"The Biggest Little City in the World?"
Excerpt based on Alicia Barber's KUNR Public Radio post.
Some cities have nicknames that are instantly recognizable, like The Big Apple or the Windy City. Reno’s famous slogan, "The Biggest Little City in the World," also has a unique history. But how did it gain such fame?
It all began in the late 1800s during the Gilded Age, a period when major cities like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco were booming with skyscrapers, electric streetcars, and thriving industries.
Smaller towns, eager to attract attention and investment, began adopting the title "the biggest little city" to promote themselves. Reno was one of these towns, first dubbed the “Biggest Little City on the Pacific Coast” by a local reporter in 1901. The phrase emphasized not size, but ambition—Reno may have been small, but it had big vision, pride, and opportunity.
In 1910, as Reno hosted the heavyweight boxing championship between Jack Johnson and Jim Jeffries, local businessmen marketed the town as “The Biggest Little City on the Map,” using the slogan on promotional materials handed to thousands of visitors. Though Reno’s population was around 10,000 at the time, it had a surprisingly urban feel with a university, a charming downtown, and a growing reputation for cultural sophistication, helped by visitors seeking Reno's famous six-month divorce process.
By 1929, the slogan became official when it won a city contest, and it was soon emblazoned in neon on the iconic Reno Arch. When Nevada legalized gambling and streamlined divorce laws in 1931, Reno saw even more national attention, solidifying its title as “The Biggest Little City in the World all to itself.”
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