I’m a Walnut Creek native, and I don’t hate calling it ‘The Nut’

When I was growing up in Walnut Creek, we’d go on drama class outings to see live performances of “Arsenic and Old Lace” or “A Chorus Line” at “The Nuthouse.”

No, I’m not talking derogatorily about a mental institution, but about the city’s one-time performing arts venue. Up until the 1980s, the Civic Arts Theatre occupied a downtown building repurposed from an old walnut warehouse. Everyone affectionately referred to it as “The Nuthouse.”

I bring this up because there’s been much hand-wringing and online debate following local and national reports saying that Walnut Creek residents have started calling their hometown “The Nut.”

As someone who was born in this East Bay suburb and lived here most of my life, I can say I never heard this nickname before. But it’s fun to watch other locals find new ways to embrace the city’s “nutty” origins — as a small town surrounded by walnut orchards. I should also remind people that our mascot for the once-annual Walnut Festival Twilight Parade was King Walnut. During the parade, a guy wore a giant walnut shell head with a smiling face and crown, and he would wave from the back seat of a convertible or pose with pretty female contestants vying for Walnut Festival queen.

Over the past few weeks, there have been some etymological deep dives into “The Nut” trending on TikTok and explanations that the term “is a Gen Z thing.” People magazine has taken the discussion national, with a story asserting that the nickname is here to stay.

Mayor Kevin Wilk said he’s both amazed and amused by all the attention Walnut Creek is getting for its supposed new nickname. “It’s crazy!” he said, wondering if people want a distraction from “the barrage of chaos” in the world. He even heard from a friend, who shared that a relative in Ohio was asking: “So, what’s this about Walnut Creek being called ‘The Nut’?”

But many longtime residents are not happy about “The Nut,” either because they find it too cheeky for their tastes — or even insulting. Others see it as an affront to their own authoritative knowledge of the city.

“I’m guessing the fans of calling it ‘The Nut’ might be the same people who call San Francisco ‘San Fran’ and California ‘Cali,’” said one person on the Walnut Creek, California – Time Machine Facebook page. “I moved to Walnut Creek in 1965 and have never called it anything else and honestly don’t know anyone who does.” Similarly, someone else said: “It is only in the mouths and minds of young people and newbies. None of us who lived here long ago would ever recognize that as acceptable. Juvenile. Almost as bad as Frisco. OMG, don’t get me started!”

Others say they’ve sometimes called Walnut Creek “The Creek.” At some point, “the Dub C” also became a thing.

“I understand disliking it but I find it amusing,” Jeanne Milne said on the Time Machine page. She recalled that her prominent businessman father owned Gene Hagen Buick in downtown and purchased a Morrow’s Nut House candy store, which her mother called “The Nut House.” “I prefer Walnut Creek,” Milne said.

The debate gained traction when Joey Trautner, founder of the Walnut Creek Spotlight Instagram page, which has more than 30,000 followers, began selling baseball hats online with “The Nut” embroidered on the crown.

Like me, Trautner was born and raised in Walnut Creek and was initially skeptical of “The Nut.” Trautner, who has a day job in construction management, investigated because he was looking to create some Walnut Creek-branded hats and other merchandise to promote his media startup, which initially began as a newsletter in 2023 to highlight small businesses. He notes that his family owned the former longtime La Fogata Mexican Bar and Grill on North Main Street.

While the father of two saw TikTok influencers — “Gen Z people, specifically” — refer to Walnut Creek as “The Nut,” he assumed they didn’t come from Walnut Creek. So he turned to an expert — his wife, Danielle — to find out what teens and recent graduates were saying. Danielle teaches English at their alma mater, Northgate High School. In an interview, Trautner said, “She looked at me, and she goes, ‘Yeah, a lot of people call it “The Nut” now.’”

Trautner got further confirmation from a trio of younger cousins who have also attended Northgate. In a group text, the eldest of the three, who graduated a couple years ago, said, “Dude, that’s what we call it now. Nobody calls it ‘WC’ or ‘The Creek.’” Trautners’ other two cousins, including one who still goes to Northgate, chimed in, saying, “Yeah, it’s ‘The Nut.’ We all call it ‘The Nut.’ You know, ‘We’re from “The Nut.”’”

With that, Trautner put in an initial order for a small batch of “The Nut” hats to sell online. They quickly sold out, and he personally delivered some to buyers, all of whom lived in Walnut Creek.

In a follow-up post, he surveyed his followers to see if they wanted hats that said “The Nut” or “The Creek.” Five-to-one, respondents wanted “The Nut,” he said. Ahead of his first-time appearance in a booth at the Locust Street Festival on Aug. 5, he garnered nearly 15,000 views for an Instagram post that showed a video of “The Nut” hat being made. For the festival, he had ordered 100 hats to sell. “I counted them the night before, and I came home with zero hats,” he said.

After his festival outing, Trautner thanked followers for buying his hats and other merch and announced plans to sell more at Walnut Creek’s Oktoberfest on Sept. 25 and 26. He also laughed at some recent pushback he received on “The Morning Roast” show on the Game sports station, 95.7 KGMZ-FM.

A caller addressed “The Nut” debate by citing his own Walnut Creek bona fides and declared that “The Dub C” is the preferred nickname. This guy theorized that the debate had something to do with the cross-town rivalry between the city’s two high schools. A Las Lomas High graduate, the caller noted that Trautner is from Northgate. “That explains it all,” he said.

While Mayor Wilk said the nickname debate is crazy, he’s happy if it gets people thinking of Walnut Creek “as a fun place to be.” He said, “If maybe they live five or 10 miles away and they go, ‘What’s this going on about “The Nut”?’ And then they’ll come and check it out.”

That’s Trautner’s purpose, too. And he deserves kudos for doing what he can to promote his business and celebrate Walnut Creek, while creating a sense of community around this nickname debate. He’s also not wedded to “The Nut.” He’s just giving his followers something they want. He said on Instagram: “The Nut. The Creek. Dub C. Whatever you call it. Keep repping Walnut Creek.”