List of city nicknames in North Carolina

This partial list of city nicknames in North Carolina compiles the aliases, sobriquets and slogans that cities in North Carolina are known by (or have been known by historically), officially and unofficially, to municipal governments, local people, outsiders or their tourism boards or chambers of commerce. City nicknames can help in establishing a civic identity, helping outsiders recognize a community or attracting people to a community because of its nickname; promote civic pride; and build community unity.^[1] Nicknames and slogans that successfully create a new community "ideology or myth"^[2] are also believed to have economic value.^[1] Their economic value is difficult to measure,^[1] but there are anecdotal reports of cities that have achieved substantial economic benefits by "branding" themselves by adopting new slogans.^[2]

Some unofficial nicknames are positive, while others are derisive. The unofficial nicknames listed here have been in use for a long time or have gained wide currency.

• Apex — Peak of Good Living^[3]
• Asheville — San Francisco of the South^[4]
• Boone — Firefly Capital of the World^[5]
• Brevard — Home of the white squirrels^[6]
• Calabash — Seafood Capital of the World^[7][8]
• Cape Hatteras — The Graveyard of the Atlantic^[9][10]
• Carrboro — Paris of the Piedmont^[11]
• Chadbourn — Strawberry Capital of the World^[12]
• Charlotte
  • Buzz City^[13]
  • Queen City^[14]
  • The Hornet's Nest^[15]
• Durham — The Bull City^[16]
• Erwin — Denim Capital of the World^[17]
• Fayetteville
  • All-American City^[18]
  • City of Dogwoods^[18]
  • Fayettenam^[18]
  • Tar Heel Town^[18]
  • Torture Town^[18]
• Greensboro — The Gate City^[19]
• Greenville
  • The Emerald City^[20]
  • G-Vegas^[21]
• High Point — Furniture capital of the world^[22]
• Kannapolis — City of Looms^[23]
• Maggie Valley — Clogging Capital of the World^[3]
• Pinehurst — Golf Capital of the World^[7]
• Raleigh — The City of Oaks^[24]
• Thomasville — Chair City^[22]
• Wilmington
  • The Port City^[25]
  • Wilmywood^[26]
• Winston-Salem
  • Camel City^[27]
  • The Dash^[28]
  • The Tre-Fo^[29]
  • The Twin City

See also

• List of city nicknames in the United States

References

State of North Carolina
Raleigh (capital)
Topics	Climate Geography Government History Music Law North Carolinians State Parks Wildlife Visitor attractions
Society	Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Elections Gambling Politics Sports
Regions	Cape Fear Coastal Plain Crystal Coast Eastern Foothills High Country Inner Banks Metrolina (Charlotte) Outer Banks Piedmont Piedmont Triad Sandhills Triangle Western
Largest cities	Asheville Cary Chapel Hill Charlotte Concord Durham Fayetteville Gastonia Greensboro Greenville High Point Jacksonville Raleigh Wilmington Winston‑Salem
Smaller cities	Albemarle Apex Asheboro Burlington Conover Eden Elizabeth City Garner Goldsboro Graham Havelock Henderson Hendersonville Hickory Kannapolis Kings Mountain Kinston Laurinburg Lenoir Lexington Lumberton Monroe Morganton New Bern Newton Reidsville Roanoke Rapids Rocky Mount Salisbury Sanford Shelby Statesville Thomasville Wake Forest Waynesville Wilson
Major towns	Beaufort Boone Carrboro Clayton Cornelius Dunn Fuquay-Varina Harrisburg Holly Springs Hope Mills Huntersville Indian Trail Kernersville Knightdale Leland Matthews Midland Mint Hill Mooresville Morehead City Morrisville Mount Pleasant Oxford Shallotte Smithfield Southern Pines Tarboro Winterville
Counties	Alamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey