Why "Vegas?"

I usually call sin city by its correct name: "Las Vegas."

I don't call Los Angeles "Angeles," or New York "York."

For some reason unknown to me people drop the "Las" and only call it "Vegas."

Why?

When did this start, anyway?

Quote: MrV

I usually call sin city by its correct name: "Las Vegas."

I don't call Los Angeles "Angeles," or New York "York."

For some reason unknown to me people drop the "Las" and only call it "Vegas."

Why?

When did this start, anyway?

It's just one of those things. I hear that people from San Francisco don't like it when people call it "Frisco". But that's interesting about the "Las" being dropped from Vegas but not Angeles.

Las Vegas is most often translated into English as "The meadows". But "The fertile plain" has also been used. The reason for the difference is that there is no exact specific meaning for certain words when being translated to another language. "Lovely" has synonyms in English and so do like words in other languages.

Well, you actually do call Los Angeles by a shortened name since it's official name is City of Los Angeles. A lot of other people call it LA. But before this it had another name (disputed, confounding some scholars).
Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles.
Some people call San Francisco, Frisco, yet no one shortens San Diego.
Some people shorten New York to NYC.

It's a great subject though and I'm glad you brought it up. There are a few Spanish named towns that are shortened locally. For example Ocotillo Wells is called Ocotillo, even though there is an actual town called Ocotillo less than 20 miles away. Usually people can tell by the context of the conversation as to which you are referring to.
Rancho San Diego is simply shortened to Rancho. This also happens to Rancho Bernardo. Again, context plays a role in which one is being referred to.
Mission Beach is becomes Mission, yet Pacfic Beach and Ocean Beach are never shortened.
Yet other towns like La Mesa, El Cajon, La Jolla and Del Mar are never shortened.

It's a very odd thing.
I think this will be a very good subject, I hope others participate.

People call San Diego SD, Pacific Beach PB, Ocean Beach OB, Carlsbad as C-bad, even some people call Solana Beach SB which is a bit odd.

Yeah I'd say it's just a "thing".

I lived in Salt Lake City for a while but 99% of the time we removed the "city" from it.

I have no idea why it came to be, but it is hardly the only city that is primarily called by a shorter version
The Chi
Philly
DC
Frisco
Big D
The Lou

I do like finding out why these things start and more importantly why they stick though

I don't know why it is, maybe it's just some sort of unspoken consensus as to whether or not something, "Sounds right."

I also think there's a certain question of familiarity, whether that familiarity be Local, Regional or National. For example, is there any better known place (nationally) with the word, "Vegas," anywhere in it? I would say no, so Vegas has that level of familiarity where the, "Las," can be dropped nationally and everyone still understands the place of which one is speaking.

I'm not going to use Local examples (though there are some) because I don't want to spoon-feed the world my location. However, when I lived in Kansas City, Missouri, if you said, "KC," you were referring to Kansas City, MO, whereas, "KCK," was Kansas City, Kansas. Another example from that area was Saint Joseph, MO, which would often be shortened to Saint Joe's or Saint Joe. Excelsior Springs was never just called, "The Springs," though, I think that's because Blue Springs was also nearby, so there'd be some confusion, there.

Shawnee and Mission are actually two separate cities in Kansas, and it gets really confusing, because everyone refers to the place collectively as, "Shawnee-Mission," regardless of which one they actually mean and even though ir refers to a culmination of about a dozen towns that include Shawnee and Mission. The general area of, "Shawnee-Mission," can also refer to Overland Park, which has a population about 2.5x greater than the cities of Shawnee and Mission, combined.

It's a mess finding your way around KCK and Shawnee-Mission because it's tough as hell to use Google because you don't even know what city you actually want!!!

One example from within 100 miles of me that I will give out is, "YTR," which is actually three separate towns that happen to all run right into one another. Nobody outside of the area in which I grew up would know anything about, "YTR," but the general area was always referred to as a collective by anyone that lived near (but not within) that area. The newspaper has even referred to the area, collectively, as, "YTR." Unlike Shawnee-Mission, there's no confusion with YTR, everyone in the general area knows exactly what is being talked about and there are no shared businesses, so if you say the Dairy Queen in YTR, you know you're actually going to the town the, 'R,' stands for.

Quote: Gabes22

I have no idea why it came to be, but it is hardly the only city that is primarily called by a shorter version
The Chi
Philly
DC
Frisco
Big D
The Lou

I do like finding out why these things start and more importantly why they stick though

The 'Burgh
Cincy (Could be Regional?)
N'Olens (Rather than the fully pronounced, New Orleans)

EDIT: I've also known people from Indiana to refer to Indianapolis as, "Indy."

I always thought it was because las is 'the'
in Spanish and 'the' is frequently dropped.
FB was originally called The FB.

Quote: Gabes22

I have no idea why it came to be, but it is hardly the only city that is primarily called by a shorter version
The Chi
Philly
DC
Frisco
Big D
The Lou

I do like finding out why these things start and more importantly why they stick though

Cincy
Indy
Minnie
KC
OKC
Cola
ABQ

Quote: MrV

I usually call sin city by its correct name: "Las Vegas."

I think I was in a Denver bus station and asked for a ticket to Las Vegas but with met with the question 'which one' there being a Las Vegas, New Mexico or something that the bus company also serviced.

I always thought Chicago was called Chi-town. I know Plymouth, MA is called P-town.

I think I have heard two or three people say Johannesburg but dozens and dozens say Joburg.

Lower Manhattan has How-Stun street not Hew-Stun street.

Vegas is simply adequate, its not a whole lot shorter than Las Vegas but it is shorter than Whiskey, Women, Gluttony and Gambling. I think my favorite casino was in Paradise, Nevada anyway, not Las Vegas. Heck, I used to play at Circus Circus because they had admirable policies on signage and security patrols of parking lots for pets locked in cars. Every day, Every Shift they had at least one security truck equipped with a dog cage, just in case they had to break into a car and rescue a pet I liked that so I played there. Knowing the borders of the various "las vegas", "vegas" and "Vegas, Baby" areas had nothing at all to do with it.

I wonder how they refer to Las vegas, new mexico.

Quote: FleaStiff

I think I was in a Denver bus station and asked for a ticket to Las Vegas but with met with the question 'which one' there being a Las Vegas, New Mexico or something that the bus company also serviced.

I always thought Chicago was called Chi-town. I know Plymouth, MA is called P-town.

I think I have heard two or three people say Johannesburg but dozens and dozens say Joburg.

Lower Manhattan has How-Stun street not Hew-Stun street.

Vegas is simply adequate, its not a whole lot shorter than Las Vegas but it is shorter than Whiskey, Women, Gluttony and Gambling. I think my favorite casino was in Paradise, Nevada anyway, not Las Vegas. Heck, I used to play at Circus Circus because they had admirable policies on signage and security patrols of parking lots for pets locked in cars. Every day, Every Shift they had at least one security truck equipped with a dog cage, just in case they had to break into a car and rescue a pet I liked that so I played there. Knowing the borders of the various "las vegas", "vegas" and "Vegas, Baby" areas had nothing at all to do with it.

I believe P-town is Provincetown not Plymouth .

Quote: Mission146

One example from within 100 miles of me that I will give out is, "YTR," which is actually three separate towns that happen to all run right into one another. Nobody outside of the area in which I grew up would know anything about, "YTR," but the general area was always referred to as a collective by anyone that lived near (but not within) that area. The newspaper has even referred to the area, collectively, as, "YTR." Unlike Shawnee-Mission, there's no confusion with YTR, everyone in the general area knows exactly what is being talked about and there are no shared businesses, so if you say the Dairy Queen in YTR, you know you're actually going to the town the, 'R,' stands for.

The question is, WHY would you ever want to find yourself in YTR, unless you were going to the bank, or the Dairy Queen?

I note a trend toward two syllable names/nicknames. Perhaps that has something to do with it.

Quote: BoulderDamIt

Well, you actually do call Los Angeles by a shortened name since it's official name is City of Los Angeles. A lot of other people call it LA. But before this it had another name (disputed, confounding some scholars).
Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles.

My research indicates the name was: "El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula"


In English it means "The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of the Porciúncula River".

I think "Queen of the Angels" is code for some woman who was the mother of some guy mentioned in the Bible. ;)

Quote: Ayecarumba

I note a trend toward two syllable names/nicknames. Perhaps that has something to do with it.

That might have something to do with it. Much like if you attend a sporting event there is the unwritten "7 word" rule for a good heckle.

Quote: BoulderDamIt

Some people shorten New York to NYC.

And some lengthen to, "The City so Nice they named it twice." :-)

Its a nickname that is unique. Angeles doesn't mean much, but Los Angeles.is clearly understood,.unless your thinking of some city.in south east Asia which is often referred to as the city of angels. There are many Yorks, towns, villes, etc New York is special.

Just like Vegas is special. Las has no meaning, but everyone knows Las Vegas. Vegas is unique. I know of no other place that holds the same name.

Meaningful nickname, abbreviation, it all catches on and eventually becomes inherent in our speech pathology passed on from generation to generation.

Quote: teddys

The question is, WHY would you ever want to find yourself in YTR, unless you were going to the bank, or the Dairy Queen?

I'd love to play off the question, but I can't think of any good reason, even in sarcasm. :)

Quote: Asswhoopermcdaddy

Its a nickname that is unique. Angeles doesn't mean much, but Los Angeles.is clearly understood,.unless your thinking of some city.in south east Asia which is often referred to as the city of angels. There are many Yorks, towns, villes, etc New York is special.

Just like Vegas is special. Las has no meaning, but everyone knows Las Vegas. Vegas is unique. I know of no other place that holds the same name.

Meaningful nickname, abbreviation, it all catches on and eventually becomes inherent in our speech pathology passed on from generation to generation.

I mentioned it earlier. There's a Las Vegas, new mexico.

Really? Sue for copyright infringement!!

Either it was a popular movie or the book where the shortened virsion first appears. People like to act like heroes.

To a tourist, "Vegas" is the Strip. It's also a state of mind...as in "Vegas, Baby!" Locals never call it Vegas by itself though. To do so labels them a newbie.

Someone mentioned N'awlins a bit ago. Growing up in Texas, that is correct...no one called it New Or-Leens, to do so would label yourself a Yankee. It still kills me to this day to see 'chefs' on Food Network say New Or-leens while strolling Bourbon Street. Geez, can't his handlers correct his dumb ass so he doesn't make a fool of himself on TV?

Anxious to see DrawingDead's input.

Quote: zippyboy

To a tourist, "Vegas" is the Strip. It's also a state of mind...as in "Vegas, Baby!" Locals never call it Vegas by itself though. To do so labels them a newbie.

???? I have Been here since 1990 and half the time I say Vegas. All depending who i'm talking to and what the context is.

Younger people say Vegas more often than older people, its more hip. Granny probably never just says Vegas.

It has nothing to do with being a newbie.

Most people are basically lazy. You can't blame people for taking the EZ way out.

For examples,

Instead of Kentucky University, people say Kay U.

Instead of Atlantic City, people say AC.

Instead of La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís, people say Santa Fe.
No tongue twister please :-) People will say literally anything else to avoid a tongue twister.

[Santa Fe's full name was "The Royal Town of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi"] per Wikipedia.org.

Quote: Greasyjohn

But that's interesting about the "Las" being dropped from Vegas but not Angeles.

You can drop Las, but not Los.
It's as simple as that. lol