This partial list of city nicknames in Kentucky compiles the aliases, sobriquets and slogans that cities and towns in Kentucky are known by (or have been known by historically), officially and unofficially, to municipal governments, local people, outsiders or their tourism boards or chambers of commerce. City nicknames can help in establishing a civic identity, helping outsiders recognize a community or attracting people to a community because of its nickname; promote civic pride; and build community unity. Nicknames and slogans that successfully create a new community "ideology or myth" are also believed to have economic value. Their economic value is difficult to measure, but there are anecdotal reports of cities that have achieved substantial economic benefits by "branding" themselves by adopting new slogans.
Some unofficial nicknames are positive, while others are derisive. The unofficial nicknames listed here have been in use for a long time or have gained wide currency. Bardstown – Bourbon Capital of the World Bellevue – B-town Benham – The Little Town That International Harvester, Coal Miners, and Their Families Built Berea – Folk Arts and Crafts Capital of Kentucky Bowling Green Vette City The Park City Burnside – The Only Town on Lake Cumberland Cave City – Gateway to Mammoth Cave Covington – Gateway to the South Crestwood – Whiskers Cumberland – Black Bear Capital of Kentucky Danville – City of Firsts Elizabethtown – E Town Elkhorn City – Gateway to the Breaks Fort Thomas – The City of Beautiful Homes Grayson – Heart of the Parks Hazard – Queen City of the Mountains Hopkinsville – Hoptown Hyden – Redbud Capital of the World Lexington Athens of the West Horse Capital of the WorldVisit Lexington, Kentucky, accessed April 7, 2007. "Visiting a horse farm while you're in the Horse Capital of the World is a uniquely Bluegrass kind of experience you'll long remember." Louisville City of Beautiful Churches Derby CityLouisville Historic Tours, Historic Old Louisville Visitors Center website, accessed June 27, 2010 The Fall City (reported in the 1880s) or Falls City Gateway to the South River CityParking Authority of River City. Retrieved 2008-02-14. The Ville Madisonville – Best Town on Earth Manchester – City of Hope Mayfield – Pearl of the Purchase Middlesboro The Athens of the Mountains The City Built Inside a Meteorite Crater Crater City Little Las Vegas The Magic City Monticello – Houseboat Capital of the World Mount Sterling – Gateway Between the Bluegrass and the Mountains Owensboro – Barbecued Mutton Capital of the World Paducah – Quilt City Paintsville – The City Between the Lakes Paris – Thoroughbred Capital of the World Pikeville – The City That Moves Mountains Prestonsburg – The Star City of Eastern Kentucky Renfro Valley – Kentucky's Country Music Capital Shelbyville – The Gateway to the Bluegrass Simpsonville – American Saddlebred Capital of the World Somerset Car Cruise Capital of Kentucky Spirit of Southern Kentucky Williamsburg – Your Gateway to the Cumberlands