why N.Y city it's called "The big Apple"?

Answer 1

You happen to have hit upon something that has recently been thoroughly researched by scholar Mr. Barry Popik. To summarize:

"The Big Apple" was the catchphrase of New York Morning Telegraph track writer John J. Fitz Gerald in the 1920s. He admitted this twice and it was the name of three of his columns. He picked up the term from African-American ("dusky" he called them) stable hands at the Fair Grounds racetrack in New Orleans, probably on January 14, 1920."

There are a LOT of false theories out there, and Mr. Popik's site explains carefully why they are wrong. You can read entire explanations at the links below. or his long detailed explananation http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/ (click to subpages).

Answer 2

There are a few different reasons why its called The Big Apple!
There exist several explanations but it cannot be agreed upon a particular one among diverse scenes - anyhow one explanation became the official version.Most of the stories around the phrase 'big apple' have to do with the earning of money in NYC.

The phrase "The Big Apple" referring to New York City was first used in a 1909 book, The Wayfarer in New York edited by Edward S. Martin. In a metaphor explaining the sentiment in the Midwest that the city receives more than a fair share of the nation's wealth, he explains: "New York [was] merely one of the fruits of that great tree whose roots go down in the Mississippi Valley, and whose branches spread from one ocean to the other…[But] the big apple [New York] gets a disproportionate share of the national sap."

A newspaper writer, John Fitzgerald, heard stable boys in New Orleans call New York the Big Apple because of the big winnings that could be had at the race tracks there. He called his New York column, "Around the Big Apple."

Jazz musicians in Kansas City and New Orleans also picked up the term to describe the city. In 1997, the New York City Council named the southwest corner of West 54th Street and Broadway, the "Big Apple Corner", in honor of Fitzhgerald, who once lived there.

A 1971 campaign to increase tourism to New York City adopted the Big Apple as an officially recognized reference to New York City. The campaign featured red apples in an effort to lure visitors to New York City. It was hoped that the red apples would serve as a bright and cheery image of New York City, in contrast to the common belief that New York City was dark and dangerous. Since then, New York City has officially been The Big Apple.

In 1997, with the help of Big Apple advocate Barry Popik, the City Council acknowledged John J. Fitz Gerald's contribution to New York City lore by naming the southwest corner of W. 54th Street and Broadway in Manhattan, the corner where Fitz Gerald lived from 1934 to 1963, "Big Apple Corner." A plaque was placed on the building by the Historic Landmarks Preservation Center to commemorate him.

Answer 3

The term "The Big Apple" was coined by touring jazz musicians of the 1930s who used the slang expression "apple" for any town or city. Therefore, to play New York City is to play the big time - The Big Apple.

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