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===H-Town===
===H-Town===
'''H-Town''' is a widely popular modern nickname for Houston.<ref name="H-Town">{{cite web | title=H-Town | work=The Big Apple, www.barrypopik.com | url=http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/h_town_houston_nickname/ | accessdate=2007-09-27}}</ref> It is commonly used in reference to the city both locally and internationally, especially within the entertainment community. In addition, the H-Town Blues Festival is a [[music festival]] held each year in the city,<ref name="The H-Town Blues Festival">{{cite web | title=The H-Town Blues Festival | author=William Michael Smith | work=Houston Press (February 1, 2007) | url=http://www.houstonpress.com/2007-02-01/music/the-h-town-blues-festival/ | accessdate=2007-06-27}}</ref> and the H-Town Arena Theatre has hosted a variety of performing artists from around the country since the 1970s.<ref name="Events at H-Town Theatre">{{cite web | title=Events at H-Town Theatre | work=www.GoTickets.com | url=http://www.gotickets.com/venues/tx/h-town_theatre.php#venueEvents | accessdate=2007-06-27}}</ref> [[H-Town (band)|H-Town]] (with the "H" standing for Houston) is also the name of an [[R&B]] [[hip hop]] band from Houston that was formed in 1992.<ref name="HTownBand">{{cite web | title=H-Town Lead Singer Dies | work=MTV | url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459812/02032003/h_town.jhtml | accessdate=2008-01-22}}</ref>
'''H-Town''' is a widely popular modern nickname for Houston.<ref name="H-Town">{{cite web | title=H-Town | work=The Big Apple, www.barrypopik.com | url=http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/h_town_houston_nickname/ | accessdate=2007-09-27}}</ref> It is commonly used in reference to the city both locally and internationally, especially within the entertainment community. In addition, the H-Town Blues Festival is a [[music festival]] held each year in the city,<ref name="The H-Town Blues Festival">{{cite web | title=The H-Town Blues Festival | author=William Michael Smith | work=Houston Press (February 1, 2007) | url=http://www.houstonpress.com/2007-02-01/music/the-h-town-blues-festival/ | accessdate=2007-06-27}}</ref> and the H-Town Arena Theatre has hosted a variety of performing artists from around the country since the 1970s.<ref name="Events at H-Town Theatre">{{cite web | title=Events at H-Town Theatre | work=www.GoTickets.com | url=http://www.gotickets.com/venues/tx/h-town_theatre.php#venueEvents | accessdate=2007-06-27}}</ref> [[H-Town (band)|H-Town]] (with the "H" standing for Houston) is also the name of an [[R&B]] [[hip hop]] band from Houston that was formed in 1992.<ref name="HTownBand">{{cite web | title=H-Town Lead Singer Dies | work=MTV | url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459812/02032003/h_town.jhtml | accessdate=2008-01-22}}</ref>

===Slime in the Ice Machine City===
Houston is sometimes referred to by local Houstonians as '''The Slime in the Ice Machine City'''. It is based on a famous catch phrase used by the local television news celebrity [[Marvin Zindler]] when reading City of Houston Food Inspection Program restaurant reports on the air and often concluding emphatically with "Sliiiime in the Ice Machine!"<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJQzsgZjN5w&NR=1 YouTube Clip One]</ref> <ref>[http://youtube.com/watch?v=wUqlbjxznZA Youtube clip two]</ref>.


==Historic nicknames==
==Historic nicknames==

Revision as of 20:09, 5 February 2009

The skyline of the City of Houston.

There are many nicknames for the city of Houston, which is the largest city in Texas and fourth-largest city in the United States of America. The city's nicknames reflect its geography, economy, multicultural population, and popular culture, including sports and music. They are often used by the media and in popular culture to reference the city.

Houston currently has one official nickname, "Space City," signifying the city's global importance to space exploration and historical role as a prominent center of activity by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Cities adopt official nicknames such as this one in order to establish a civic identity, promote civic pride, and build community unity.[1] Houston has had other nicknames in the past which have faded in common usage, going as far back as the 1870s.

The city has recently accumulated several unofficial nicknames from among sub-groups within the city, including several whose origins are in the local Hip-Hop subculture. The most recently added nickname is "The Big Heart," which refers to assistance given by Houston and its citizens to the victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and 2006.

Space City

File:GPN-2000-001112.jpg
Johnson Space Center

Houston received its official nickname of "Space City" in 1967 because it is home to NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.[2]

NASA's center in Houston has its origins in legislation shepherded to enactment in 1958 by then-U.S. Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, who was from Texas. Then called simply the "Manned Spacecraft Center," it was opened in 1961. It was renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in 1973, the year Johnson died. The control center coordinates and monitors all human spaceflight for the United States and directs all Space Shuttle missions and activities aboard the International Space Station. The visitor's center of JSC is Space Center Houston.[3]

The first words transmitted by Neil Armstrong from the moon, "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed," are written in 15 languages on bronze plaques placed along the main entrance of Tranquility Park in downtown Houston. A replica of one of the footprints left on the moon by Neil Armstrong is also on display inside the park.[4]

Bayou City

Houston is known popularly as The Bayou City[5] (and less frequently as "Baghdad on the Bayou")[6] because it is home to ten winding waterways that flow through the surrounding area. Buffalo Bayou is the main waterway flowing through the city and has a significant place in Texas history, not only due to the founding place of the City of Houston, but also because the final battle for Texas Independence was fought along its banks.[7] Other major bayous in the city include White Oak Bayou, Brays Bayou and Sims Bayou.[8]

H-Town

H-Town is a widely popular modern nickname for Houston.[9] It is commonly used in reference to the city both locally and internationally, especially within the entertainment community. In addition, the H-Town Blues Festival is a music festival held each year in the city,[10] and the H-Town Arena Theatre has hosted a variety of performing artists from around the country since the 1970s.[11] H-Town (with the "H" standing for Houston) is also the name of an R&B hip hop band from Houston that was formed in 1992.[12]

Historic nicknames

A Magnolia flower in bloom

Magnolia City

Magnolia City is one of the earliest of Houston’s many nicknames. The Texas World, a newspaper first published in 1900, is said to have labeled Houston "the Magnolia City,"[13] but the nickname had been in use among the locals since the 1870s.[14] Areas of east Houston, particularly Harrisburg and Magnolia Park, were once natural Magnolia forests that were wiped out by urban sprawl by the 1920s. The nickname is still sometimes used in media stories about the city.[13]

Capital of the Sunbelt

The nickname Capital of the Sunbelt (also "Golden Buckle of the Sunbelt")[15] appeared during the boomtown years when the city experienced rapid growth. In the late 1970s, Houston was experiencing a population increase, as people from Rust Belt states moved en masse into Texas.[16] The new residents mostly came for the numerous employment opportunities in the petroleum industry, resulting from the Arab Oil Embargo.[17]

Clutch City

Main article: Clutch City

The nickname of Clutch City was given to the city of Houston after the Houston Rockets won the NBA championship after an unspectacular regular season in 1994-95. The moniker was adopted in response to a front-page headline in the Houston Chronicle declaring Houston to be "Choke City."[18] It was revived in 2005, as the Houston Astros had a late-season rally to win the pennant and clinch their first-ever World Series appearance, and again in 2006, when the Houston Dynamo won the MLS Cup in their inaugural season.[19]

The Rockets' mascot, "Clutch the Bear," was named the 5th-most recognizable mascot in sports by USA Today in February 2005, and was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2006.[20]

Katrina evacuees shelter at the Reliant Astrodome.

The Big Heart

The Big Heart is a nickname Houston earned in 2005-06 among many of the evacuees from Louisiana and other areas who sought refuge there in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.[21] Angelo Edwards, vice chair of the ACORN Katrina Survivors Association, said, "No other city really provided the resources and assistance Houston has."[21]

Houston housed, fed and mended more than 150,000 survivors in an effort that won acclaim throughout the United States, mounting what is believed to be the biggest shelter operation in the country's history, including MASH-like mega-clinics that took on problems ranging from emergency care to eyeglass prescriptions.[21]

"This has been a real success story," said Houston Mayor Bill White. "So many Houstonians stepped up to help our neighbors from Louisiana. It was humbling, and it showed the world the big heart and the incredible talent of our city."[22]

Subculture and groups

Screwston

Screwston is a popular modern nickname for the city of Houston.[23] Although it is not an official nickname, it is widely known by fans of local hip-hop artist DJ Screw and his style of music, known as "chopped and screwed".[24]

Hustletown

The nickname Hustletown, which originated from H-town, which in turn is a contraction of Houston, is often heard in the Houston hip hop culture. H-town was reformed to "Hustletown" by an unknown word evolution process.[25]

City of Syrup

The City of Syrup nickname (also "Syrup City") refers to the abuse of codeine-laced cough syrup, sometimes called purple drank, that has been popular in Houston and is associated with some rap artists.[26][27] Houston rap artist Big Moe used this nickname for the title of his 2000 album City of Syrup, whose cover featured an image of purple ooze being poured over the Houston skyline.[28]

Marketing slogan

An oil well in Texas

Energy Capital of the World

Houston is considered by many to be the Energy Capital of the World[29] (also "Oil Capital of the World"), because the city is home to more than 5,000 energy-related firms.[30] The city is a leading domestic and international center for virtually every segment of the oil and gas industry - exploration, production, transmission, marketing, service, supply, offshore drilling, and technology.[31][32]

Houston dominates U.S. oil and gas exploration and production and is unrivaled in the American energy industry.[33] It is home to more than 3,600 energy-related establishments. Houston is also home to 13 of the nation’s 20 largest natural gas transmission companies, 600 exploration and production firms and more than 170 pipeline operators.[31][32]

See also

References

  1. ^ Muench, David "Wisconsin Community Slogans: Their Use and Local Impacts", December 1993, accessed April 10, 2007.
  2. ^ "JSC Celebrates 40 Years of Human Space Flight". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved 2007-02-18.
  3. ^ "About Us". Space CenterHouston. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
  4. ^ "Tranquility Park". Parks and Outdoors, What to do, Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. Retrieved 2007-03-27.
  5. ^ "Houston". Travel Guide, www.VCarious.com (2007). Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  6. ^ "Bayous and Waterways". Environmental News, Citizens' Environmental Coalition - Houston. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  7. ^ John Perry. "Born on the bayou: city's murky start". Houston Heritage, City Savvy, Vol. 11, No. 3 (Online Ed. 2006). Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  8. ^ Eric Ruckstuhl. "Canoeing Houston's Bayous and Creeks". Bayou Preservation Association. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  9. ^ "H-Town". The Big Apple, www.barrypopik.com. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  10. ^ William Michael Smith. "The H-Town Blues Festival". Houston Press (February 1, 2007). Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  11. ^ "Events at H-Town Theatre". www.GoTickets.com. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  12. ^ "H-Town Lead Singer Dies". MTV. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
  13. ^ a b "Bayou City has a long, full history of print journalism". 100 Years, Houston Chronicle (Oct. 10, 2001). Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  14. ^ "Magnolia City (Houston nickname)". The Big Apple, Entry from August 13, 2006. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  15. ^ "A Hummer Alongside a Horse? The Rodeo Must Be in Houston". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
  16. ^ "Polish-Texans". Texas Almanac (2004-2005), www.texasalmanac.com. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
  17. ^ "The Impact of World Events on the Petroleum Industry of Houston, Texas in the 1970s and 1980s" (PDF). University of Houston Mathematics Dept. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
  18. ^ Dave Winder. "1994: From Choke City to Clutch City - Looking back". www.Rockets.com, NBA Media Ventures. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  19. ^ David J. Warner. "Houston Dynamo Wins MLS Cup, Nobody Outside of RFK Stadium Sees It Happen". www.sports.aol.com. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
  20. ^ "2006 Inductees". The Official Mascot Hall of Fame (2007). Retrieved 2008-01-08.
  21. ^ a b c "Katrina's Latest Damage". Newsweek on post-Katrina Houston (March 05, 2006). Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  22. ^ "George R. Brown Convention Center Closes its Doors Having Placed All Residents in Housing or Other Shelters". Mayor Bill White - Press Releases, City of Houston (September 21, 2005). Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  23. ^ "Screwston". The Big Apple, www.barrypopik.com. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  24. ^ "Chopped and Screwed, A History". Music Television. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
  25. ^ Suzanne Kemmer. "Hustletown". The Rice University Neologisms Database (1998-2005). Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  26. ^ "city of syrup". The Big Apple, www.barrypopik.com. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  27. ^ National Drug Intelligence Center (2007). "Houston High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Drug Market Analysis". Retrieved 2008-01-24. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  28. ^ From Bayou City to "city of syrup" by Kristen Mack, Houston Chronicle, February 10, 2002, 2 Star edition, Section A, Page 37 MetFront
  29. ^ "Publication Website". Energy Capital Houston. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
  30. ^ "Facts and Figures". About Houston, City of Houston (2007). Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  31. ^ a b "Energy Industry Guide". Greater Houston Partnership. Retrieved 2008-01-22. Cite error: The named reference "Energy" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  32. ^ a b Greater Houston Partnership, 2005 - 2015 Strategic Plan, page 27.
  33. ^ Simon Romero. "Houston Finds Business Boon After Katrina". Business, New York Times (September 6, 2005). Retrieved 2007-06-27.

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