This is Who We Are (City Edition)?

I was walking on the Schuylkill Trail recently, enjoying a beautiful spring day in November, when I noticed a woman with a T-shirt emblazoned with the Trenton New Jersey slogan, “Trenton Makes – The World Takes”. I have often seen this slogan displayed proudly on a railroad trestle while crossing the bridge headed toward the Trenton Amtrak Station. Every time I do, I wonder what could have possessed the city leaders to choose and then so blatantly promote a town motto that sounds so peevish. The woman’s T-shirt prompted me to answer that question.

Not surprisingly, the Trenton motto came out of a slogan contest sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce looking to spread the city’s industrial achievements. Such contests are generally a bad idea, though they can produce some interesting entries. John Oliver highlighted the contest to design a refashioned New Zealand flag, which prompted some wonderfully quirky designs, to say the least. Not that you would actually want to adopt any of them.

Considering the slogan Trenton embraced, there must have been some intriguing runners-up. Like, “We do all the work, but you take all the credit”. Or maybe, “You’re just jealous because we’re great”. Or “I do all my chores, you don’t, but mommy still likes you best”. Anticipating the placement of the motto on the bridge, there might have been an entry for “Our slogan is bigger than your slogan”.

In 1910, when the slogan was adopted, Trenton’s biggest industries were pottery and rubber. You would think that might have prompted slogans like, “Trenton – we always bounce back.” I also like, “Trenton – shaping the world, one jug at a time.” Those are slogans that a city can build on.

Trenton is not alone in having a less than ideal city motto. Mount Horab, Wisconsin sells itself as “The Troll Capital.” That might have been OK when trolls conjured up weird little guys with wild hair and big feet, but in today’s world of social media, it is a bit off-putting. Utica, New York, showing a negative self-worth that would make Trentonians proud, bills itself as “The City that God Forgot”.* Considering the hurricanes, flooding and earthquakes elsewhere, that might not be as bad as it sounds.

Lest you think that odd city slogans are solely an American phenomenon, Tisdale, Canada bills itself as “The Land of Rape and Honey”, rape apparently (hopefully) referring to the rapeseed grown in that area (those crazy Canadians). It seems that Dunedin, New Zealand doesn’t want to get your hopes too high with “It’s all right here.” Not exactly a ringing endorsement. While I don’t think it was an official slogan, Toronto wits commemorated a bad time a few years back by erecting an entry sign that said “Welcome to Ontario’s Capital. Our hockey team sucks and our mayor smokes crack.”

Promoting a city is just not that simple. Here in Philadelphia, we got lucky. Our name lends itself to the catchy slogan of “The City of Brotherly Love”. We really don’t have to live up to that moniker. It isn’t as if it was adopted because we are all such wonderful, welcoming folk. In fact, we often rank as one of the rudest cities in the U.S., but no matter. It’s like calling Los Angeles the “City of Angels”. If it wasn’t literal, it would be ironic.

New York is big enough, it doesn’t have to worry about promotion, and can adopt a slogan as meaningless and vague as “The Big Apple”. I have no idea where that came from, or what it is supposed to mean, and while I could look it up, I don’t want to. It’s better to just repeat it as if it’s somehow profound, nod your head knowingly, and move on.

Cities like Trenton and Utica don’t have that luxury. If they want people to take notice, they have to come up with something original and catchy. Some cities just settle for the bland and uninspiring, like Rockville, Maryland’s “Get into it”, or Rochester, New York’s “I’d Rather Be in Rochester – It’s Got It”. My guess is that these cities spent big bucks to come up with and promote these witty bon mots, but since no one will ever be inspired, or even remember them, a slogan contest may have been the way to go.

While it’s easy to deride city slogans, it’s much harder to come up with one. I’ve tried with Trenton, but all I could come up with is “Trenton – We’re Kind of Midway Between New York and Philly.” Or, “Trenton – The New Jersey State Capital, For What That’s Worth”. They could update the current slogan with “Trenton Used to Make, But the World Took it All, and Now We have Nothing!!” I admit, none of these are bridge worthy.

Maybe the bottom line is that city legislators should focus on things other than slogans if they want people to remember their city. They should highlight the attractions that make them worth an exit off the highway. Let’s face it, no one comes to Philadelphia for hugs. They come for the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall (and the cheesesteaks). Similarly, people don’t go to Trenton to relive past manufacturing glory, but for the Yankees AAA team, a couple of decent museums and access to places like Princeton. And yes, to see the “Trenton Makes – The World Takes” bridge. Not earthshaking, but it’s a start.

*I must admit, all of these slogans may not be official. That doesn’t make them less fun.