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You are here: Home / Geography / How Did New York City Get Its Nickname “the Big Apple” and What Does the Big Apple Mean?

How Did New York City Get Its Nickname “the Big Apple” and What Does the Big Apple Mean?

July 28, 2020 by Karen Hill

The latest theory on how New York was called the Big Apple is that horse-racing trainers and jockeys in the 1920s used the term to refer to New York City.

Back then New York had racetracks which offered winners large purses, in other words, a big treat, or a “big apple.”

The nickname was first popularized in the 1920s by John J. Fitz Gerald, a sports writer for the New York Morning Telegraph.

Within its official city limits, New York City has a population of 7.4 million, which is more people than in 39 of the 50 states.

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Filed Under: Geography

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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