Mental Floss

Wonderful Nicknames for Natives of 40 U.S. Cities

By Erin McCarthy

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Sometimes, naming the residents of a place is as easy as adding adding -ite, -ian, or -er to their city's name. Occasionally, though, it's not that simple: What locals call themselves can be weird, delightful, or hard to pronounce, and, sometimes, even just adding an -ian has unintended consequences. But whatever category the nicknames fall into, Paul Dickson has catalogued them in his Labels for Locals: What to Call People from Abilene to Zimbabwe. Here are some of our favorites.

1. Aiken, South Carolina: Aikenite
2. Amityville, New York: Amityvillain
3. Anaheim, California: Anaheimer
4. Baraboo, Wisconsin: Barabooian
5. Beatrice, Nebraska: Beatrician
6. Bismarck, North Dakota: Bismarcker
7. Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Cedar Rapidian or Bunnie (Cedar Rapids can sound a lot like “See Der Rabbits”—get it?—but locals might find this name kind of insulting)
8. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Cantabrigian or Cantabridgian; shortened to Cantab in the papers
9. Cape May, New Jersey: Cape Mayan
10. Del Mar, California: Del Martian
11. East Hampton, New York: Bonackers (From Accabonac Harbor; applies to someone who was born there or has at least one parent from there)
12. Flagstaff, Arizona: Flagstaffian
13. Gadsden, Alabama: Gadsdenite
14. Grand Forks, North Dakota: Grand Forker
15. Hackensack, New Jersey: Hackensackite
16. Hibbing, Minnesota: Hibbingite or Iron Ranger
17. Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey: Ho-Ho-Kusite
18. Honolulu, Hawaii: Honolulan
19. Independence, Missouri: Independent
20. Iron Mountain, Michigan: Mountaineer
21. Kannapolis, North Carolina: Kannapolitan
22. Kittanning, Pennsylvania: Kittanningite
23. Las Vegas, Nevada: Las Vegan
24. Las Cruces, New Mexico: Crucen
25. Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts: Vineyarder
26. Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania: Chunker
27. Montpelier, Vermont: Montpelierite
28. Newton, Kansas: Newtonian
29. Owensboro, Kentucky: Owensboroan
30. Park City, Utah: Parkites
31. Phoenix, Arizona: Phoenician
32. Pine Barrens, New Jersey: Pineys
33. Piqua, Ohio: Piquard
34. Rocky Mount, North Carolina: Rocky Mounter
35. Savannah, Georgia: Savannahian
36. Springfield, Ohio: Springfielder or Springfieldman/Springfieldwoman
37. Upper Peninsula, Michigan: Yoopers (from the initials U.P.)
38. Walla Walla, Washington: Walla Wallan
39. Whittier, Alaska: Whittiots or POWs (Prisoners of Whittier)
40. Woonsocket, Rhode Island: Woonsocketer