There have been severalnicknames for the City ofCleveland throughout itshistory. These include:

• "The 216" – Referring to thelocal area code.^[1][2]
• "America's North Coast" or "The North Coast" – Referring to the city's geographic position on theLake Erie shore.^[3]
• "Believeland" – Originated in 2007 and culminated in the 2016 NBA Finals between theCleveland Cavaliers and theGolden State Warriors.^[4]
• "The Best Location in the Nation" – Nickname commonly used for Cleveland during the 1950s, also referring to the city's geographic position.^[5][6]
• "C-town" or "C-land" – Used by many performing artists and locals to denote Cleveland.^[3][7]
• "City of Champions" – Referring to Cleveland's golden age of sports victories in the 1940s and 1950s.^[8][9]
• "City of Light"^[10]
• "The CLE" or simply "CLE"^[11] – From theIATA code forCleveland Hopkins International Airport.
• "The Cleve" – Nickname used on the TV show30 Rock.^[12][13]
• "The Forest City" – Cleveland's oldest nickname. Introduced in the early 19th century, it refers to the forested nature of the city.^{[14][15][3][11]}
• "The Land" – A term originating in Cleveland-made hip-hop music in the 1990s, and became popular in the national media in the mid-2010s.^[11][16][17]
• "Metropolis of the Western Reserve" – A historical nickname for Cleveland, referring to the historicalConnecticut Western Reserve.^[3]
• "The Mistake on the Lake" or "The Mistake by the Lake" – A pejorative term for the city, originating from the late 1960s.^[3][18][19]
• "The New American City"^[20]
• "Prodigy of the Western Reserve" – A nickname for Cleveland coined by local journalistGeorge E. Condon, also referring to the Connecticut Western Reserve.^[21]
• "The Rock and Roll Capital of the World" – Originated in the early 1970s. Refers to Cleveland's association withrock and roll music. Today, Cleveland is home of theRock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[11][22]
• "Sixth City" – An early 20th century nickname due to Cleveland being the sixth largest city in the nation at the time.^[23][24]

• List of city nicknames in Ohio
• Nicknames of Pittsburgh
• Nicknames of Detroit

• Souther, J. Mark (October 3, 2017)."From 'The Mistake On The Lake' To 'Defend Together': The Long (And Amusing) History Of Trying to Rebrand Cleveland".Belt Magazine. RetrievedApril 8, 2023.

• Lists of nicknames by city
• Culture of Cleveland
• Cleveland-related lists
• Names of places in the United States

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from May 2025