This popular Sacramento nickname is the ‘worst,’ Bee readers say. Here are the others

Sacramento has a ton nicknames — and several of them don’t resonate well with the people who live here.

In a twist to The Bee’s traditional polls, we asked readers to vote the worst Sacramento tagline and after more than 500 responses — the results are in. Remember: This poll isn’t scientific. It’s for fun.

In order of most votes received, Bee readers say these are the worst Sacramento nicknames:

Farm-to-Fork Capital

Coined in 2012 and plastered on the Freeport water tower along Interstate 5 in 2017 , the “Farm-to-Fork Capital” slogan was introduced in an effort to support the region’s robust agriculture. But the name wasn’t received well, partially because “Farm-to-Fork Capital” replaced the long-loved nickname “City of Trees” on the water tower.

“Many Sacramento natives, including myself, grew up seeing ‘City of Trees’ on that water tower almost every day of our lives coming and leaving from home,” wrote Kelan Johnson, who’s organized an online petition demanding a return of the old motto, according to a previous Bee report. “The water tower is not just a billboard advertisement to funnel tourists in to spend their money at our local restaurants.”

It gained 117 votes or 21%.

Sacratomato

The nickname “Sacratomato” is a mashup of the words “Sacramento” and “Tomato,” probably to pay homage to the region’s red, juicy fruit — but it’s clear these Bee readers would rather trash the name. A Reddit user took their opinion to r/Sacramento Reddit forum in November 2021 and said “only dads and out-of-towners” use the nickname.

It gained 102 votes or 18%.

Cow Town

Unlike the other nicknames on the list, the phrase “Cow Town” is often used as a negative nod to Sacramento, but where the name originates is up for debate. Whatever the origin, it’s clear some Bee readers don’t like it.

It gained 84 votes or 15%.

The Mento (pronounced “The Menno”)

“The Mento” (prononuced “The Menno”) is exactly what is sounds like — a lax abbreviation of the word “Sacramento” and apparently, it’s not very liked by readers.

It gained 54 votes or 10%.

OTHER LEAST-LIKED NICKNAMES

Big Tomato

It gained 40 votes or 7%.

Sacramendi

It gained 35 votes or 6%.

Nocal

It gained 30 votes or 5%.

Sacamenna

It gained 23 votes or 4%.

Sactown

It gained 21 votes or 4%.

Sacto

It gained 12 votes or 2%.

Camellia City

It gained 11 votes or 2%.

The 916

It gained 10 votes or 2%.

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