Important List #11 - Illinois town and city nicknames

This list draws heavily (OK, entirely) on a Wikipedia entry that you should consult for a longer and more detailed list. The last one is my favourite.

• Beardstown - Watermelon Capital
• Bloomington–Normal together - Blo-No
• Buffalo Grove - The Gymnastics Capital of Illinois
• Chester - The Home of Popeye
• Chicago - The City of the Big Shoulders (For more Chicago nicknames see List of nicknames for Chicago, obviously.)

• Collinsville - Horseradish Capital of the World
• Crystal Lake - A Good Place to Live
• DeKalb - Barbed Wire Capital of the World
• Griggsville - Purple Martin Capital of the World
• Huntley - The Friendly Village with Country Charm
• Joliet - City of "Snap and Progress"
• Marion - Hub City of the Universe

Some notes on Marion, in southern Illinois. It was founded in 1839 and now has a population around 17,000. Ten people died in a tornado in 1982. It has had the same mayor since 1963. Nineteen sixty three! 

I thought perhaps it had an automotive parts industry or even bike parts - as an explanation for the 'Hub' nickname. As this doesn't seem to be the case, I can only accept that Marion is in fact, as it claims, the Hub City of The Universe.