5. Screwston Our unique rap community has been responsible for two of our best nicknames. The first is Screwston, named after the chopped and screwed style pioneered by DJ Screw. You're not likely to find it on many tourists guides, nor will you hear...
4. City of Syrup Arm and arm with screwed was the concoction known as "purple drank," codeine-laced cough syrup favored by many of the rappers who specialized in screwed. Big Moe even called his 2000 album City of Syrup. Though it became nationalized by rappers in the '90s it was invented in the 1960s when blues musicians mixed Robitussin with beer or wine coolers. Sadly, it was also responsible for the deaths of Screw and Big Moe from overdoses of the drink, and contributed to the sleep apnea that also killed Pimp C.
3. Clutch City In 1994 the Houston Rockets were in the playoffs against the Phoenix Suns when they lost two consecutive games in a row despite going into the fourth quarter with big leads. The Houston Chronicle heralded the demise of the Rockets with a headline that read "Choke City". At the time no Houston team from a major league sport had ever won a championship, and the hope that the Rockets could change that soured.
But coach Rudy Tomjanovich and Hakeen Olajuwon rallied and led us not only to our first NBA Championship, but a back to back championship the following year. Since then Clutch City has become a rallying cry for Houston sports teams. The Astros revived it in 2005 when they made it to the World Series for the first time, as have the Dynamos and the Aeros.
2. Space City From the 1960s until the turn of the century Houston was known for its contributions to the space exploration industry. "Houston" was the first word ever spoken on the moon, and we remain home to the Johnson Space Center. Two of our sports teams are named after space terms, as well as our Astrodome. The term's fallen out of branding in the last couple of decades as memories of the space race fade and tight budgets keep hampering our path to the stars. Still, it's a time and a term that shouldn't be forgotten.
1. Big Heart It's corny and cheesy and frankly it kinds of reeks of an ad executive's cologne, but I always liked that we became best known for a while for helping other people. When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 a huge number of Louisiana residents ended up sheltered and taken care of in the disused Astrodome, where apparently some began to refer to us as the Big Heart for all kindness our refuge offered. 150,000 people came to us from the devastation to get help, and help they got. They also got a bunch of racist urban legends told about them, but for the most part Houston stepped up to earn a truly lovable title.
