Top 4 Huntsville nicknames—their interesting meanings + stories

What's your favorite Huntsville nickname? — What’s your favorite Huntsville nickname? (Jacob Blankenship / Hville Blast)

As Huntsville grows, its nicknames multiply.

We asked our LinkedIn and Instagram followers to choose their favorite of four popular Huntsville nicknames—Rocket City, Huntsvegas, Huntspatch and Pentagon of the South.

Read on for the results and the intriguing stories behind these names.

#4: Huntspatch

Old Huntsville from the 1950s—Huntspatch was a popular Huntsville nickname — Have you heard anyone used the Huntsville nickname Huntspatch? (Old Huntsville Magazine / Facebook)

Huntspatch and Pentagon of the South scored pretty closely on our Instagram and LinkedIn polls. Huntspatch won 3% of the votes on LinkedIn and only 1% of the Instagram votes.

The nickname originates from the 1950s when northern citizens were moving to the small town of Huntsville. The city was much more primitive then, and they called it Huntspatch as a reference to Dogpatch—a country town in Al Capp’s cartoon Ll’l Abner.

#3: Pentagon of the South

Redstone Arsenal — Have you referred to Huntsville as the Pentagon of the South? (Nathan Watson / Hville Blast)

Pentagon of the South received 2% of the votes on Instagram and LinkedIn, ranking it evenly with Huntspatch.

Lately, this Huntsville nickname has started to sneak into casual conversations and even print publications.

Some think it’s an exaggeration, but others find it accurate considering the influence of the Redstone Arsenal and the amount of retired generals living in Huntsville.

#2: Huntsvegas

Huntsville 2022 269 — Is Huntsvegas all irony to you or do you see any parallels in the nickname? (Jacob Blankenship / Hville Blast)

Huntsvegas came in second on the polls, gaining 13% of the vote on Instagram and 21% of total votes on LinkedIn.

According to Urban Dictionary, the first reference to Huntsvegas occurred in 1992 after a Van Halen Concert on Valentines Day in Birmingham.

A security guard asked guitarist Eddie Van Halen where they were headed next, and he responded, “We’re headed up the road to Huntsvegas!” After that, the nickname gained traction.

#1: Rocket City

Huntsville Rocket — Rocket City comes out on top in the battle of the nicknames. (Jacob Blankenship / Bham Now)

Rocket City overwhelmingly won the vote, and we weren’t surprised it all. It took 84% on Instagram 74% on LinkedIn.

This also happens to be our favorite Huntsville nickname here at Hville Blast. It’s an important reminder of our city’s amazing work to develop the rockets that put men on the moon.