Sometimes a city's nickname is a matter of civic marketing; other times it is simply something that caught on. Often a city has both kinds of nicknames.
Huntsville has been nicknamed "Prison City" (Prison City), for example, and sometimes the "Execution Capital of the World" (Execution Capital of the World). You will not find either of these names on a Chamber of Commerce sign, but they are well-known nicknames for the city that is home to the Huntsville Unit of the Texas State Penitentiary, where the state's execution chamber is located.
Austin used to be known as the "City of the Violet Crown" (City of the Violet Crown), then "Bat City" (Bat City), or "Hippie Haven" (Hippie Haven), and more recently the "Live Music Capital of the World" (Live Music Capital of the World), where people are urged to "Keep Austin Weird" (Keep Austin Weird). The college town of Denton, variously nicknamed "Little D" (Little D) or the "Redbud Capital of Texas" (Redbud Capital of Texas), is also known as "Little Austin" (Little Austin).
Pecos is the site of the "World's First Rodeo" (World's First Rodeo), but Mesquite is the "Rodeo Capital of Texas" (Rodeo Capital of Texas). Bandera is the "Cowboy Capital of Texas" (Cowboy Capital of Texas), while Fort Worth is "Cowtown" (Cow Town) - strange that cowboys and cows are 300 miles apart. Fort Worth, also once known as "Panther City" (Panther City), is widely promoted as "Where the West Begins" (Where the West Begins) and shares the title "Metroplex" (Metroplex) with Dallas.
Midland and Odessa share the nickname "Petroplex" (Petroleum Complex), but Odessa is also known as the "Jackrabbit Roping Capital" (Jackrabbit Roping Capital). That must be a lot like herding cats (though safer than the "World's Largest Rattlesnake Roundup" (World's Largest Rattlesnake Roundup) in Sweetwater). For sheer commercial machismo, I like Midlothian: "Cement and Steel Capital of Texas" (Cement and Steel Capital of Texas). As a counterbalance, we have Happy, Texas, the "Town Without a Frown" (Town Without a Frown).
Marfa has been "Leaving the Lights on for You for 120 Years" (Leaving the Lights on for You for 120 Years). Alpine calls itself the "Gateway to Big Bend" (Gateway to Big Bend). Brady is the "True Heart of Texas" (True Heart of Texas), since it is the closest town to the geographic center of the state. Eagle Pass on the border is "Where Yee-Ha Meets Olé" (Where Yee-Ha Meets Olé). And Fort Davis is "Where the Stars Come Out to Play" (Where the Stars Come Out to Play). Corpus Christi is the "Shining City by the Sea" (Shining City by the Sea), while Brownsville is "On the Border by the Sea" (On the Border by the Sea).
Burnet and Llano share the title "Bluebonnet Capital of Texas" (Bluebonnet Capital of Texas). More memorable is the slogan created in response to those poorly informed people who say "Bur-NETTE": "It's BURN-it, durn it; can't you learn it?" (It's BURN-it, darn it; can't you learn it?).
Mexia, which locals pronounce "Muh-HAY-uh", is gentler with those who have pronunciation problems. There they say: "Mexia is a great place no matter how you pronounce it" (Mexia is a great place no matter how you pronounce it).
Commerce is the "Bois d'Arc Capital of Texas" (Bois d'Arc Tree Capital of Texas), named after the trees whose wood Native Americans prized for making bows. It is pronounced BOW-dark - you know, those trees with wrinkled yellow-green fruits the size of grapefruits, commonly called hedge apples or horse apples, for which no one has ever been able to find a use, but which inspired another common name for the tree, Osage orange.
McCamey is the "Wind Energy Capital of Texas" (Wind Energy Capital of Texas). Perhaps it would be better to go to Austin when the legislature is in session.
We have several towns that claim to be the "Watermelon Capital" (Watermelon Capital), either of Texas or the world: Naples, Weatherford, Hempstead, Dilley, Luling. But Dilley is the only one with a watermelon monument, and Luling (home of the venerable annual "Watermelon Thump" (Watermelon Thump)) has a watermelon water tower, so we will let them fight it out for the win. Besides, Weatherford also claims to be the "Peach Capital of Texas" (Peach Capital of Texas) and the "Cutting Horse Capital of Texas" (Cutting Horse Capital of Texas). So let us not be greedy there, Weatherford.
To be more specific, Knox City is the "Seedless Watermelon Capital of Texas" (Seedless Watermelon Capital of Texas), officially designated by the Texas Legislature because the seedless watermelon was nurtured from an idea into a worldwide phenomenon right there on a nearby farm. The sidewalks in Knox City are probably much cleaner than in those other watermelon capitals.
We have plenty of other food capitals - Lockhart for barbecue, Elgin for sausage, Mauriceville for crawfish, Terlingua for chili, and Friona is the hamburger capital. Corsicana, thanks to the legitimately world-famous Collin Street Bakery, is the "Fruitcake Capital of the World" (Fruitcake Capital of the World). Athens is the "Black-Eyed Pea Capital" (Black-Eyed Pea Capital). I bet they do good business on New Year's Day.
And after all that food, you may want to go to Hereford, "The Town Without a Toothache" (The Town Without a Toothache).
El Paso is the "Sun City" (Sun City), or "El Chuco" (from the Mexican-American Pachuco culture, which is said to have originated there). Waco is the "Buckle of the Bible Belt" (Buckle of the Bible Belt). Smithville is the "Heart of the Megalopolis" (Heart of the Megalopolis), quite a grand name for a town of about three thousand residents.
Nacogdoches bills itself as the oldest town in Texas, but so does San Augustine.
Galveston is the "Oleander City" (Oleander City), Tyler is the "Rose Capital of the World" (Rose Capital of the World), and Georgetown is the "Red Poppy Capital" (Red Poppy Capital), but San Angelo is the "End of the Rainbow" (End of the Rainbow).
I think I would like to go there. It sounds peaceful.
