We found the person who gets really worked up when MD/VA people say they're "from DC"

[Anonymous]

It's Petula Dvorak!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/12/14/capitals-wizards-leaving-dc/

[Anonymous]

Petula Dvorak has long been the most insipid and inane columnist on the Post’s staff so it’s only fitting she’d pen this column.

And, no, I don’t claim to be “from DC” while living in the burbs. It’s just that she’s the queen of banality. The Post used to have interesting columnists like Jeanne Marie Laskas and Jennifer Moses. Dvorak is just utterly predictable dreck.

[Anonymous]

I definitely remember the thread on this forum from the past year where someone living in DC was really obsessed about this.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Bethesda but now live in CA. when asked where I'm from I say "DC", because no one outside of the immediate DC area has heard of Bethesda unless they're into all things NIH. Also I spent a great deal of my adult life actually living in DC and going to school there.

[Anonymous]

I think a lot of people feel that way. I dont mind anyone who grew up in the close in suburbs (the suburbs where you can legitimately get to DC in less than 20 minutes and probably go in regularly to grab lunch, go shopping, run errands, etc- so Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Alexandria, Silver Spring, etc) but the fact is there are many transplants from God knows where who live out in Gaithersburg and want to slip into an "I'm from DC" deception because they think it makes them seem more glamorous. Come on, everyone sees through it, which is why people write articles making fun of it. It's wearing your insecurities on your sleeve for everyone to see

[Anonymous]

I just say "the DC region" or a "DC suburb" because it's the closest metro region. If someone is familiar with the area, I go into specifics. Northern Virginia is becoming an easier answer that many people recognize.

[Anonymous]

The reality is that this is not a DC thing. People dont like liars or embellishers no matter where theyre from. LA natives get a hearty laugh over the person from Ohio who now says they're "from" West Hollywood whenever they get asked. Manhattanites make it clear the the "bridge and tunnel" crowd is not the same as the actual natives, and that the girl who grew up in Arizona is not "from" "the city". That's just how it is. Natives can spot other natives, people who actually live somewhere often have crucial, if seemingly tiny to outsiders, differences and shared experiences that help them form communities. And no one is obligated to buy into your delusions so you can feel more cosmopolitan, OP.

[Anonymous]

This is so pretentious. I've lived in nine cities in three countries; nobody thinks anyone is glamorous being from DC!

[Anonymous]

I affirmatively avoid any connection to DC because I don't think DC is viewed favorably across the political spectrum. If I'm talking to a local, I say the exact city. And if I'm talking to someone outside this area, I say I'm from Maryland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The reality is that this is not a DC thing. People dont like liars or embellishers no matter where theyre from. LA natives get a hearty laugh over the person from Ohio who now says they're "from" West Hollywood whenever they get asked. Manhattanites make it clear the the "bridge and tunnel" crowd is not the same as the actual natives, and that the girl who grew up in Arizona is not "from" "the city". That's just how it is. Natives can spot other natives, people who actually live somewhere often have crucial, if seemingly tiny to outsiders, differences and shared experiences that help them form communities. And no one is obligated to buy into your delusions so you can feel more cosmopolitan, OP.

no one ever claims to be "from WeHo"...what are you talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The reality is that this is not a DC thing. People dont like liars or embellishers no matter where theyre from. LA natives get a hearty laugh over the person from Ohio who now says they're "from" West Hollywood whenever they get asked. Manhattanites make it clear the the "bridge and tunnel" crowd is not the same as the actual natives, and that the girl who grew up in Arizona is not "from" "the city". That's just how it is. Natives can spot other natives, people who actually live somewhere often have crucial, if seemingly tiny to outsiders, differences and shared experiences that help them form communities. And no one is obligated to buy into your delusions so you can feel more cosmopolitan, OP.

You care too much about this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people feel that way. I dont mind anyone who grew up in the close in suburbs (the suburbs where you can legitimately get to DC in less than 20 minutes and probably go in regularly to grab lunch, go shopping, run errands, etc- so Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Alexandria, Silver Spring, etc) but the fact is there are many transplants from God knows where who live out in Gaithersburg and want to slip into an "I'm from DC" deception because they think it makes them seem more glamorous. Come on, everyone sees through it, which is why people write articles making fun of it. It's wearing your insecurities on your sleeve for everyone to see

This is a you problem. I’ve lived in three VA suburbs and any time I’m traveling, I say “DC”. Because no one knows all the suburbs, it’s an easy answer, and no one really cares. It’s small talk. If they happen to be familiar with the area, we get into the nitty gritty. It has nothing to do with glamour lol.

[Anonymous]

Dvorak is a moron.

[Anonymous]

Alexandria was part of DC until 1846...

[Anonymous]

DC actually is Maryland. The DC on this side of Potomac where White House is etc all used right be Maryland