This partial list of city nicknames in Mississippi compiles the aliases, sobriquets and slogans that cities in Mississippi 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.
- Artesia – Johnson Grass Capital of the World[3]
- Belzoni – Catfish Capital of the World.[3][4][5]
- Biloxi – The Playground of the South[6]
- Columbus – Possum Town[7]
- Greenwood – Cotton Capital of the World.[8]
- Gulfport
- Hattiesburg – Hub City[10]
- Jackson
- Long Beach – Radish Capital of the World[13]
- Meridian – The Queen City[14][15]
- Oxford
- Port Gibson – The town too beautiful to burn[17]
- Senatobia – The Five Star City[18]
- Starkville – Starkvegas[19]
- Vicksburg
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ a b Alfredo Andia, Branding the Generic City Archived 2008-05-21 at the Wayback Machine, MU.DOT magazine, September 10, 2007
- ^ a b Wanda McKinney, Our Favorite Town Slogans, Archived 2007-11-07 at the Wayback Machine Southern Living, April 2005
- ^ a b Faber, Harold (1993-09-12). "The World Capital of Whatever". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
- ^ Claims to Fame - Fish Archived 2008-02-18 at the Wayback Machine, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ a b U.S. City Monikers, Tagline Guru website, accessed January 5, 2008
- ^ "Columbus | Mississippi, United States | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
- ^ Claims to Fame - Agriculture, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Tagline Guru City Branding Survey, Tagline Guru website, accessed August 18, 2009
- ^ Mayor's Message Archived 2007-02-18 at the Wayback Machine, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, accessed April 22, 2007. "Hattiesburg's population first took off as a center of the lumber and railroad industries giving us our nickname "The Hub City.""
- ^ Lynch, Adam. "Chump Change for Chimneyville" Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine, Jackson Free Press, April 4, 2007, accessed April 22, 2007
- ^ "Image Committee launches “City With Soul” campaign" Archived 2007-12-21 at archive.today, Jackson, Mississippi Convention & Visitors Bureau. Accessed April 10, 2008.
- ^ "The Hancock Story: A Legacy of Strength, Stability, Service, & Opportunity". Hancock Bank.
- ^ Mozella G. Mitchell. New Africa in America: the blending of African and American religious and social traditions among Black people in Meridian, Mississippi, and surrounding counties. p. 27. ISBN 9780820424255.
- ^ William Smith. Lauderdale County, Mississippi, four families, 1835-1936. p. 102.
- ^ a b History of Oxford Archived 2008-09-25 at the Wayback Machine, Oxford, Mississippi website, accessed May 5, 2009
- ^ Port Gibson, Mississippi
- ^ City of Senatobia website
- ^ "Mississippi State Unveils Design For New Floor Of Humphrey Coliseum" (Press release). Mississippi State Bulldogs. August 31, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
In an additional display of that local pride, Starkvegas – the nickname for Starkville – has been placed specifically in front of the student section along the baseline.
- ^ National Military Park Louisiana/Mississippi: Vicksburg, National Park Service. Accessed June 13, 2007. "Jefferson Davis called Vicksburg "The Gibraltar of America." By the summer of 1862, Vicksburg was the nail holding the Confederacy together."