This is a list of nicknames and slogans of cities in Canada. Many Canadian cities and communities are known by various

aliases A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

slogan A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, political slogan, political, Advertising slogan, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the publi ...

sobriquet A sobriquet ( ), or soubriquet, is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another, that is descriptive. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym, as it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name, without the need of expla ...

s, and other

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

s to the general population at either the local, regional, national, or international scales, often due to marketing campaigns and widespread usage in the media. Some nicknames are officially adopted by municipal governments, tourism boards, or

chambers of commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

, while others are unofficial, and some are current while others are antiquated. Some nicknames are positive, while others are derisive, disparaging or derogatory. City nicknames can help establish a civic identity, promote civic pride, build civic unity, market the community, and attract residents and businesses. They are also believed to have economic value, though their economic value is difficult to measure.

Cities by province

Alberta

Brooks Brooks may refer to: Places ;Antarctica *Cape Brooks ;Canada *Brooks, Alberta ;United States * Brooks, Alabama * Brooks, Arkansas *Brooks, California *Brooks, Georgia * Brooks, Iowa * Brooks, Kentucky * Brooks, Maine * Brooks Township, Michigan ...

**"Alberta's Centennial City" — Brooks became a city in 2005, Alberta's centennial year. *

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

**"C-Town" **"Cowtown" **"Calgs" **"Heart of The New West" — derived from the city's former official slogan **"Mohkínstsis" — the traditional Blackfoot name of the Calgary area **"The

Stampede A stampede () is a situation in which a group of large animals suddenly start running in the same direction, especially because they are excited or frightened. Non-human species associated with stampede behavior include zebras, cattle, elephants ...

City" **"Sandstone City" — named for the boom of buildings built from

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

following the Great Fire of 1886. **YYC - Calgary airport code, only Canadian city where ICAO code used by residents in casual conversation. * Camrose **"The Rose City" *

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

**"The Big E" **"Canada's Richest Mixed Farming District" — an unofficial city slogan **"City of Champions" — unofficial slogan, appearing on signs popularized by former mayor

Laurence Decore Laurence George Decore (born Lavrentiy Dikur; June 28, 1940 – November 6, 1999) was Canadian lawyer and politician from Alberta. He was of Ukrainian descent. He was mayor of Edmonton, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, and ...

's characterization of the community's response to the 1987

Edmonton tornado The Edmonton tornado of 1987, an event also known as Black Friday to Edmontonians, was a powerful and devastating tornado that ripped through the eastern parts of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and parts of neighbouring Strathcona County on the afte ...

. Appeared for a period on signs welcoming motorists to the city. **"Crossroads of the World" — an unofficial city slogan **"Deadmonton" — a disparaging term used by British reporter Robert Philip during the 2001 World Championships in Athletics (although the term had been coined earlier), painting Edmonton as a boring place; the term re-emerged in 2011 due to an increasing amount of

homicides Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

. **"Stabmonton" — another disparaging term that refers to the increase in violent crimes during the early 2010s. Many of the attacks and homicides were committed with knives and other edged weapons. **"E-Town" **"Edmonchuck" or "The Chuck" — in reference to Edmonton's large

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

population. (Also spelled "Edmonchuk", reflecting traditional

romanization Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...

.) **"Festival City" or "Canada's Festival City" — an unofficial city slogan referring to the many festivals held in Edmonton year-round. **"Heart of Canada's Great North West" — an unofficial city slogan **"Official Host City of the Turn of the Century" — tentative city slogan, displayed on telephone book covers in the 1980s, but quickly abandoned after widespread ridicule. **"The Oil Capital of Canada" — Edmonton's only official slogan adopted by city council, which dates back to 1947 **"Redmonton" — in reference to the city being the most hospitable territory for left-wing political parties in the province. Originally popularized after the 1986 provincial election. **"River City" — an unofficial nickname, referencing the

North Saskatchewan River The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows event ...

which runs through Edmonton **"Smart City" — an unofficial city slogan **"Top of the World" — an unofficial city slogan **"Volunteer Capital of Canada" — an unofficial city slogan *

Fort McMurray Fort McMurray ( ) is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It is located in northeast Alberta, in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands, surrounded by boreal forest. It has played a significant ...

**"Fort Mac" **"Fort MacMoney" or "Fort McMoney" — in reference to supposedly high salaries in oil and related industries. **"Fort McMordor" — in reference to how the city's tar sands industry supposedly evoke images of

Mordor In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth, Mordor (pronounced ; from Sindarin ''Black Land'' and Quenya ''Land of Shadow'') is the realm and base of the evil Sauron. It lay to the east of Gondor and the great river Anduin, and to t ...

from ''The Lord of the Rings'' films. **"St. John's North" — in reference to the large number of Newfoundlanders working in the city's oil industry * Fox Creek **"Fox Vegas" *

Grande Prairie Grande Prairie is a city in northwest Alberta, Canada within the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country. It is located at the intersection of Highway 43 (part of the CANAMEX Corridor) and Highway 40 (the Bighorn Highway), a ...

**"Swan City" — after Grande Prairie received it's municipal charter in 1958, it was declared the "Home of the Trumpeter Swan." *

Lloydminster Lloydminster is a city in Canada which has the unusual geographic distinction of straddling the provincial border between Alberta and Saskatchewan. The city is incorporated by both provinces as a single city with a single municipal administrati ...

**"Border City" or "Canada's Border City" — in reference to the city being divided by the Alberta/Saskatchewan border **"Heavy Oil Capital of Canada" **"Lloyd" *

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 Alberta municipal censuses, 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

**"Bridge City" **"The Windy City" *

Medicine Hat Medicine Hat is a city in southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff to the northwest are with ...

**"The City with All Hell for a Basement" — derived from a quote by

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

upon visiting Medicine Hat, referring to the city's natural gas reserves. **"The City with Energy" **"The Gas City" **"The Hat" **"An Oasis on the Prairies" **"Saamis" — a Blackfoot word for 'medicine man's hat', from which Medicine Hat's name is derived *

Red Deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of wes ...

**"Dead Rear" — a

spoonerism A spoonerism is an occurrence in speech in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched (see metathesis) between two words in a phrase. These are named after the Oxford don and ordained minister William Archibald Spooner, w ...

* Stettler ** "The Heart of Alberta" *

Whitecourt Whitecourt is a town in central Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by Woodlands County. It is approximately northwest of Edmonton and southeast of Grande Prairie at the junction of Highway 43 and Highway 32. It has an elevation of . White ...

**"Snowmobile Capital of Alberta"

British Columbia

* Abbotsford **"Berry Capital of Canada" **"City in the Country" **"Raspberry Capital of Canada" — although the neighbourhood of Clearbrook specifically is known for its raspberries * Campbell River **"Salmon Capital of the World" (nearby Port Alberni also claims this title) *

Dawson Creek Dawson Creek is a city in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The municipality of had a population of 12,978 in 2016. Dawson Creek derives its name from the creek of the same name that runs through the community. The creek was named after ...

**"The Mile Zero City" — named for the city being the southern terminus of the

Alaska Highway *Dawson City, Yukon, Dawson City **"Paris of the North" *Whitehorse, Yukon, Whitehorse **"The Wilderness City"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:City Nicknames In Canada City nicknames by country, Canada Lists of cities in Canada, Nicknames and slogans Lists of nicknames Lists of slogans

Cities by province

Alberta

British Columbia

See also

References