Binghamton, New York, has been called the “Parlor City (of the Southern Tier)” since 1873. “Parlor City” means a city that is refined, with beautiful homes, gardens and cultural amenities.
 
Bluffton, Indiana, has been called the “Parlor City” since at least 1900. “Parlor City” was cited in the article “Club Life at Bluffton,” published in the Indianapolis (IN) News on December 29, 1900. Bluffton, Indiana, “The parlor city” thro’ a camera. Souvenir. was a publication in 1904. Bluffton was known for its paved streets—something not every town had at that time.
     
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, began to be called the “Parlor City (of Iowa)” in 1890 and 1891. Monroe, Louisiana, was called the “Parlor City (of Louisiana)” in 1890.
 
 
Wikipedia: Bluffton, Indiana
Bluffton is a city in Harrison and Lancaster townships, Wells County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 9,897 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Wells County.
(...)
Motto(s): “The Parlor City”
 
City of Bluffton, Indiana, USA
Indiana’s Parlor City…
Bluffton was nicknamed “The Parlor City” over a century ago because its paved streets (a new phenomenon at the time) made the city “as clean as your parlor.”  The parlor was the room in the house where guests were entertained and made to feel at home.
 
Now that you’re here, take a look around.  We’re pretty proud of this place.
 
Bluffton is a community of 9,897 in Northeastern Indiana.
           
29 December 1900, Indianapolis (IN) News, “Club Life at Bluffton,” pg. 7, col. 1:
To-day club life has probably reached the apex of its existence, for there are more than a dozen clubs, with a membership of 170, composed of the intelligent, cultured class of misses, wives and mothers of the “Parlor City.” 
   
14 August 1903, Huntington (IN) Weekly Herald, pg. 2, cols. 1-2”
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is called the Parlor City. It is so called on account of its clean streets, its neat lawns and the beautiful groves and gardens that surround its homes. Does Indiana have a parlor city? Presume we have some towns in the state that might be entitled to the name. There are many towns that have the foundation and all the conditions for a parlor city. Certainly they have all the natural conditions necessary. The only lack is the parlor man to make the parlor town. The number of societies is excessive, but give us one more, the Parlor City Society.
S. M. M.
 
OCLC WorldCat record
Bluffton, Indiana, “The parlor city” thro’ a camera. Souvenir.
Author: Indiana—Commercial Club Bluffton
Publisher: [Bluffton, Ind.] : [Bluffton Mfg. Printery], [1904]
Edition/Format:   Print book : English
       
20 June 1904, Huntington (IN) Herald, pg. 3, col. 2:
“CUTS, BUMPS AND CURVES,” ALIAS C. B. & C. RY.
No advertising name for the C. B. & C. has yet been found, but the one suggested several days ago by the News, “Parlor City Line,” is favored by the management. If the road should be given that name all its advertising would call attention to Bluffton, the Parlor City of the United States. Some people have been mean enough, however, to call the new road “Cuts, Bumps and Curves.”
 
Chronicling America
26 September 1907, The National Tribune (Washington, DC), “Veterans in the City,” pg. 3, col. 6:
Comrade J. Chaddock of Bluffton, Ind. (...) Comrade Chaddock is deservedly proud of his beautiful town, which is called the “Parlor City” of the West.”
 
Google Books
The American City
Volume 37
1927
Pg. 339:
BLUFFTON, known as the “Parlor City of Indiana” because of the fact that even back in 1900 it had the highest percentage of paved streets of any city in the state, has always displayed no small amount of civic pride.
 
1 December 2000, Indiana Business Magazine. “City Spotlight: Bluffton” by Kathy Mayer, pg. 67:
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Since Bluffton’s founding in 1838, the Wabash River has provided its focal point. Today, walkers and bicyclists enjoy-the scenery along the River Greenway Trail. One of Indiana’s first towns to have paved streets, most were lined with grand homes, giving the town its nickname, “The Parlor City.”
 
Twitter
Marsha Werling
@Mar_sha
Replying to @StephanieAbrams
.@StephanieAbrams Yes! My hometown of Bluffton, Indiana has the nickname “The Parlor City.” http://www.ci.bluffton.in.us
6:42 AM - 14 Aug 2009
 
Twitter
Jessica Bricker
@_JRBnews
Is Bluffton’s piano history where the nickname “Parlor City” came from? Find out in today’s @newsbanner
9:08 AM - 7 Feb 2015