12 Slogans and Nicknames of Illinois Cities

Did you know that Chicago is called The Windy City not because of the weather, but because a newspaper article claimed it was full of hot air politicians? Or that the Illinois House of Representatives voted to make Kewanee the official hog capital of the world in 1949?
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

Did you know that Chicago is called The Windy City not because of the weather, but because a newspaper article claimed it was full of hot air politicians? Or that the Illinois House of Representatives voted to make Kewanee the official hog capital of the world in 1949? Scroll below to find the origin of 12 Illinois cities' slogans, according to offices.net.

Algonquin
The Gem of Fox River Valley--Located in Kane and McHenry counties, the village of Algonquin sits in the foothills of the Fox River Valley, which is attributed to in its nickname

Batavia
The Windmill City--At the turn of the twentieth century, Batavia was the windmill manufacturing capital of the world. To commemorate its history of windmills, Batavia hosts The Windmill City Festival each year, featuring food, music, and a variety of family-friendly activities.

Bloomington
The Evergreen City--Bloomington is located less than 20 miles south from Evergreen Lake.

Chester
The Home of Popeye--The famous fictional cartoon character is rumored to be based off of Chester, Illinois resident Frank "Rocky" Fiegel. The town of Chester is currently constructing a "Popeye & Friends Character Trail," consisting of granite statues of the show's characters placed throughout the city.

Chicago
Chi-Town- A nickname for Chicago, used infrequently amongst the city's residents.
City in a Garden- The translation to the city's motto (Urbs in horto).
The Second City--Although New Yorkers falsely claim this nickname comes from Chicago being a second-rate city, the name actually stems from the ashes from The Great Chicago Fire, as the first Chicago burned almost completely. The Windy City- There are many rumors as to how this nickname came to be, but none of the claims originate in Chicago. One story claims New York Sun editorial writer Charles A. Dana claimed Chicago politicians were full of hot air, although no such editorial has ever been found. Another story claims the name was first used in a Cincinnati Enquirer headline entitled "THAT WINDY CITY. Some of the Freaks of the Last Chicago Tornado."

Crystal Lake
A Good Place to Live--Crystal Lake is the largest town in McHenry County and is considered a suburb of Chicago.

DeKalb
Barbed Wire Capital of the World--Barbed wire was patented by Joseph Farewell Glidden in DeKalb Illinois in 1873.

Freeport
Pretzel City--In 1895, Daily Democrat referred to Freeport as "Pretzel City," as the Billerbeck Bakery, established in 1881, was the largest producer of pretzels. Today, even though Billerbeck closed over a century ago, pretzels are still an important part of Freeport's identity: the Freeport High School athletic teams are referred to as The Pretzles and the football field is dubbed "Pretzel Field."

Huntley
The Friendly Village with Country Charm--Huntley is a village located in McHenry and Kane counties and has roughly 25,000 as of 2012, citing rapid growth in recent years. Huntley is considered to be an outer suburb of Chicago

Joliet
City of Champions--This nickname is given to honor the many successes of Joliet township's bands.
City of Steel--At one point, Joliet's steel mill was the second largest in the United States, with over 2,000 employees.
City of Stone--Joliet was home to a limestone quarry with a bluish-white tinge and in 1890, Joliet shipped three railroad car's worth of stone per month to Chicago and other cities.

Kewanee
Hog Capital of the World--In 1947, The U.S. Department of Agriculture deemed Henry County the top hog-producing county in the United States, and in 1949, Kewanee, located in Henry County, was named Hog Capital of the World by an Illinois House of Representatives Resolution. Although Henry County no longer produces the most hogs in the country, Kewanee still celebrates the accomplishment with Hog Days each Labor Day Weekend.

Lombard
The Lilac Village--Lombard his home to Lilacia Park, located in the former home of Colonel George R. Plum's lilac gardens. Lilacia Park is also home to the Lilac Time Festival, which takes place in May and is home to a variety of events, such as a craft fair, heritage tour, lilac contests and more.

Check out 11 more Illinois town slogans at Reboot Illinois to find out which town is the bagel capital of the world and why Peoria is sometimes called Whiskeytown.

Goofy Ridge

It's called what?

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot