Stays Here.   Las Vegas, NV
2.
So Very Virginia.

Charlottesville, VA
3.
Always Turned On.

Atlantic City, NJ
4.
Cleveland Rocks!

Cleveland, OH
5.
The Sweetest Place on Earth.

Hershey, PA
6.
Rare. Well Done.

Omaha, NE
7.
The City Different.

Santa Fe, NM
8.
Where Yee-Ha Meets Olé.

Eagle Pass, TX
9.
City with Sol.

San Diego, CA
10.
Where the Odds Are With You.

Peculiar, MO
11.
Where Your Ship Comes In.

Gulfport, MS
12.
Soul of the Southwest.

Taos, NM
13.
Experience Our Sense of Yuma.

Yuma, AZ
14.
The City Was So Nice They Named It Twice.

Walla Walla, WA
15.
There’s More Than Meets the Arch.

St. Louis, MO
16.
Keep Austin Weird.

Austin, TX
17.
Where Chiefs Meet.

Meeteetse, WY
18.
City with a Mission.

San Gabriel, CA
19.
Where the Trails Start and the Buck Stops.

Independence, MO
20.
The City That Never Sleeps.

New York City, NY
21.
The Aliens Aren’t the Only Reason to Visit.

Roswell, NM
22.
Lose Your Heart to the Hills.

Kerrville, TX
23.
Take Me to the River.

Vicksburg, MS
24.
All the civilization you need.

Pinedale, WY
25.
The Town Without a Frown.

Happy, TX
26.
The Town Too Tough to Die.

Tombstone, AZ
27.
Where the Stars Come Out to Play.

Fort Davis, TX
28.
Rollin’ on the River.

Manchester, OH
29.
Named for the Turn of a Card.

Show Low, AZ
30.
More Than Just a Song.

Shenandoah, TX
31.
Where Horses Have the Right of Way.

McKinleyville, CA
32.
Only in San Francisco.

San Francisco, CA
33.
It’s Not the End of the Earth, But You Can See It From Here.

Bushnell, SD
34.
Where Nature Smiles for Seven Miles.

Spring Lake, MI
35.
Live Large. Think Big.

Dallas, TX
36.
Real. America. Up Close.

Rapid City, ND
37.
The Richest Place on Earth.

Virginia City, NV
38.
With Time for You.

Richmond, MI
39.
Newark, on a Roll.

Newark, NJ
40.
Where the Trout Leap in Main Street.

Saratoga, WY
41.
Life, Celebrated Daily.

Norfolk, VA
42.
The Natural Place to Visit.

Sitka, AK
43.
People Say We’re Old-Fashioned. We Hope So.

Virginia City, MT
44.
Where the People Are Warm Even When the Weather Isn’t.

Andover, KS
45.
Where the Bald Eagle Soars and the Carp Drops!

Prairie du Chien, WI
46.
Where History Never Gets Old.

Fredericksburg, VA
47.
The Town That Made Tulsa Famous.

Glenpool, OK
48.
Get ‘Er Done.

Havre, MT
49.
Town Without a Toothache.

Hereford, TX
50.
Livable, Lovable Lodi.

Lodi, CA

Honorable Mention

You Can Do Better in Cando.

Cando, ND
Twenty Lakes in Twenty Minutes.

Harrison, MI
More Than Just a Pretty Beach.

Encinitas, CA
Something to Remember.

San Antonio, TX
Twice as Nice.

Texarkana, AR

The Top 50 U.S. City Monikers

1.
The Big Apple

New York City, NY
2.
Sin City

Las Vegas, NV
3.
The Big Easy

New Orleans, LA
4.
Motor City

Detroit, MI
5.
The Windy City

Chicago, IL
6.
Beantown

Boston, MA
7.
Baghdad by the Bay

San Francisco, CA
8.
Tinseltown

Hollywood, CA
9.
Mistake on the Lake

Cleveland, OH
10.
La-La Land

Los Angeles, CA
11.
City of Witches

Salem, MA
12.
Berzerkeley

Berkeley, CA
13.
The Graveyard of the Atlantic

Cape Hatteras, NC
14.
The Protestant Vatican

Nashville, TN
15.
The City of Brotherly Love

Philadelphia, PA
16.
Hangtown

Placerville, CA
17.
The Wickedest Little City in America

Dodge City, KS
18.
The Mile High City

Denver, CO
19.
Porkopolis

Cincinnati, OH
20.
The Land of Lincoln

Springfield, IL
21.
The Biggest Little City in the World

Reno, NV
22.
The Mini Apple

Minneapolis, MN
23.
Whiskers

Crestwood, KY
24.
Dynamo of Dixie

Chattanooga, TN
25.
The Land of Oz

Liberal, KS
26.
Brew City

Milwaukee, WI
27.
The Big Sweet Grass Basket

Charleston, SC
28.
Valley of the Sun

Phoenix, AZ
29.
Naptown

Indianapolis, IN
30.
Shampoo-Banana

Champaign-Urbana, IL
31.
Chimneyville

Jackson, MS
32.
The World’s Largest Chee-to

Algona, IA
33.
Home of the Catfish Stomp

Elgin, SC
34.
Vice City

Miami, FL
35.
The Big Gun

Canon, GA
36.
Drunk Driving Capital of America

Gallup, NM
37.
The Little Apple

Manhattan, KS
38.
Home of Susie the Duck

Lodi, WI
39.
Cow Chip Capital

Beaver, OK
40.
Goat Ropin’ Capital of the World

Gotebo, OK
41.
Sparkle City

Spartanburg, SC
42.
The Soo

Sault Ste. Marie, MI
43.
Crunkville

Charlotte, NC
44.
The Old Pueblo

Tucson, AZ
45.
Spamtown, USA

Austin, MN
46.
Home of the Candy Dance

Genoa, NV
47.
Tackyoma

Tacoma, WA
48.
Surf City, USA

Huntington Beach, CA
49.
Space City

Houston, TX
50.
The Dog Mushing Center of the World

Knik, AK

Honorable Mention

Winnemucca – City of Paved Streets

Winnemucca, NV
SLO Town

San Luis Obispo, CA
Poison Oak Capital of the World

Forestville, CA
Spokan’t

Spokane, WA
Red Carpet City of the South

Vicksburg, MS

©2005 The Byline Group. All rights reserved. No portion of this list may be reorganized, reproduced, sold, licensed, or bundled by any means, for commercial or other purposes, without the prior written consent of the site owner.