Nicknames of Houston

Image:Aerial View of the Johnson Space Center - GPN-2000-001112.jpg]]

Houston received its official nickname of "Space City" in 1967 because it is home to NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center.{{cite web | title = JSC Celebrates 40 Years of Human Space Flight | publisher = National Aeronautics and Space Administration | url = http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/about/history/jsc40/jsc40_pg4.html | access-date = February 18, 2007 | archive-date = November 10, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111110053126/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/about/history/jsc40/jsc40_pg4.html | url-status = dead }}http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2010/03/houston_101_yet_another_new_ni.php {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524014836/http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2010/03/houston_101_yet_another_new_ni.php |date=2011-05-24 }} Houston Press: Houston 101

NASA's center in Houston has its origins in the Space Task Group which directed its first crewed spaceflight program, Project Mercury. In 1961, it grew into a bigger organization as the Manned Spacecraft Center, and in 1962 moved into a newly built campus on land donated by Rice University.{{cite book | last=Dethloff | first=Henry C. | title=Suddenly Tomorrow Came... A History of the Johnson Space Center| publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration | year=1993 | author-link= Henry C. Dethloff | chapter=Chapter 3: Houston - Texas - U.S.A.| isbn=978-1502753588 | chapter-url=http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/suddenly_tomorrow/suddenly.htm }} It was renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in honor of Texas U.S. Senator, Vice President, and President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1973, the year Johnson died. As Senate Majority Leader, Johnson played a decisive role in passage of the legislation which created NASA in 1958. JSC contains the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center, which coordinates and monitors all human spaceflight for the United States, and directed all Space Shuttle missions and activities aboard the International Space Station.{{cite web| title=JSC History| publisher=Space Center Houston| url=http://spacecenter.org/general-info/about/jsc-history/| access-date=July 31, 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907224146/http://spacecenter.org/general-info/about/jsc-history/| archive-date=2015-09-07| url-status=dead}} The visitor's center of JSC is Space Center Houston.{{cite web | title=About Us | publisher= Space Center Houston | url=http://spacecenter.org/general-info/about/| access-date=July 31, 2015}}

Some of 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.{{cite web | title=Tranquility Park | publisher=Parks and Outdoors, What to do, Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau | url=http://www.visithoustontexas.com/visitors/parks_and_outdoors/listing.details.php?category=13683&id=28464 | access-date=March 27, 2007 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701235209/http://www.visithoustontexas.com/visitors/parks_and_outdoors/listing.details.php?category=13683&id=28464 | archive-date=July 1, 2007 }}

The 3-letter abbreviation for the city, taken from the IATA airport code for William P. Hobby Airport.

{{redirect|Bayou City|the Confederate ship|CS Bayou City}}

Houston is popularly known as "The Bayou City"{{cite web | title=Houston | publisher=Travel Guide, www.VCarious.com (2007) | url=http://www.vcarious.com/Travel-Guide/UnitedStates/Texas/Houston.html | access-date=June 27, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207010021/http://www.vcarious.com/Travel-Guide/UnitedStates/Texas/Houston.html | archive-date=February 7, 2012 | url-status=dead }} (and less frequently as "Baghdad on the Bayou"){{cite web | title=Bayous and Waterways | publisher=Environmental News, Citizens' Environmental Coalition – Houston | url=http://www.cechouston.org/index.php/?page_id=19 | access-date=June 27, 2007 | archive-date=February 6, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206051550/http://www.cechouston.org/index.php/?page_id=19 | url-status=dead }} 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.{{cite web|author=John Perry |title=Born on the bayou: city's murky start |work=Houston Heritage, City Savvy, Vol. 11, No. 3 (Online Ed. 2006) |url=http://www.houstontx.gov/hr/savvypages/sum06/sum06_heritage.htm |access-date=June 27, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070124195937/http://www.houstontx.gov/hr/savvypages/sum06/sum06_heritage.htm |archive-date=January 24, 2007 |url-status=dead }} Other major bayous in the city include White Oak Bayou, Brays Bayou and Sims Bayou.{{cite web|author=Eric Ruckstuhl |title=Canoeing Houston's Bayous and Creeks |publisher=Bayou Preservation Association |url=http://www.bayoupreservation.org/pages/wateraccess.htm |access-date=June 27, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070608154706/http://www.bayoupreservation.org/pages/wateraccess.htm |archive-date=June 8, 2007 |url-status=dead }}

Houston is "becoming the cultural capital of the South," according to Worth, which praised the city for its thriving arts, cultural, culinary and design scenes.{{|title= Houston named cultural capital of the South by national magazine|url=https://www.chron.com/life/article/Houston-named-cultural-capital-of-South-by-Worth-14082261.php#}}

"H-Town" is a widely popular modern nickname for Houston.{{cite web | title=H-Town | publisher=The Big Apple, www.barrypopik.com | url=http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/h_town_houston_nickname/ | access-date=September 27, 2007}} 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,{{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/ | access-date=June 27, 2007}} and the H-Town Arena Theatre has hosted a variety of performing artists from around the country since the 1970s.{{cite web | title=Events at H-Town Theatre | publisher=www.GoTickets.com | url=http://www.gotickets.com/venues/tx/h-town_theatre.php#venueEvents | access-date=June 27, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206144425/http://www.gotickets.com/venues/tx/h-town_theatre.php#venueEvents | archive-date=February 6, 2012 | url-status=dead }} H-Town (with the "H" standing for Houston) is also the name of an R&B and hip hop band from Houston that was formed in 1992.{{cite web | title=H-Town Lead Singer Dies | publisher=MTV | url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459812/02032003/h_town.jhtml | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030825045054/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459812/02032003/h_town.jhtml | url-status=dead | archive-date=August 25, 2003 | access-date=January 22, 2008}}

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"Hustle Town", another popular local nickname for Houston, is often used to reference the city's significance as an international center of commerce, trade, and more recently, music, art, and a rapidly growing population center that 'never seems to rest'. Houston is sometimes compared to larger, older cities and pop-cultural centers, sometimes being referred to as the "New York' or 'L.A' of the South", and is the fourth largest city in the United States, in terms of population size. The term 'Hustle Town' was popularized by Houston rapper SPM, following the release of Hustle Town in 1998, which was followed with a rise in the usage of the term in hip-hop music and culture in the Houston scene. The term is also often used by sports teams, corporations, slogans, or groups in Houston, such as the Houston Astros, with the phrase "Welcome to Hustle Town", which can be seen painted on the south side of Daikin Park.

{{Main|Clutch City}}

The nickname of "Clutch City" was given to the city of Houston after the Houston Rockets won the 1994 and 1995 NBA championships. The moniker was adopted in response to a front-page headline in the Houston Chronicle declaring Houston to be "Choke City".{{cite web | title=1994: From Choke City to Clutch City – Looking back | author=Dave Winder | publisher=www.Rockets.com, NBA Media Ventures | url=http://www.nba.com/rockets/history/lookingback_94finals.html | access-date=June 27, 2007 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225142252/http://www.nba.com/rockets/history/lookingback_94finals.html | archive-date=December 25, 2007 }} 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.{{cite web | title=Houston Dynamo Wins MLS Cup, Nobody Outside of RFK Stadium Sees It Happen | author=David J. Warner | publisher=www.sports.aol.com | url=http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/11/18/houston-dynamo-wins-mls-cup-nobody-outside-of-rfk-stadium-sees/ | access-date=January 22, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071121184129/http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/11/18/houston-dynamo-wins-mls-cup-nobody-outside-of-rfk-stadium-sees/ | archive-date=2007-11-21 | url-status=dead }}

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.{{cite web | title=2006 Inductees | publisher=The Official Mascot Hall of Fame (2007) | url=http://www.mascothalloffame.com/virtual/hall/index.html?staff_id=10 | access-date=January 8, 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130128171942/http://www.mascothalloffame.com/virtual/hall/index.html?staff_id=10 | archive-date=January 28, 2013 }}

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Crush City is a nickname that derived from the 2015 Houston Astros season. "Crush" is a reference to the high number of home runs delivered by the Houston Astros, as the team ended with the second most home runs in MLB.

Image:Magnolia × soulangeana blossom.jpg flower in bloom]]

"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",{{cite web | title=Bayou City has a long, full history of print journalism | work=100 Years, Houston Chronicle (Oct. 10, 2001) | url=https://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/special/100years4/1084491.html | access-date=June 27, 2007 | archive-date=December 18, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071218075439/http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/special/100years4/1084491.html | url-status=dead }} but the nickname had been in use among the locals since the 1870s.{{cite web | title=Magnolia City (Houston nickname) | publisher=The Big Apple, Entry from August 13, 2006 | url=http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/magnolia_city_houston_nickname/ | access-date=June 27, 2007}} 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.File:Magnolia City Houston.jpg

The nickname "Capital of the Sunbelt" (also "Golden Buckle on the Sun Belt"){{cite news | title= A Hummer Alongside a Horse? The Rodeo Must Be in Houston | work=The New York Times | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E1D9163FF932A35750C0A9629C8B63 | access-date=January 24, 2008 | first=Ralph | last=Blumenthal | date=March 1, 2004}} appeared during the boomtown years when the city experienced rapid growth.{{Cite web|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/01/forget-what-the-pundits-tell-you-coastal-cities-are-old-news-it-s-the-sunbelt-that-s-booming.html|title=Forget What the Pundits Tell You, Coastal Cities are Old News - it's the Sunbelt that's Booming|last=Kotkin|first=Joel|date=2014-03-01|website=The Daily Beast|access-date=2016-03-25}}{{Cite journal|last=Feagin|first=Joe R.|date=1985-01-01|title=The Global Context of Metropolitan Growth: Houston and the Oil Industry|jstor=2779634|journal=American Journal of Sociology|volume=90|issue=6|pages=1204–1230|doi=10.1086/228208|s2cid=143437278}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.temple.edu/tempress/titles/514_reg.html|title=Beth Anne Shelton, Joe R. Feagin, Robert Bullard, Nestor Rodriguez, Robert D. Thomas: Houston|website=www.temple.edu|access-date=2016-03-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001343/http://www.temple.edu/tempress/titles/514_reg.html|archive-date=2016-03-04|url-status=dead}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JVAr78xwo7sC|title=The Global Cities Reader|last1=Brenner|first1=Neil|last2=Keil|first2=Roger|date=2006-01-01|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=9780415323444|language=en}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v-74dw0_stAC&q=Houston%2520capital%2520of%2520the%2520sunbelt&pg=PA205|title=Business Elites and Urban Development: Case Studies and Critical Perspectives|last=Cummings|first=Scott|date=1988-01-01|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=9780887065774|language=en}} In the late 1970s, Houston was experiencing a population increase, as people from Rust Belt states moved en masse into Texas.{{cite web | title=Polish-Texans | publisher=Texas Almanac (2004-2005), www.texasalmanac.com | url=https://texasalmanac.com/topics/culture/polish/polish-texans| access-date=July 3, 2018}} The new residents mostly came for the numerous employment opportunities in the petroleum industry, resulting from the Arab Oil Embargo.{{cite web | title=The Impact of World Events on the Petroleum Industry of Houston, Texas in the 1970s and 1980s | publisher=University of Houston Mathematics Department | url=http://hti.math.uh.edu/curriculum/units/2001/05/05/01.05.05.pdf

| access-date=January 22, 2008}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}

Image:Katrina-14451.jpg.]]

The "Big Heart" is a nickname Houston earned in 2005–06 among many of the storm victims from Louisiana and other affected areas who sought refuge there in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.{{cite web | title=Katrina's Latest Damage | work=Newsweek on post-Katrina Houston (March 5, 2006) | url=http://houstonstrategies.blogspot.com/2006/03/newsweek-on-post-katrina-houston.html | access-date=June 27, 2007}} Angelo Edwards, vice chair of the ACORN Katrina Survivors Association, said, "No other city really provided the resources and assistance Houston has."

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 Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH)-like mega-clinics that took on problems ranging from emergency care to eyeglass prescriptions.

"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."{{cite web | title=George R. Brown Convention Center Closes its Doors Having Placed All Residents in Housing or Other Shelters | publisher=Mayor Bill White – Press Releases, City of Houston (September 21, 2005) | url=http://www.houstontx.gov/mayor/press/20050921.html | access-date=June 27, 2007 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070624153320/http://www.houstontx.gov/mayor/press/20050921.html | archive-date=June 24, 2007 }}

The "City of Lean" nickname (also "Lean City") refers to the enjoyment of codeine-laced cough syrup, sometimes called purple drank, that has been popular in Houston and is associated with some rap artists.{{cite web | title=city of syrup | publisher=The Big Apple, www.barrypopik.com | url=http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/city_of_syrup_houston_nickname/ | access-date=September 27, 2007}}{{cite web |title=Houston High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Drug Market Analysis |url=http://0225.0145.01.040/ndic/pubs23/23932/distro.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213193959/http://149.101.1.32/ndic/pubs23/23932/distro.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 13, 2008 |author=National Drug Intelligence Center |year=2007 |access-date=January 24, 2008 }} 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.[https://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2002_3516475 From Bayou City to "city of syrup"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130918100933/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2002_3516475 |date=2013-09-18 }} by Kristen Mack, Houston Chronicle, February 10, 2002, 2 Star edition, Section A, Page 37 MetFront

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"Houstone" is generally used to refer to members of the Texas prison gang "Tango Blast". However, "Houstone" is also used amongst them to claim Houston as their city as a form of identification.

Coined by food writer John T. Edge in Oxford American:{{cite web |title=Local Fare: Savoring Mutt City |author=John T. Edge |publisher=Oxford American |date=Fall 2012 |url=https://www.oxfordamerican.org/magazine/itemlist/category/153-issue-78-new-south-journalism |author-link=John T. Edge |access-date=2019-06-08 |archive-date=2019-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608162957/https://www.oxfordamerican.org/magazine/itemlist/category/153-issue-78-new-south-journalism |url-status=dead }} "... a name that combines the city's embrace of the variety and splendor of the foods from our immigrant communities and our penchant for crossing the lines and boundaries between not only different cuisines but between high-dollar and low-brow fare."{{cite web | title=National food critic dubs H-Town's restaurant scene "bastard cooking" — sorry that's no compliment | author=Sarah Rufca | date=Nov 15, 2012 | publisher=Culture Map Houston | url=http://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/11-15-12-national-food-critic-dubs-houstons-restaurant-scene-bastard-cooking-sorry-thats-no-compliment/}}

"Ozone City" is a more recent nickname used in Punk, Alternative, and art circles. Its exact origins are unknown, but likely in reference to Houston's high Ozone count and air pollution.{{cite web | title=Ozone City | publisher= Ozone City Ourage, www.houstonpunkart.wordpress.com | url=https://houstonpunkart.wordpress.com}}

"Screwston" is a popular modern nickname for the city of Houston.{{cite web | title=Screwston | publisher=The Big Apple, www.barrypopik.com | url=http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/screwston_houston_nickname/ | access-date=September 27, 2007}} It is widely known by fans of local hip-hop artist DJ Screw and his style of music, known as "chopped and screwed".{{cite web | title=Chopped and Screwed, A History | publisher=MTV | url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/h/hip_hop_week/chopped_screwed/ | access-date=January 22, 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080111115805/http://www.mtv.com/bands/h/hip_hop_week/chopped_screwed/ | archive-date=January 11, 2008 }}

Image:Oil well.jpg in Texas]]

Houston is considered by many to be "The Energy Capital of the World,"{{cite web|title=Publication Website|url=http://www.energycapitalhouston.org/|publisher=Energy Capital Houston|access-date=January 30, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060819024512/http://www.energycapitalhouston.org/|archive-date=August 19, 2006}} because the city is home to more than 5,000 energy-related firms.{{cite web | title=Facts and Figures | publisher=About Houston, City of Houston (2007) | url=http://www.houstontx.gov/abouthouston/houstonfacts.html | access-date=June 27, 2007}} 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.{{cite web|title=Energy Industry Guide |publisher=Greater Houston Partnership |url=http://www.houston.org/industryGuide/energy.asp |access-date=January 22, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222051213/http://www.houston.org/industryGuide/energy.asp |archive-date=December 22, 2007 |url-status=dead }}

Greater Houston Partnership, [http://www.houston.org/pdfs/StrategicPlan.pdf 2005 – 2015 Strategic Plan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411010805/http://www.houston.org/pdfs/StrategicPlan.pdf |date=2008-04-11 }} , page 27.

Houston dominates U.S. oil and gas exploration and production and is unrivaled in the American energy industry.{{cite news | title=Houston Finds Business Boon After Katrina | author=Simon Romero | work=Business, New York Times (September 6, 2005) | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/06/business/06goldrush.html?ex=1212379200&en=7220360ed029c719&ei=5035&partner=MARKETWATCH | access-date=June 27, 2007 | date=September 6, 2005}} 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. Houston also hosts the annual Offshore Technology Conference which is the world's largest energy-related trade show.{{cn|date=April 2024}}

{{Portal|Texas}}

• List of city nicknames in Texas
• Culture of Houston

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.houstontx.gov/ City of Houston official website]
• [http://www.visithoustontexas.com/ Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau]

{{Houston, Texas}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicknames Of Houston}}

Houston, Texas

Category:Culture of Houston