Apples don't grow in New York City, so 's not why it is called the Big Apple. are many legends about how the city that sleeps got its name. One story says that famous brothel owner named Eve gave the city name. Another version of history claims the name its roots in show business with performers calling York the "Big Apple" since it was the place to get noticed. There is one legend says the city got its name because of large number of unemployed selling apples on the of New York City during the Great Depression.

term more likely has its roots in horse from the 1920's. Prizes were called "apples" and newspaper reporter when writing about races often would the big prize the big apple. In fact "big apple" soon was used to mean any city. In the late 1920s through the 1940s,"The Apple" was not just a nickname for New , it was also the name of a song, dance, and a place to dance and sing. York City was the heart of the jazz scene in the 1930's and 1940s. In Harlem, Manhattan, there was a club called "The Big ". There was also a 1938 short film of same name featuring black jazz musicians and dancers.

the 1970s, the city tourism agency began using term the "Big Apple" on purpose. There is a street corner in Manhattan called "Big Apple ". One New York City baseball team, the New Mets, have a big red apple that pops whenever the Mets hit a home run in stadium Citifield. While the origins of the "Big " nickname are unclear, it seems to be here stay.