Why is NYC called the Big Apple?

Q: Many cities have their original nicknames or are known for something special. Chicago is called the Windy City, Las Vegas is Sin City, and of course New York City is the Big Apple. The others make sense, but we wanted to ask you: Why is NYC nicknamed after a fruit?

A-1: The etymology behind "The Big Apple" actually goes far beyond the Jazz era. Keep Asking was on the right track. The phrase does come from literal apples. However, it can be speculated that the term actually comes from the "original" settlers of New York. That's right, the Dutch! Think about it. Dutch Apple Pie? The Dutch settled New York or New Amsterdam as they called it in the early 1600's. One of the things they brought over from Holland were apples and apple seeds. They then began to cultivate the land. A good portion of this land became occupied by apple trees. After New Amsterdam was seized by the British in 1664 the area became New York, after the Duke of York. The Dutch briefly regained control over the region and renamed it after a very delicious fruit. They called it "New Orange". But after realizing they couldn't really compare The Big Apple to the New Orange they permanently ceded the land back to the Brits. So, in conclusion the "Big Apple" was born from the love of the Dutch for apples and their longing to maintain and retain the area of New York City.


A-2: It was nicknamed “The Big Apple” thanks to a visit from President Coolidge in the late 1920’s who, on arrival, announced his desire for a nice, warm apple pie. The citizens of New York City, being very patriotic people, decided to impress him by making him such a pie. Such a numerous amount of people wished to please their leader with their pastries, it pushed apple sales through the roof. So many were sold, more of the fruit had to be brought in for stores, and when the President finally left (allegedly with a bad stomach ache) crates of apples still lined the streets, and household kitchens featured them in abundance. This lead foreigners and visitors to the city to refer to New York city as “one big apple”. This name stuck, and is still used today.


A-3: The phrase The Big Apple, came about in NYC around the 1930's and 1940's. The jazz musicans associated the phrase with the most happen spot or gig they would be playing in. The real truth about the nickname of NYC, is not name after a fruit, but the name is associated with the racetracks. One of many New Yorkers past time. John J. FitizGerald, a writer for The NY Morning Telegraph a racetrack publication, was the first writer to put the NYC nickname in print. The nickname became a regular column in the publication. John heard the phrase The Big Apple from Black stable boys who followed the horses. The boys were so glad to be in NYC because NYC was where the big money can be made. NYC was so huge to the stable boys and full of opportunity, they called it The Big Apple. New York City became The Big Apple.