November 14, 2025 – New York City

We’ve reached the final day of our theme week on iconic city nicknames—and we’re wrapping things up with one of the most famous monikers of all time: New York City, The Big Apple. Bold, brash, legendary, and instantly recognizable, the nickname has become synonymous with the energy and opportunity of America’s largest city. But like many great stories, its origins are rooted in unexpected places.

From the Racetrack to the Headlines

The nickname The Big Apple first galloped into public awareness through the world of horseracing. In the early 1920s, New York City newspaper sports reporter John Fitz Gerald overheard African American stable hands in New Orleans referring to New York’s racetracks as “the big apple”—shorthand for the big time, the top prize, the place every rider and trainer wanted to be.

Intrigued, Fitz Gerald began peppering his columns with references to “the Big Apple,” helping to popularize the phrase beyond racetrack circles. By the 1930s, jazz musicians picked it up, using it to signal that New York was the place for serious gigs, elite clubs, and career-making performances.

A Nickname Fades… and Then Comes Roaring Back

By the 1950s, the term had fallen out of fashion—nearly forgotten except by a few nostalgics. But like so much in New York, reinvention was only a matter of time.

In the early 1970s, the city’s tourism board launched a major campaign to revive “The Big Apple” and boost the city’s appeal. Soon, the image of a bright red apple began appearing on buttons, shirts, and souvenirs, inviting visitors to “take a bite” out of New York. This time, the nickname stuck—and it never let go.

In 1997, the city even honored John Fitz Gerald’s role in cementing the name by officially designating the corner of West 54th Street and Broadway—where he once lived—“Big Apple Corner.”

A City of Millions, Speaking Hundreds of Languages

Today, New York City stands as the most populous city in the United States. As of July 2024, more than 8.4 million people call its 300 square miles home—making it the most densely populated major city in the country. It’s also the most linguistically diverse city in the world, boasting an astonishing 800 languages spoken across its neighborhoods.

From New Amsterdam to the Five Boroughs

The city’s roots stretch back to 1624 when Dutch colonists established Fort Amsterdam on Manhattan Island. Named New Amsterdam in 1626, it became New York in 1664 when the English took control. The modern metropolis we know today came together in 1898 when the five boroughs—Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island—were consolidated into one city.

Transit, Taxis, and a City That Never Sleeps

New York’s Subway system, opened in 1904, is one of the world’s oldest and most-used—and unlike most systems globally, it runs 24 hours a day.

And while the city’s yellow taxis are global icons, they weren’t always yellow. When the first gas-powered cab company launched in 1907, its vehicles were actually red and green. Yellow didn’t take hold until 1912. Today, roughly 9,050 yellow cabs roam the city streets.

The Capital of Wealth—and Shopping

If you’re looking to shop, Fifth Avenue reigns supreme as the most expensive shopping street in the world. It’s fitting, then, that New York City is home to more billionaires, ultra-high-net-worth individuals, and millionaires than any other city globally. In fact, one in every 24 New Yorkers is a millionaire.

A Pizza Paradise (and Endless Restaurants)

Nothing says “New York” like a slice. The very first U.S. pizzeria—Lombardi’s, founded in 1905—originated in Little Italy. Today, the city boasts about 1,900 pizza restaurants, more than any other U.S. city.

But pizza is just the beginning. According to OpenTable data, you could eat at a different restaurant once a day for 22.7 years and never repeat a spot. Now that’s variety.