A California City Is Getting an Unexpected New Nickname, and Not Everyone Is a Fan
A California City Is Getting an Unexpected New Nickname, and Not Everyone Is a Fan
Ashley VegaFri, August 21, 2026 at 8:50 PM UTC
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Walnut Creek, CaliforniaCredit: Getty -
Some residents of Walnut Creek, Calif., have started referring to the city as “The Nut,” a nickname that has caught Mayor Kevin Wilk’s attention
Wilk said he has spotted people wearing “The Nut” merchandise around downtown, while KRON4 found residents divided over the name
Some longtime locals have pushed back online, with one declaring, “I will continue to call it Walnut Creek”
A California city has picked up an unexpected new nickname — and some longtime residents would like a word.
People have apparently started calling Walnut Creek, Calif., “The Nut,” a moniker that’s become noticeable enough to catch the attention of Mayor Kevin Wilk. He addressed the trend during an Aug. 18 City Council meeting, according to KRON4.
“I thought people were calling Walnut Creek ‘The Creek’ for sure, but I’m seeing more and more ‘The Nut,’ ” Wilk said.
It wasn’t just something he’d overheard. The mayor said he recently came across a booth selling hats and shirts bearing the nickname, only to start noticing the gear elsewhere around the city.
“Next thing I know, I’m walking around the streets downtown, and there’s people with ‘Nut’ paraphernalia,” Wilk said. “So we’ll keep an eye on that one, on that trend.”
Walnut Creek, CaliforniaCredit: Getty
KRON4 asked Walnut Creek residents what they thought of the nickname, and the responses made it clear that not everyone is ready to embrace the city’s possible new identity.
“Definitely The Nut for sure. Yeah, I use it a lot,” one person told the outlet. Another supporter offered a simple explanation: “It’s easy, it’s catchy, so I just say it.”
Others aren’t interested in making the switch. “It’s Walnut Creek. Why ruin the name? It’s a beautiful name,” one resident told KRON4. “I don’t like that. I would never say that. I live in The Nut?”
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The debate has also spilled online, where people with longtime ties to Walnut Creek have made their feelings known. “I grew up in Walnut Creek… went to Walnut Acres, Foothill…I will continue to call it Walnut Creek,” one person commented on their Instagram page.
Another was equally puzzled by the apparent rebrand. “In all my years of being in the Bay, I have never not once called Walnut Creek the Nut or anything besides actually calling it Walnut Creek,” they wrote.
Some of the nickname’s newfound visibility can be traced to Walnut Creek Spotlight, a local newsletter and social media account covering businesses and events around the city, according to KRON4. The account, which has nearly 30,000 Instagram followers, is behind the “The Nut” merchandise Wilk spotted and is selling hats for $35.
But the nickname itself appears to have been around longer than the merch.
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KRON4 found an October 2025 Reddit discussion about nicknames for Walnut Creek and nearby communities in which “The Nut” was among the popular responses. One user said they had been using the nickname since moving to Walnut Creek in 2020.
Whether “The Nut” will actually stick is another question. For now, even the mayor is waiting to see what happens.
“We’ll keep an eye on that one,” Wilk said, “on that trend.”
on People
Source: “AOL Breaking”
