As long as there have been cities, towns, villages, and hamlets, there have been nicknames and slogans to define, describe, and differentiate them. Whereas nicknames are synonymous with a city, and often used in lieu of the actual name, slogans are created primarily to enhance a city's economic, cultural, historical, or aesthetic value.

In an age of competitive advertising and branding, both official and unofficial mottos and monikers are an effective way to express a city’s style or personality, highlight its main appeal, and strengthen its decidedly urban or “small town” identity.

The following lists comprise the 350 or so slogans and nicknames nominated from a field of approximately 1,200 in Tagline Guru's City Branding Survey. Several cities are represented more than once on each list, reflecting a range of brand expressions.