Why Is New York City Called the Big Apple?

The nickname "Big Apple" traces back to 1920s horse-racing circles. Sportswriter John J. FitzGerald, writing for the New York Morning Telegraph, heard African-American stable hands in New Orleans refer to New York's racetracks as "the big apple"—the ultimate prize for any jockey. FitzGerald popularized the term in his column "Around the Big Apple." By the 1930s, jazz musicians adopted it to mean the big-time venues of Harlem and Manhattan. A 1970s tourism campaign by the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau cemented the nickname globally, turning a racing insider's phrase into the city's most famous brand.