Cities in Shadow Trivia Quiz

Answer: Chicago, IL

Chicago's best-known nickname is 'The Windy City', but how it earned that moniker is somewhat clouded, giving four likely reasons.

First, due to the weather. Being situated on the shore of Lake Michigan makes for lots of wind.

Second, it could be because of a rivalry between Chicago and Cincinnati (both economic and in the sports world) that led to some name-calling in the 1870s).

Third, the heated bidding to host the 1893 World's Fair came down to either New York or Chicago. A New York columnist stated, "Don't pay any attention", wrote Charles A. Dana, day in and day out in his "New York Sun", "to the nonsensical claims of that windy city. Its people could not build a World's Fair even if they won it." [quote from Wikipedia.]

And fourth, the propensity for long-winded speeches at political conventions held in Chicago is also often cited as the reason for the nickname. Blowhards, you might say.

Among its more popular other nicknames are 'Chi-Town', the 'Second City', and the 'City of Big Shoulders'.

Answer: Miami, FL

Miami earned its nickname as 'The Magic City' during its economic boom during the early 1900s that lasted until the Great Depression. Over a 20-year span, Miami went from a population of 1,681 (in the year 1900) to 29,549 (1920). In 2015, the "Demographia World Urban Areas" estimated Miami's greater metropolitan area to have a population of 5,764,000 people, ranking it as the 63rd largest in the world.

Other Miami nicknames include 'The Gateway to the Americas' and the 'Capital of Latin America'.

Answer: Boston, MA

It could be argued that the two most popular nicknames for Boston are 'The Hub' and 'Bean Town'.

Boston earned its 'Bean Town' moniker a tad earlier than 'The Hub'. 'Bean Town' is a reference to the Plymouth Colony's traditional bean bake dinners that were known far and wide (by the sailors and traders that frequented the colony). In actuality, Boston was originally called 'Bean Town' by visitors, and not so much by the local residents.

As for 'The Hub', that term was coined by Boston-based author Oliver Wendell Holmes when he referred to the Massachusetts State House as 'The Hub of the Solar System'. Eventually, Bostonians expanded that to become 'The Hub of the Universe'.

Some other nicknames associated with Boston are 'America's Walking City', the 'Cradle of Liberty', and the 'City upon a Hill'.

Answer: Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix's primary nickname is the 'Valley of the Sun', or sometimes simply 'The Valley'. With 296 days per year with sun (on average), it is a very apt nickname. In a 2009 effort to rebrand itself, the City of Phoenix's downtown businesses began promoting the city as 'Arizona's Urban Heart'.

Answer: Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis, together with Saint Paul, make up the 'Twin Cities', but each city has its own set of nicknames. In addition to being called the 'Mill City', Minneapolis is also called 'City of Lakes', 'Mini Apple', and the 'First City of the West'.

The 'Mill City' moniker, as you might expect, came from the historical mill industry along the Mississippi River, at one point including seventeen different sawmills.

Answer: San Francisco

San Francisco has had many nicknames over the years, but the 'City by the Bay' has been the most enduring, especially with the impressive Golden Gate Bridge spanning the channel between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.

'Shaky Town' is a reference to the many earthquakes that San Francisco has experienced over the years, including the famous 1906 quake that leveled the city (7.8 on the Richter scale).

Some other nicknames San Francisco has had include 'Fog City', 'The City that Knows How', 'Baghdad by the Bay', and 'The Paris of the West'.

Answer: New York

New York, New York; the city so nice they named it twice! As America's biggest and arguably most diverse city, it is not surprising that 'The City' has many different nicknames. Here is a short list:

- 'The City that Never Sleeps' - first used in print in 1912, then popularized in the song (and movie) "New York, New York" (1977);

- 'The Big Apple' - a reference to horse racing of the 1920s, then a later ad campaign;

- 'Gotham' - from a Washington Irving satirical article about New York, later equated with the Gotham of "Batman" comics;

- 'Metropolis' - from both the "Superman" comics and the 1926 film "Metropolis";

- various others including 'The Center of the Universe', 'The Capital of the World', 'The City with Everything', 'The Melting Pot', and 'Hong Kong on the Hudson'.

Answer: Cleveland, OH

There are other cities in the United States that lay claim to the nickname 'The Forest City' (Atlanta, GA, Portland, ME, and Rockford, IL), but only one of the four fulfill the other criteria of being located on the shore of Lake Erie and calling itself the 'Rock 'n' Roll Capital of the World'.

In Cleveland, the term was used as early as 1934, and has been promoted by various prominent Clevelanders over the years. As for the other claim, having the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame located in Cleveland may have something to do with it.

Other nicknames for Cleveland include 'The Metropolis of the Western Reserve', 'C-Town', and 'Sixth City'.

Answer: Seattle, WA

'The Emerald City' was chosen as Seattle's official nickname in a 1981 poll, replacing the previous official nickname of the 'Queen City', which it had held since 1869. Its two official monikers (more slogans than used nicknames) are 'The City of Flowers' and 'The City of Goodwill'.

Seattle's wet climate has also earned it a nickname of 'Rain City', while being the closest major U.S. city to Alaska has given it the name 'Gateway to Alaska'. The prominence of the local Boeing airplane manufacturing company has also given Seattle the nickname 'Jet City'.

Answer: Denver, CO

With an official elevation of 5,280 feet, 'Mile-High City' is a very apt descriptor of Denver. It is also known as the 'Queen City of the Plains' and 'Queen City of the West'. A 'queen' city is a term often adopted by a city that is the largest in a given region, yet does not hold the status of capital city of that region.