There are manynicknames for the city of Houston, the largest city inTexas and fourth-largest city in the United States. The city'snicknames reflect itsgeography,economy, multicultural population, and popular culture, including sports and music. They are often used by the media and in popular culture to reference the city.
Houston currently has one official nickname, "Space City", signifying the city's global importance tospace exploration and historical role as a prominent center of activity by theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Cities adopt official nicknames such as this one to establish a civic identity, promote civic pride, and build community unity.[1] Houston has had other nicknames in the past which have faded in common usage, going as far back as the 1870s.
The city has recently accumulated several unofficial nicknames from among sub-groups within the city, including several whose origins are in the localhip-hop subculture. The most recently added nickname is "The Big Heart", which refers to assistance given by Houston and its citizens to the victims ofHurricane Katrina in 2005 and 2006.
Houston received its official nickname of "Space City" in 1967 because it is home toNASA'sManned Spacecraft Center.[2][3]
NASA's center in Houston has its origins in theSpace 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 byRice University.[4] It was renamed theLyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in honor of TexasU.S. Senator,Vice President, andPresidentLyndon B. Johnson in 1973, the year Johnson died. AsSenate Majority Leader, Johnson played a decisive role in passage ofthe legislation which created NASA in 1958. JSC contains theChristopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center, which coordinates and monitors all human spaceflight for the United States, and directed allSpace Shuttle missions and activities aboard theInternational Space Station.[5] The visitor's center of JSC isSpace Center Houston.[6]
Some of the first words transmitted byNeil 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 ofTranquility Park indowntown Houston. A replica of one of the footprints left on the Moon by Neil Armstrong is also on display inside the park.[7]
The 3-letter abbreviation for the city, taken from theIATA airport code forWilliam P. Hobby Airport.
Houston is popularly known as "The Bayou City"[8] (and less frequently as "Baghdad on the Bayou")[9] 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 thefinal battle for Texas Independence was fought along its banks.[10] Other major bayous in the city includeWhite Oak Bayou,Brays Bayou andSims Bayou.[11]
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.[12]
"H-Town" is a widely popular modern nickname for Houston.[13] 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 amusic festival held each year in the city,[14] and the H-Town Arena Theatre has hosted a variety of performing artists from around the country since the 1970s.[15]H-Town (with the "H" standing for Houston) is also the name of anR&B andhip hop band from Houston that was formed in 1992.[16]
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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 thefourth largest city in the United States, in terms of population size. The term 'Hustle Town' was popularized by Houston rapperSPM, following the release ofHustle 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 theHouston Astros, with the phrase "Welcome to Hustle Town", which can be seen painted on the south side ofDaikin Park.
The nickname of "Clutch City" was given to the city of Houston after theHouston Rockets won the 1994 and 1995NBA championships. The moniker was adopted in response to a front-page headline in theHouston Chronicle declaring Houston to be "Choke City".[17] It was revived in 2005, as the Houston Astros had a late-season rally to win the pennant and clinch their first-everWorld Series appearance, and again in 2006, when theHouston Dynamo won theMLS Cup in their inaugural season.[18]
The Rockets' mascot, "Clutch the Bear", was named the 5th-most recognizable mascot in sports byUSA Today in February 2005, and was inducted into theMascot Hall of Fame in 2006.[19]
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Crush City is a nickname that derived from the2015 Houston Astros season. "Crush" is a reference to the high number of home runs delivered by theHouston Astros, as the team ended with the second most home runs inMLB.
"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",[20] but the nickname had been in use among the locals since the 1870s.[21] Areas of east Houston, particularlyHarrisburg andMagnolia Park, were once natural Magnolia forests that were wiped out byurban sprawl by the 1920s. The nickname is still sometimes used in media stories about the city.[20]
The nickname "Capital of theSunbelt" (also "Golden Buckle on the Sun Belt")[22] appeared during theboomtown years when the city experienced rapid growth.[23][24][25][26][27] In the late 1970s, Houston was experiencing a population increase, as people fromRust Belt states moveden masse into Texas.[28] The new residents mostly came for the numerous employment opportunities in the petroleum industry, resulting from theArab Oil Embargo.[29]
The "Big Heart" is a nickname Houston earned in 2005–06 among many of the storm victims fromLouisiana and other affected areas who sought refuge there in the aftermath ofHurricane Katrina.[30] Angelo Edwards, vice chair of theACORN Katrina Survivors Association, said, "No other city really provided the resources and assistance Houston has."[30]
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, includingMobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH)-like mega-clinics that took on problems ranging from emergency care to eyeglass prescriptions.[30]
"This has been a real success story", said Houston MayorBill 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."[31]
The "City of Lean" nickname (also "Lean City") refers to the enjoyment ofcodeine-laced cough syrup, sometimes calledpurple drank, that has been popular in Houston and is associated with somerap artists.[32][33] Houston rap artistBig Moe used this nickname for the title of his 2000 albumCity of Syrup, whose cover featured an image of purple ooze being poured over the Houston skyline.[34]
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"Houstone" is generally used to refer to members of theTexasprison gang "Tango Blast". However, "Houstone" is also used amongst them to claimHouston as their city as a form of identification.
Coined by food writerJohn T. Edge inOxford American:[35] "... 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."[36]
"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.[37]
"Screwston" is a popular modern nickname for the city of Houston.[38] It is widely known by fans of local hip-hop artistDJ Screw and his style of music, known as "chopped and screwed".[39]
Houston is considered by many to be "The Energy Capital of the World,"[40] because the city is home to more than 5,000energy-related firms.[41] 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.[42][43]
Houston dominatesU.S. oil and gas exploration and production and is unrivaled in the American energy industry.[44] It is home to more than 3,600 energy-related establishments. Houston is also home to 13 of the nation's 20 largestnatural gas transmission companies, 600exploration and production firms and more than 170 pipeline operators.[42][43] Houston also hosts the annualOffshore Technology Conference which is the world's largest energy-related trade show.[citation needed]
