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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m from Capitol Hill. Throughout the country I’ve met people who say “oh, I’m from DC too” and I ask where and they say something like Fairfax.

It is incredibly annoying. They’re not the same.

They’re also not that different except that it’s easier for the Fairfax people to park in front of their home. Really, you DC people need to get over yourselves. DC is a tiny city with a million suburbs. People are going to say “dc” and mean it in the the broad sense because no one cares.

[Anonymous]

I say “DC area” or “right outside DC” because no one has heard of my area outside the DC metro.

If people don’t like it, Idgaf. My zip code growing up was a DC zip code even though I lived in MD. I lived in DC proper for a while too.

If they are from here and want specifics, I’ll provide those.

I have always lived on the line and am back and forth between DC and MD and most non-DMV don’t get that.

My grocery is in DC. My kids attended school in DC (yes a private). I worked all day in DC. At night, I put my head on a pillow on MD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

This makes sense. When we are outside if the area we always say we love outside of DC, we live in Gaithersburg and no one knows or gives a rats add where that is unless you live here!

[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

I only say we live outside DC if we’re outside the area! If you are in DC you just say MoCo or Gaithersburg. No one gives a shit where you live and no one thinks saying you’re from DC sound glamorous. Sounds like I’m dodging rats and bullets. Frankly I’m living swank in a Super multi cultural area surrounded by tons of cultures and people, live near wineries and farms and great shopping, huge multi acres for my back yard and kids are safe healthy and happy. Don’t think I need to say I’m from dc to shore up my insecurities lol

[Anonymous]

It really depends on the context. If you're saying you're from DC while speaking to people in this area, and you live in Burke, it seems weird and false. If you're at some work conference in Chicago and tell someone you're from DC, that makes perfect sense because it's the nearest big dot on the map. And the people at that conference telling you they're from NYC might be from Hoboken or Syosset, and you shouldn't feel cheated to find that out later.

[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

Who in the world thinks DC is “glamorous”? That’s one of the weirder statements I’ve read on here in a while.

I rarely find Dvorak’s columns interesting, but I give her credit for doing her bit to fight the Wizards’ and Caps’ move out of the city. It will have a devastating effect on all the businesses and the (relative) safety and vibrancy of their current neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

I think this is all petty beyond belief. DC is simply not a glamor destination to anyone except a small subset interested in politics. That said, if asked I simply say "in a DC suburb".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It really depends on the context. If you're saying you're from DC while speaking to people in this area, and you live in Burke, it seems weird and false. If you're at some work conference in Chicago and tell someone you're from DC, that makes perfect sense because it's the nearest big dot on the map. And the people at that conference telling you they're from NYC might be from Hoboken or Syosset, and you shouldn't feel cheated to find that out later.

Yes, and in these threads, no one is ever saying they’re from DC when they’re local. It’s always when we’re traveling. But these DC people are weirdly territorial.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I say “DC area” or “right outside DC” because no one has heard of my area outside the DC metro.

If people don’t like it, Idgaf. My zip code growing up was a DC zip code even though I lived in MD. I lived in DC proper for a while too.

If they are from here and want specifics, I’ll provide those.

I have always lived on the line and am back and forth between DC and MD and most non-DMV don’t get that.

My grocery is in DC. My kids attended school in DC (yes a private). I worked all day in DC. At night, I put my head on a pillow on MD.

This is common here. Lots of people who work on DC every day live in the suburbs. Shorthand “dc” makes sense. Has nothing to do with glamour. Lol

[Anonymous]

It's semantics IMO. When I say I am from DC, I mean the area. I grew up two blocks from the line on the Maryland side. I went to church and school (private) in DC.

I now live in Rockville and work in downtown DC, and it all feels like home/the same to me.

[Anonymous]

I’ve lived in both Va and DC. Always inside the Beltway. How I answer depended on how far from home I was. In Philly/NYC/North Carolina, I’d say “I live outside of DC”. If on the West Coast or abroad, I’d say DC.

While living here, I answer with my actual area.

[Anonymous]

How hard is it to say “dc area”. Why say you are from dc when it inaccurate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

How do you deal with questions about The Wire? That’s what usually comes next when I say I’m from Maryland.

[Anonymous]

Big difference between saying you’re from DC when you’re from close in Bethesda vs out in Gainesville, Gaithersburg, etc. I don’t think anyone would have a problem with a person who grew up in Chevy Chase MD saying they’re “from DC”, as they likely spent tons of time in the city growing up. Big difference in life experience from someone who grew up an hour outside where commuting in was a big deal and a rare event.

And, non natives shouldn’t ever be saying they’re “from” DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You’ve obviously never been