Baltimore Mottos "Charm City" (for sale, houses, promotional)

[New2Balt]

Does anyone know if "Charm City" was the first nickname that was designed to be a promotional tool? Did mayors before Schaefer not hire ad execs to come up with city nicknames/mottos?

Thanks

[I95]

How would we know if they hired ad executives?

Contact city office. They do have a public relations dept.

[barante]

As I can best recall, Charm City just happened. It was an outlandish claim in a demoralized city that was recovering from the 1968 riots. There were other slogans as well. Like "Baltimore's best." Schaefer had a whoe volunteer organization headed by Floraine Applefeld coming up with that stuff plus t-shirts for sale, bumper stickers and tie tacks.
One day Schaefer wanted to paint all sidewalks pink. "Pink positive," he urged.
The flipside is the slogan columnist John Goodspeed came up with. He called Baltimore in the 1960s "the queen city of the Patapsco drainage area."

[Tom Lennox 70]

That nickname was always weird. I live in Maryland and there's really no charm to Baltimore. All you see is miles and miles of rusting industrial areas and really drab, depressing brick rowhouses (which is my least favorite architectural style....I tend to dislike brick and masonry buildings and ESPECIALLY brick row houses which create a ghetto feel). Baltimore feels very like a very depressing, dangerous, and downright ugly place outside of the Inner Harbor area and Camden Yards.

A title liek Charm City really belongs to Charleston, Savannah, New Orleans, or San Francisco.

[carebear1970]

There is a much better saying for Baltimore..but i may offend someone..lol

[barante]

Decades ago, The Evening Sun used to have a popular columnist named John Goodspeed, who died last year. He always referred to Baltimore not as Charm City but as the Queen City of the Patapsco Drainage Area.

[Dom426]

I remember one years ago, Baltimore the City that Reads. The new one Baltimore get in on it, SUCKS big time.

[carolott]

Originally Posted by Dom426

I remember one years ago, Baltimore the City that Reads. The new one Baltimore get in on it, SUCKS big time.

It's the most idiotic motto -- why not just say "Come on, out of town investors, exploit our city even more than you already have!"

I hate that damned motto and I get mad every time I see it.

[tgbalto]

According to "Wish You Were Here! A Guide to Baltimore City for Natives and Newcomers" by Carolyn Males et al, the motto originated in July 1974 by two ad agencies working together for a joint community service project for the city. The Baltimore Promotion Council delayed its launch until after the simultaneous heat wave and garbage strike were over.

I've also read about other variations by graffiti artists on other famous (infamous?) city mottos:

The City That Reads, changed to The City That Breeds (after a news article about the high illegitimacy rate)

Believe, changed to Behave

[JaBradshaw]

I prefer Mob Town, or thanks to the Wire, Bodymore.