Why is NYC called the Big Apple?

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.

NY is known as "The Big Apple" because long ago a famous folk hero (Johnny Appleseed) planted a single seed in the middle of the city. Then, in a strange warp in space-time, a boy named Jack planted a seed he believed to be magical in the same spot. In what is still considered a marveling biological advancement, the two seeds fused together on a molecular level. After an impressive rain, the seed hybrid grew into an apple 300ft tall and approximatively 330ft wide. The strangest thing being the absence of a tree. It seems the apple was completely normal, except it grew straight from the ground with its own roots like a beanstalk of some sort. For decades to come, people would visit the city and look up at the impossible fruit and think "that is a big apple". After a while people began referring to the city itself as "The Big Apple". But then, 1943 Oct 11th, something strange happened. As the city laid to rest, the night once again upon them, there was a blinding flash of red light. The flash lasted for nearly 4-5 seconds. No one is certain what caused the flash, but once it was over the apple had simply disappeared. Not only had it vanished, the ground it had grown from had closed as if it were never there. Some say the apple had grown so large it created some sort of fruity supernova and collapsed in on itself in a black hole. Some say the aliens responsible for the death of the dinosaurs came back and destroyed the apple as well. We may never know exactly what happened that night, but one thing is for sure. That was a big-*** apple.

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Kay, I have several theories:

1. Getting a job in New York can be very fruitful... it's always been a place for the wealthy. Even in colonial times, the focus of New York (the colony, not the city) was on the economy.

2. A mis-communication across language barriers? Why do I keep thinking of Russian immigrants???

3. I'm pretty sure the term was coined in the late 1800s, and I'm also pretty sure it had something to do with show business. It might have been some kind of slang referring to success.

4. Perhaps it was code for something, kind of like during the inhibition underground bars were called Speak Easys. The apple being the forbidden fruit, this could indicate it was used as a codename for something illegal.

5. Maybe refers to the climate...? I'm pretty sure apples require cool weather to grow, and maybe it was viewed as a potential apple growing region (yeah, it's a long shot, I know)

6. Well, what do you think of when you picture an apple? Something irregular in shape (symbolizing oddity), juiciness (symbolizing prosperity), and sturdiness, perhaps (an apple can stand up on its own without rolling away, unlike oranges. And don't even talk about freaky bananas).

7. Well, it's pretty safe to assume that those who gave NYC this nickname had eaten apples before, so that rules out immigrants from certain places.

8. Perhaps it was a nickname which originated in a play? It's catchy enough, kind of like a banker on Wall Street might be a 'Big Cheese'. Big symbolizing power.

The Big Apple is a nickname for New York City. It was first popularized in the 1920s by John J. Fitz Gerald, a sports writer for the New York Morning Telegraph. Its popularity since the 1970s is due to a promotional campaign by the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau, known now as NYC & Company.

The Big Apple is a nickname for New York City. It was first popularized in the 1920s by John J. Fitz Gerald, a sports writer for the New York Morning Telegraph. Its popularity since the 1970s is due to a promotional campaign by the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau, known now as NYC & Company.

The reality is know one really knows for sure. Many people have theories and have tried to guess but a guess is all it is.One thing i can say forsure is, like other similar nicknames below, there was no significant enough reason for any names that would have to re-written history....Perhaps some road signs.

We all have our reasons, back then some big shots had theirs.

* The Big Apricot - Metropolis (fictional: DC Comics)

* The Big Peach - Atlanta

* The Big Easy - New Orleans

* The Little Apple - Manhattan, Kansas also used by some East Africans for Nairobi

* The Big Guava - Tampa, Florida

* The Big Durian - Jakarta

* The Big Lime - Key Largo

* The Big Scrapple - Philadelphia

* The Big Chip - Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

* The Big D - Dallas

* The Big Burrito - Overland Park, Kansas

* The Big Onion - Chicago

* The Big Tomato - Sacramento

* The Big Mango - Bangkok. The term is also used for Cairo. Both Cairo and New York are sister cities. [25]

* The Big Chilli - Bangkok[26]

* The Big O - Omaha

* The Big Lychee - Hong Kong

* The Big Orange - Tel Aviv

* The Big Schnitzel - Vienna

John J. FitzGerald, born in 1893, was a horse-racing writer for The Morning Telegraph in the 1920's and was the first to popularize the term 'The Big Apple.' While on assignment in New Orleans, FitzGerald overheard African-American stablehands refer to New York City race-courses as 'The Big Apple.' FitzGerald loved the term so much that he named his racing column 'Around The Big Apple.' The title to the column became synonymous with the New York City racing scene.

A decade later many jazz musicians began calling the City 'The Big Apple' to refer to New York City (especially Harlem) as the jazz capital of the world. Soon the nickname became synonymous with New York City and its cultural diversity. In the early 1970's the name played an important role in reviving New York's tourist economy through a campaign led by the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau. Today the nickname 'The Big Apple,' which replaced 'Fun City,' is the international description of our city and is synonymous with the cultural and tourist attractions of New York City.

Therefore, it is only fitting that the southwest corner of West 54th Street and Broadway, the corner on which John J. FitzGerald resided from 1934 to 1963, be designated 'Big Apple Corner.'

Or, what I think, is that everyone wants to go to NYC, so instead you could say "Everyone wants a bite of the Big Apple."

NYC is called the big apple, because natives know how to paint the town red with

excitement, we take a bite out of crime, and find a partner, doing it. Our restaurants are the best in the world, and we know hot dogs, burgers and pizza better than anyone else, plus the fact, that the best tasting apples come from the state of New York. The Big Apple is delicious and keeps us coming back for more, that's why were also "the city that never sleeps".

When the first settlers came to New York City, there were many apple trees on the island. One day the President of New York City was walking down the street, and a big apple hit him on the head. He uttered words, "New York City is Big Apple of my eye." And then everyone said this... and that is how New York City became known as Big Apple.

New York is a very popular destination, probably the most well known city in the entire world,

Its nickname "The Big Apple" probably came from it being such a treat to visit, like taking a bite out of a delicious apple, and everybody wanted a bite.

Or new york might of started out as a small apple orchard and farmstead, then grew to a village, then to a town and so on until it became a colossal city.

Maybe, its nick name is "The Big Apple" because its such a big and busy city, that its all a big "hullabaloo" and for a more unique way they called it...Apple?

Or what about this... along time ago, an explorer was traveling in his hot air balloon over New York [at the present moment only a town] and from birds eye view it was the shape of an apple.

Or maybe the name of the city was chewing on an apple, while they held a meeting to decide the nickname of New York, he peered down at his apple and suddenly it hit him... simple brainstorming turning into a world wide phenomenon.