Borough of Universities and Parks (Bronx)
In the 1920s and 1930s, the Bronx became known as the "Borough of Parks" and the "Borough of Universities." Manhattan (with Columbia and NYU) probably deserves the title of…
Borough That’s Thorough (Brooklyn)
Brooklyn has been called the "borough that's thorough" in hip hop. The nickname is seldom used. About MBHailing from the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, MBF hopes to…
Brookhattan (Brooklyn + Manhattan)
Brookhattan (Brooklyn + Manhattan) was the name of an American soccer club in the American Soccer League from 1933 to 1958. The Brooklyn Paper, on December 13, 2013, used the headline "Council…
Brooklyn’s Little Harlem (Bedford-Stuyvesant)
The Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn was called "'Little Harlem' of Brooklyn" in the 1938 Brooklyn (NY) Daily Eagle and "Brooklyn's 'Little…
Brooklyn’s Secret Suburb (Ditmas Park, Brooklyn)
Ditmas Park, in Brooklyn, has a historic district and a suburban feel. Some have called it "Brooklyn's Secret Suburb" or "South Brooklyn's Secret Suburb." "South…
Brooknam (Brooklyn + Vietnam)
Brooknam (Brooklyn + Vietnam) has been a hip-hop nickname for rough and tumble Brooklyn since 1997-98. Brooklyn has been gentrified in the 2000s, however; the nickname doesn't really fit and…
Brownstone Belt
Brooklyn is well-known for its brownstone houses, built mostly between 1840 and 1900. The unofficial "brownstone belt" neighborhoods include Brooklyn Heights, Stuyvesant Heights, Fort…
Brownsville: Never Ran, Never Will
"Never ran, never will" is the slogan by residents of the tough neighborhood of Brownsville, Brooklyn. "I'm from the 'Ville -- never ran, never will" was said by…
Buharlem or Bukharlem (Bukhara + Harlem)
Queens -- specifically Rego Park and Forest Hills -- is home to many Bukharan Jews from Central Asia, the result of emigration since the 1970s. Rego Park is sometimes given a "-stan"…
Bullwinkle District
The 12th Congressional District was called the "Bullwinkle" district in the 1990s because it's drawn like Bullwinkle, the cartoon moose. The name is a play on that old odd animal of…
BX (Bronx)
"BX" has long meant "the Bronx," but the hip-hop popularity of the term dates from the mid-late 1990s. "BK" has been used for Brooklyn. Urban Dictionarybxshort for the…
CanDo (Canal Downtown)
The New York Travel Advisory Bureau distributed maps in 2010 with the neighborhood name of "CanDo" for "Canal Downtown." The area is also called "Lower Manhattan" and…
Cemetery Belt (Glendale)
Glendale in Queens has been called the "Cemetery Belt." Glendale began to be surrounded by cemeteries after Manhattan stopped added cemeteries in 1852.…
Chess District; Washington Square Park’s “Snake Pit”
Greenwich Village has its own "Chess District." It starts at the southwest corner of Washington Square Park, where you can grab a table if the weather cooperates. Then, walk down Thompson…
Chinatown
San Francisco's famous Chinatown was named earlier, but New York's came soon afterward. There are now Chinatowns in many other cities. It's difficult to say exactly when New…
Chinatown North (East Village, Manhattan)
Eater -- New York reported on a new culinary trend in New York City with its article "How the East Village Turned Into NYC’s Hippest Chinese Dining Destination: A surge of stylish new…
Cinema Island (City Island)
The "City Island" entry in the Wikipedia states that so many films, television shows, and commercials have been shot at City Island that it's sometimes called "Cinema…
City of Churches (Brooklyn)
Brooklyn was a city before it became a borough of New York City. Brooklyn had many churches and was called the "City of Churches" by at least 1841. Many other cities around the world have…
City of Fire (Coney Island)
The Russian writer Maxim Gorky visited Coney Island in 1907 and wrote that it was a "fantastic city all of fire" and a "city of fire," mainly because of all the lights and…
Co-op City
"Co-op City" is that huge 1960s development in the Bronx. The parking situation there is a mess, but that's a story for another day. A good web site (with a Co-op City Web Ring) is…