Why New York City is Called the Big Apple: The Surprising Story Behind NYC’s Famous Nickname

When it comes to travel and vacations, we sometimes find ourselves asking simple questions about things we see or experience during our trips. We wonder why certain places have particular names, how traditions came about, or what’s behind the stories we hear. Today, we’re exploring one of those curiosities: why is New York City nicknamed the Big Apple?

It Likely Started in the Horse Racing World

As is often the case, the exact origin of this nickname isn’t definitively established. However, the term Big Apple to describe New York City reportedly dates back to the 1920s, when a sports journalist named John Fitz Gerald began using it in his columns about horse racing in the city. At that time, New York had the country’s largest racetracks and offered the biggest prize money to winners. Since the word apple was sometimes used in racing circles to refer to the prizes won, the journalist got into the habit of talking about the “big apple” when a jockey won a substantial reward. The expression quickly became popular within the horse racing community.

This appears to be the most plausible explanation for the nickname’s birth, although some point out that a short story writer used this term to describe the city in one of his works in the early 1900s. For him, the United States was like a fruit tree, and New York was its big apple—meaning the most important fruit. There’s also a third explanation from the world of jazz and its slang. In the 1920s and 30s, an opportunity for a musician to perform was sometimes called an “apple,” and playing in New York, particularly in Harlem, represented a “big apple.”

See also :   Alberta's Wild West: Canada's Best-Kept Cowboy Secret

While we don’t know the exact origin of this nickname, it remains associated with the idea that New York City represented the best—whether in horse racing, jazz, or more broadly for the entire country. The expression was gradually extended and occasionally used to simply refer to the city, before reaching its peak popularity in the 1970s.

The 1970s Tourism Campaign That Made It Official

During the 1970s, New York’s situation had deteriorated so badly—between economic crisis and rampant crime—that the city’s tourism office decided to launch a major advertising campaign to restore its image and attract tourists. This is when the “Big Apple” nickname was officially adopted by authorities, who launched the famous slogan “I Love Big Apple” with numerous merchandise items, from t-shirts to caps to mugs. This effective campaign gave the city a second wind and permanently established its Big Apple nickname with the public, even beyond American borders.

That said, New York has other nicknames too, some less well-known or used, such as “Gotham” (the fictional city from DC Comics where Batman lives), “The City That Never Sleeps,” “The Empire City,” and several others.

More info : www.nyctourism.com