River City (San Antonio nickname)

“River City” is one obvious—but sparsely used until recently—nickname for the city of San Antonio. The San Antonio River runs through San Antonio, and the River Walk is world-famous. However, it wasn’t until the 1957 Broadway musical The Music Man (with its “River City” based on Mason City, Iowa) that the term “River City” became widely known. San Antonio then embraced the “River City” nickname, with several businesses having a “River City” name by the 1970s.
 
Austin (TX) has also used the “River City” nickname.
   
   
Wikipedia: San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio (pronounced /ˌsænænˈtoʊnioʊ/) is the second-largest city in the state of Texas and the seventh largest city in the United States. Located in South Texas, the city is a cultural gateway into the American Southwest. San Antonio is the seat of Bexar County with a population just under 1.3 million as of the 2006 U.S. Census estimate, as well as the 4th fastest growing large city in the nation from 2000-2006 in terms of percentage. Its metropolitan area has a population of over 1.9 million and is the 28th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S.
 
San Antonio was named for the Portuguese Saint Anthony of Padua, whose feast day it was (June 13) when a Spanish expedition stopped in the area in 1691. The city has a strong military presence—it is home to Fort Sam Houston, Lackland Air Force Base, Randolph Air Force Base, and Brooks City-Base, with Camp Bullis and Camp Stanley right outside the city. San Antonio is home to the South Texas Medical Center, the only medical research and care provider in the South Texas region.
 
Famous for its River Walk, the Alamo, Tejano culture, and home to the SeaWorld San Antonio and Six Flags Fiesta Texas theme parks, the city is visited by 20 million tourists per year. San Antonio is also home to the first museum of modern art in Texas—the Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum, as well as one of the more successful National Basketball Association teams in league history, the San Antonio Spurs.
 
Wikipedia: San Antonio River
The San Antonio River is a major waterway that originates in central Texas near San Antonio and follows a roughly southeastern path through the state. It eventually feeds into the Guadalupe River about ten miles from San Antonio Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. The river is 240 miles long and crosses five counties: Bexar, Goliad, Karnes, Refugio, and Wilson.
 
Wikipedia: San Antonio River Walk
The San Antonio River Walk (also known as Paseo del Río) is a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River, one story beneath downtown San Antonio, Texas. Lined by bars, shops and restaurants, the River Walk is an important part of the city’s urban fabric and a tourist attraction in its own right.
 
Today the River Walk is an enormously successful special-case pedestrian street, one level down from the automobile street. The River Walk winds and loops under bridges as two parallel sidewalks lined with restaurants and shops, connecting the major tourist draws from The Alamo to Rivercentermall, to the Arneson River Theatre close to La Villita, to Hemisfair Park, to the Tower Life Building. During the annual springtime Fiesta San Antonio, the River Parade features flowery floats that literally float. 
 
Wikipedia: List of city nicknames in Texas
San Antonio
Alamo City
Military City U.S.A.
Mission City
River City
San Antone
San Anto
SA Town
Americas City (due to the Tower Of Americas, tallest observation tower in America until 1996)
San An
     
Wikipedia: The Music Man
The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson. The show is based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. In 1957, the show became a hit on Broadway and spawned revivals and a popular film. It is still frequently produced by both professional and amateur theater companies.
 
Background
Meredith Willson was inspired by his boyhood in Mason City, Iowa, in writing and composing his first musical, The Music Man. He first approached producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin for a television special, and then MGM producer Jesse L. Lasky. After these and other unsuccessful attempts, Willson invited Franklin Lacey to help him edit and simplify the libretto. At this time, Willson considered eliminating a long piece of dialogue about the serious trouble facing River City parents. Willson realized it sounded like a lyric, and transformed it into the now-famous song, “Ya Got Trouble”.
 
Google.com
Local business results for “river city” near San Antonio, TX
A. River City Silver Inc - http://www.rivercitysilver.com - (210) 734-2020
B. River City Christian School - http://www.rivercitychristianschool.com - (210) 384-0297
C. River City - maps.google.com - (210) 533-7223
D. River City Chiropractic PA - http://www.chiropracticsa.com - (210) 824-9595
E. Walk River City Art - http://www.rivercityartwalk.com - (210) 525-8105
F. River City Exteriors LLC - rivercityexteriors.com - (210) 341-6220
G. River City Food Delivery Services - http://www.rivercityfds.com - (210) 692-7483
H. River City Federal Credit Union: Loan Line - http://www.rivercityfcu.org - (210) 224-5626
I. River City Produce Inc - rivercityproduce.info - (210) 271-0164
J. River City Federal Cu - http://www.rivercityfcu.org - (210) 225-6866
   
10 July 1955, Dallas (TX) Morning News, “San Antonio,” part 5, pg. 11:
The River-City, the Venice of the Plains, had the great good fortune of possessing the perfect site to stage such an impressive play.
 
30 May 1976, San Antonio (TX) Light, “River City Summer Menu: Food, Fun, Variety,” pg. 9L, cols. 1-2:
An applicable nickname for San Antonio is “River City.”
 
The River Walk is the scene for numerous summer activities, some on a daily basis.
 
22 August 1976, Big Spring (TX) Herald, “San Antone, its sights,” magazine, pg. 3, col. 1:
San Antonio could also be known as the River City, as the Paseo del Rio that winds its scenic way through the heart of the city makes for breathtaking sights. The quiet and old-world river-way is the highlight of a visit to the city.
 
OCLC WorldCat
San Antonio : the river city
by Margarita González Jensen
Type:  Book; English
Publisher: Barrington, Ill. : Rigby, ©2004.
 
Travel Adventures
Mission City, River City, Alamo City
Filed under: History & RV & Travel by Erin on 3/17/2007
I think the “Alamo City” deserves a different nickname, maybe the “Riverwalk City.” Granted, the Alamo is the city’s most famous landmark but the city owes its entire existence to the river. The area was originally settled because of the life-giving water; the resulting city, San Antonio, is named after the river that meanders through downtown. 
 
The river earned it’s name because it was discovered by the Spanish on June 13, 1691, which, as everyone knows, is the feast day of San Antonio de Padua, a Portuguese saint. The first settlement didn’t occur until the mission of San Antonio de Valero (now more commonly known as the Alamo) was founded near the river in 1718.
 
(Trademark)
Word Mark RIVER CITY
Goods and Services (CANCELLED) IC 033. US 049. G & S: LINE OF DISTILLED ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES. FIRST USE: 19780403. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19780403
Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING
Serial Number 73197481
Filing Date December 18, 1978
Current Filing Basis 1A
Original Filing Basis 1A
Registration Number 1136969
Registration Date June 17, 1980
Owner (REGISTRANT) D. & B. MANAGEMENT COMPANY PARTNERSHIP 6003 W. AVE. AT N. LOOP 410 SAN ANTONIO TEXAS 78213
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator DEAD
Cancellation Date November 14, 1986