Do you say you’re from Washington or DC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Warshington.

[Anonymous]

“Washington, DC.” Even though I am from Maryland because it’s just easier that way .

[Anonymous]

I tell people I'm from Texas but happen to live in Washington, DC. We live in Chevy Chase, MD, but nobody knows where that is and usually asks about the actor.

[Anonymous]

I say, I'm from Maryland. If they don't know where or what that is, I say, it's next to Washington DC.
You will be amaze that many people who are born here do not know what or where MD or DC is. If they still don't know, I just day it's 4 hours south of NY.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Washington, DC. People away from here don't know what "DC" is.

They don’t know DC is the nations capital?

No. they know Washington DC is the nations capital though.

Then they need to open a book, map, tv, etc. I get if someone doesn’t know Maryland but not DC.

NP. Believe it or not, the capital and the average people who live there are a long way away from the minds of most people here on the West Coast. There are other possible meanings that are more likely over here.

So again, open a book, map, tv, etc. No one is saying to care about the ppl but you should know the nations capital at the very least. I’ve visited the West Coast and so far haven’t encountered an idiot who doesn’t know what and where DC is.

Of course we know where "Washington, DC" is, and what the capital city of the country is. That wasn't the issue we're discussing, genius. The issue is whether people in the rest of the country think that "DC" means one and can only mean one thing in this country, which is obviously not true.

There's honestly something really wrong with you to keep being in denial that you aren't the center of the universe. Maybe narcissism.

So when someone says they are from LA, you would think it totally reasonable for us to assume that could mean Los Alamos, or Louisiana or something, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Around here, Arlington. East Coast I say DC. Anywhere else in the US I say Washington DC metro area. Outside the country - the US, near the capital.

This. I give an answer based on what I think the person’s frame of reference is.

A few years ago there was a huge thread about whether people who live in VA or MD were allowed to say they were from DC or if they were just posers and jealous. Classic DCUM.

[Anonymous]

I would never say I'm "from" any place. I say I live just outside Washington DC because that's where I live its not where I'm "from"

Am I from the city I was born in but left age 6 months?
Am I from the town I lived in until age 10 in Europe?
or am I from the city I lived in (NY) from 10-17?
Or am I from London where I lived 17 onwards
or am I from LA where I lived for 10 years

etc

not everyone is from one place.

[Anonymous]

12:38, this is why context matters. If someone’s making conversation about where you live now, you give the current answer. We were on vacation and often got asked “where are you all here from” or some other similar question. That’s different from someone asking where you grew up. For some of us, that’s an easy answer. For others it’s much more complicated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe it's a black thing, but I've never told another black person that I was from DC and had them ask me to clarify. DC, Atlanta, Chicago...we seem to know exactly where our "safe havens" are. For the longest time, people would respond with "Chocolate City?" I don't think I've ever said "Washington DC" unless it was someone from another country.

I was going to post exactly this. I’ve never had an American Black person, no matter where in the country they’re from, not know where DC is.

I live in the District and that’s what I say. If someone doesn’t understand and I say, Washington DC or I have to say the capitol of the United States, I just silently judge them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:12:38, this is why context matters. If someone’s making conversation about where you live now, you give the current answer. We were on vacation and often got asked “where are you all here from” or some other similar question. That’s different from someone asking where you grew up. For some of us, that’s an easy answer. For others it’s much more complicated.

I get that. when people hear our UK accents they say "where you all from?" and we say "Bethesda!" and they obviously look very confused.

[Anonymous]

DC if we’re traveling. The actual suburb name if we’re nearby. It’s about simplicity.

[Anonymous]

Neither. I'm from California.

Now, my kids say they're from DC when they meet someone from outside of the area, because nobody outside of the DMV knows the names of the various suburbs. Most Americans actually do know what and where "DC" is.

[Anonymous]

We don't live in DC any more but moved from DC to overseas for a number of years and when people asked where we came from we'd say "Washington, DC." To most non Americans "Washington" is DC, not Washington state. I always felt funny saying "Washington" alone as to me that refers to the state, not the city, so I'd say "Washington, DC."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC if we’re traveling. The actual suburb name if we’re nearby. It’s about simplicity.

+1

No one outside this area has heard of our suburb in NOVA either, so DC is just easier. One time it turned out that the other person grew up in this area and made sure to let me know that I did not, in fact, come from DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Neither. I'm from California.

Now, my kids say they're from DC when they meet someone from outside of the area, because nobody outside of the DMV knows the names of the various suburbs. Most Americans actually do know what and where "DC" is.

I'm a native washingtonian, now living in CA. No one here knows what DC means, and a lot of people don't even know that Wash DC is the US Capitol.