Have you ever seen a town nickname or motto and wondered what the meaning was? I definitely have, and I’ve come across this quite a lot in Illinois. So I’ve dug up the meaning behind the nicknames of 15 Illinois towns. Enjoy!
- Aurora (City of Lights)
Daniel X. O’Neil/Flickr Aurora got its name in 1908, because it became one of the first towns in America to implement all-electric street lighting.
- Beardstown (Watermelon Capital)
ryan griffls/Flickr I had no idea that Illinois produced so many watermelons. Beardstown takes the cake with its watermelon production. Hence, the nickname!
- Chester (The Home of Popeye)
David Wilson/Flickr If you are a Popeye fan (and you totally should be), you need to head down to Chester, where they honor Popeye through statues and festivals. Popeye’s creator, E.C. Segar, was Chester’s native son.
- DeKalb (Barbed Wire Capital of the World)
Doug Bowman/Flickr Joseph Glidden, of DeKalb, invented barbed wire. Criminals everywhere curse you!
- Freeport (Pretzel City, USA)
Joseph Novak/Flickr Freeport, Illinois is known as Pretzel City in honor of its German heritage.
- Mattoon (Bagel Capital of the World)
blinq/Flickr You know Lender…that Lender, that makes those delicious bagels? Yeah, he set up shop in Mattoon, and since then, the town has a “Bagelfest” each year.
- Lombard (Lilac City)
Liam Moloney/Flickr Lombard’s love of lilacs (say that ten times fast!) dates back to the early 1900s, when the town held its first lilac festival.
- Quincy (Gem City)
Joanna Poe/Flickr Turns out, the nickname “Gem City” has nothing to do with gemstones. It was so named because, when settled, it turned out to be particularly fertile and had great opportunities for trade.
- Peoria (Whiskeytown)
CinCool/Flickr At one time, Peoria was swimming in whiskey, as the top producer of whiskey in the country! The last brewery has since closed but the legacy lives on.
- Thomson (The Melon Capital of the World)
Frederic Bisson/Flickr Thomson is known for its melons of all varieties, but especially watermelons. Each fall, they host “Melon Days.”
- Monmouth (The Maple City)
kionwitoski/Flickr Well, they have maples in Monmouth, but another reason for this nickname might be the fact that it was once home to Western Stoneware, known for stoneware with a “maple leaf” imprint.
- Batavia (The Windmill City)
David Wilson/Flickr At the turn of the century, Batavia was the top windmill manufacture, which produced a ton of power. They honor this heritage with a windmill festival each year.
- Charleston (Chuckvegas)
Matt Turner/Flickr This has to be one of the greatest nicknames ever. This was so named because college kids love to party here. Go Panthers!
- Marion (Hub City of the Universe)
Carol Norquist/Flickr Marion was so nicknamed by mayor Bob Butler. He named it this because the town is at the interaction of Illinois Route 13 and Interstate 57, and it is a center for shopping, dining and entertainment in Southern Illinois.
- Naperville (The Golden City)
David Wilson/Flickr I haven’t found a good explanation for this nickname other than that people who live here generally have enough money to buy all the gold they want.
Does your town have a fun nickname? Be sure to let us know in the comments.
Daniel X. O’Neil/Flickr
Aurora got its name in 1908, because it became one of the first towns in America to implement all-electric street lighting.
ryan griffls/Flickr
I had no idea that Illinois produced so many watermelons. Beardstown takes the cake with its watermelon production. Hence, the nickname!
David Wilson/Flickr
If you are a Popeye fan (and you totally should be), you need to head down to Chester, where they honor Popeye through statues and festivals. Popeye’s creator, E.C. Segar, was Chester’s native son.
Doug Bowman/Flickr
Joseph Glidden, of DeKalb, invented barbed wire. Criminals everywhere curse you!
Joseph Novak/Flickr
Freeport, Illinois is known as Pretzel City in honor of its German heritage.
blinq/Flickr
You know Lender…that Lender, that makes those delicious bagels? Yeah, he set up shop in Mattoon, and since then, the town has a “Bagelfest” each year.
Liam Moloney/Flickr
Lombard’s love of lilacs (say that ten times fast!) dates back to the early 1900s, when the town held its first lilac festival.
Joanna Poe/Flickr
Turns out, the nickname “Gem City” has nothing to do with gemstones. It was so named because, when settled, it turned out to be particularly fertile and had great opportunities for trade.
CinCool/Flickr
At one time, Peoria was swimming in whiskey, as the top producer of whiskey in the country! The last brewery has since closed but the legacy lives on.
Frederic Bisson/Flickr
Thomson is known for its melons of all varieties, but especially watermelons. Each fall, they host “Melon Days.”
kionwitoski/Flickr
Well, they have maples in Monmouth, but another reason for this nickname might be the fact that it was once home to Western Stoneware, known for stoneware with a “maple leaf” imprint.
At the turn of the century, Batavia was the top windmill manufacture, which produced a ton of power. They honor this heritage with a windmill festival each year.
Matt Turner/Flickr
This has to be one of the greatest nicknames ever. This was so named because college kids love to party here. Go Panthers!
Carol Norquist/Flickr
Marion was so nicknamed by mayor Bob Butler. He named it this because the town is at the interaction of Illinois Route 13 and Interstate 57, and it is a center for shopping, dining and entertainment in Southern Illinois.
I haven’t found a good explanation for this nickname other than that people who live here generally have enough money to buy all the gold they want.
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