Houston , the fourth largest city in the USA and the largest city of Texas , has many nicknames that reflect the characteristics of the city's geography, economy, sports and cultural achievements. They are often used in the media and in culture instead of the word Houston.
The city has only one official nickname - “City of Cosmonautics” (“Space City”), since it plays an important role in the domestic and world cosmonautics, there is the Lyndon Johnson Space Center there [1] . However, the first nickname “Magnolia City”, which was used among residents, appeared in the 1870s , but at the moment it has lost its relevance [2] . In recent decades, Houston has replenished with a large number of nicknames, the sources of which were local hip-hop subcultures and various events. The newest nickname is “The Big Heart” for hosting 150,000 victims of Hurricane Katrina at Houston Stadiums [3] . In total, Houston has 12 nicknames.
Content
Official nicknames
Cosmonautics City
Houston's only official nickname is “Space City” , which can be translated as “space city”, “cosmonautics city” or “cosmograd” [1] . The main reason - in Houston is the Lyndon Johnson Space Center . In 1958, it was decided to create a space center in Houston, in connection with the law " " on the development of domestic astronautics . The space center appeared in 1961 , and in 1973 it was renamed in honor of Lyndon Johnson , a senator from Texas and the 36th president of the United States , who died the same year. Currently, it is the NASA center for the development of manned spacecraft , training of astronauts and the preparation of manned space flights, a center for the management and control of space flights. The memorial plaque in words spoken by astronaut Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 mission (first human flight to the moon): Houston, Tranquility Base says. The eagle sat down [4] .
Unofficial nicknames
Popular nicknames
Houston has the nickname "Bayou City" ( city of bays ) [5] , given because of the many rivers in the city. Four rivers flow in the city. The main, , runs through the city center and the Houston Shipping Canal , and has three tributaries [6] : Bres Bayu runs along the Texas Medical Center , Sims Bayou runs through the southern part of the city, runs through the northern part of the city. Buffalo Bayu occupies a significant place in the history of Texas , on its banks there was a decisive battle at San Jacinto , in which the Texans defeated, as a result of which the Republic of Texas gained independence [7] . Later, the city of Houston was founded near this place [7] .
| Buffalo Bayou in West Houston. | The merger of White Oak Bayou and Buffalo Bayou. The place where the city was founded. | Battle of San Jacinto. |
Another popular nickname is “H-Town” [8] . This nickname is usually used both at the federal and international levels, especially in the entertainment field. The music festival “H-Town Blues Festival” [9] is annually held in the city, and there is an H-Town arena in which various events have been held since 1970 [10] . In the early 1990s, formed in Houston [11] .
Historical nicknames
The oldest nickname is Magnolia City . For the first time in documented form, this nickname is mentioned in the issue of the newspaper The Texas World, published in 1900 [12] . But the inhabitants of the city have used this expression since the 1870s [2] . This is due to the fact that earlier in the east of Houston there was a district “ [13]” , in the 1920s the area disappeared due to the expansion of the city. The nickname "city of magnolias" is sometimes used in the media [12] .
In the late 1970s, a sharp population jump occurred in Houston [14] . Most people from the Rust Belt moved to Texas [15] . Thanks to this, Houston received the nickname "Capital of the Sunbelt" ( "capital of the " ). New residents have the opportunity to work in the oil industry, which was booming after the oil crisis of 1973 [16] .
The nickname "Clutch City" [17] received Houston after winning the Houston Rockets team in the NBA championship for two consecutive years ( 1994 and 1995 ) [18] .
The nickname "The Big Heart" ( "big heart" ) appeared after the evacuation to Houston from Louisiana about 150,000 people because of the hurricane Katrina in 2005 [3] [19] . Most of the people were at Reliant Astrodom Stadium, sporting events were canceled [20] . Houston Mayor said [21] : It was a real success that we were able to help our neighbors from Louisiana. I had to put up with it, but we showed the whole world the incredible talent of our city and our big heart. Angelo Edwards, ACORN Katrina Survivors Association Vice-President, said [19] : No other city has provided victims with help and resources like Houston.
Subculture nicknames
The nickname "Screwston" is a modern one in Houston, arose due to the creativity of [22] . It is widely distributed among fans of DJ [23] . In the 1990s, the musical style , created by DJ Screw [23], was popular in the city.
Famous Houston groups and performers used a narcotic drink made from cough syrup and codeine [24] . is called purple, less commonly, purple jelly [25] [26] or Texas tea [27] . So Houston received the nickname "City of Syrup" ( "city of syrup" or "syrup city" ) [24] . released in 2000 released the [28] .
The nickname "Hustletown" comes from another nickname - "H-Town" [29] . This nickname is common in Houston hip hop culture, but its origin is unknown.
Marketing nicknames
Houston is often called the “ Energy Capital of the World” [30] [31] or the “Oil Capital of the World” (32) . Houston dominates the US economy in the field of exploration and production of oil and natural gas [33] . There are more than 5,000 energy companies in the city [31] , 13 of the 20 largest US companies in the gas production industry, 17 Fortune 500 energy companies, 170 pipeline operators [34] . Houston is also a member of the World Energy Cities Partnership [35] .
See also
- US State Nickname List
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 JSC Origins . NASA Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 Barry Popik. Magnolia City (Houston nickname) . www.barrypopik.com (August 13, 2006). Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 Katrina's human legacy . Houston Chronicle (August 27, 2006). Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ Tranquility Park . www.visithoustontexas.com. Date of treatment July 27, 2019.
- ↑ Introduction to Houston . www.vcarious.com. Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ Buffalo Bayou Watershed (unavailable link) . www.hcfcd.org. Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 John Perry. Born on the bayou: city's murky start . web.archive.org . Date of treatment July 27, 2019.
- ↑ Barry Popik. H-Town (Houston nickname) . www.barrypopik.com (August 14, 2006). Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ William Michael Smith. The H-Town Blues Festival . Houston Press (February 1, 2007). Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ H-Town Theater . www.gotickets.com. Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ Shaheem Reid. H-Town Lead Singer Dies . MTV (February 3, 2003). Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 Mike McDaniel. Bayou City has a long, full history of print journalism . Houston Chronicle (October 14, 2001). Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ Diana J. Kleiner. Magnolia Park, TX . The Handbook of Texas Online. Date of treatment July 27, 2019. Archived March 23, 2012.
- ↑ Population of the 100 largest Cities 1790 to 1990 . US Census Bureau (June 1998). Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ Polish Texans . www.texasalmanac.com. Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ Georgia Redonet. The Impact of World Events on the Petroleum Industry of Houston, Texas in the 1970s and 1980s . hti.math.uh.edu (2001). Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ Historical Moments . www.sportsecyclopedia.com. Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived July 2, 2012.
- ↑ Houston Rockets Franchise Index . www.basketball-reference.com. Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 Katrina's Latest Damage . houstonstraterate.blogspot.com (March 5, 2006). Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ Superdome evacuation disrupted after shots fired . sports.espn.go.com (September 2, 2005). Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ George R. Brown Convention Center Closes its Doors Having Placed all Residents in Housing or Other Shelters unopened (unavailable link) . The official website of the Houston administration (September 21, 2005). Date of treatment July 27, 2019. Archived September 23, 2005.
- ↑ Barry Popik. Screwston (Houston nickname) . www.barrypopik.com (August 13, 2006). Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 Chopped and screwed history . MTV . Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 Barry Popik. City of Syrup (Houston nickname) . www.barrypopik.com (September 17, 2006). Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ Richard Winton. Cough syrup cited in rapper Pimp C's death . Los Angeles Times (February 5, 2008). Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ Bryan Robinson. Cough Syrup Abuse in Texas Takes Center Stage . ABC News (August 17, 2005). Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ Shaheem Reid. Lil Wayne On Syrup: 'Everybody Wants Me To Stop ... It Ain't That Easy' . MTV (February 28, 2008). Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ Big Moe - City Of Syrup . Discogs Date of treatment July 27, 2019.
- ↑ Hustletown unopened . Rice University Database of Neologisms (2008). Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ John Hofmeister. Future remains bright for the world's energy capital . Houston Chronicle (October 10, 2010). Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 Houston Facts and Figures . The official website of the Houston administration. Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ Oil profits help Houston boom . www.marketplace.org. Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ Simon Romero. Houston Finds Business Boon After Katrina . New York Times (September 6, 2005). Date accessed July 27, 2019. Archived September 15, 2012.
- ↑ Energy Industry Guide . web.archive.org . Date of treatment July 27, 2019.
- ↑ Houston, USA . World Energy Cities Partnership. Date of treatment July 27, 2019. Archived on April 28, 2012.