Where did the ongoing ‘do a good deed and the mayor of the town congratulates you with the key to the city’ in movies & shows come from? Was that ever a real thing?

Question

I’m watching family guy & Peter found a missing kid and as a reward the mayor gave him the key to the city (or town hall?).
I’ve also seen this happen in a few other movies.

Was this ever a real thing? Is this an inside joke I’m not aware of?

In: 2567

Answer 1

In 2010 I was awarded the key to the city where I lived. I had opened and funded a teen center that served over a quarter of 1 million kids over 10 years. The city honored me with the key to the city. I told them I just wanted the key to the bathroom.