“I’m from a small town right outside of Washington D.C.”

[Anonymous]

Np. I am from Sterling. I met a guy from Herndon, and he didn’t know where Sterling was.

Neighbors. We played each other in high school sports. I could cross from friends’ back yards into Herndon.

That was the point I stopped saying I was from outside DC. I am from Virginia.

If people ask, I say it’s near DC. That was a massive part of my life — everything is centered around dc. Not from there, but it was always *right there.* Everybody’s job and social life connected to DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Leesburg? Frederick? I don't consider any of the close-in cities like Arlington or Takoma Park small towns, and I don't know anyone who would.

Arlington isn't a city. It's a county.

Alexandria is a city.

Neither are "towns."

What they actually are isn't really the point. Almost nobody from the DMV would call them (or Bethesda, SS, Hyattsville, etc.) "small towns," even colloquially, so if someone said that to me, I would not think of those suburbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Leesburg? Frederick? I don't consider any of the close-in cities like Arlington or Takoma Park small towns, and I don't know anyone who would.

Arlington isn't a city. It's a county.

Alexandria is a city.

Neither are "towns."

Correct. Herndon, Viena, and Clifton are, by definition, towns. The rest of the NoVa is unincorporated counties. OP, please give that person a stern lecture on loose language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where do you assume this person is from? What is the first town that comes to mind?

Manhattan

[Anonymous]

This could be Takoma Park, or Falls Church City, or The Plains.

[Anonymous]

Deale, MD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Leesburg? Frederick? I don't consider any of the close-in cities like Arlington or Takoma Park small towns, and I don't know anyone who would.

Arlington isn't a city. It's a county.

Alexandria is a city.

Neither are "towns."

Correct. Herndon, Viena, and Clifton are, by definition, towns. The rest of the NoVa is unincorporated counties. OP, please give that person a stern lecture on loose language.

Plus city of Fairfax

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Leesburg? Frederick? I don't consider any of the close-in cities like Arlington or Takoma Park small towns, and I don't know anyone who would.

Arlington isn't a city. It's a county.

Alexandria is a city.

Neither are "towns."

I think you're being a bit pedantic here. Someone is having a conversation, not a geography quiz.

Not really. "Town" has a specific meaning. And it isn't synonymous with "city" or "county." Although a town can be a locality within a county. But not a city. A city has a specific destination.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Purcellville, Leesburg, Frederick, Fredericksburg, Owings Mills, Lorton, etc.

Those are not "right outside of"

But that's how people reference where they live. An hour away is not that far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Leesburg? Frederick? I don't consider any of the close-in cities like Arlington or Takoma Park small towns, and I don't know anyone who would.

Arlington isn't a city. It's a county.

Alexandria is a city.

Neither are "towns."

I think you're being a bit pedantic here. Someone is having a conversation, not a geography quiz.

Not really. "Town" has a specific meaning. And it isn't synonymous with "city" or "county." Although a town can be a locality within a county. But not a city. A city has a specific destination.

Is Fairfax City a town or a city? What about Leesburg? People here call it a town, but it has twice the population of Fairfax

[Anonymous]

There are no small towns right outside of Washington D.C. They're all large suburbs, Leesburg included. And as someone correctly pointed out, Leesburg and other areas near there are not "right outside of."

[Anonymous]

I think Poolesville - but I'm from MoCo so that's my main point of reference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Leesburg? Frederick? I don't consider any of the close-in cities like Arlington or Takoma Park small towns, and I don't know anyone who would.

Arlington isn't a city. It's a county.

Alexandria is a city.

Neither are "towns."

I think you're being a bit pedantic here. Someone is having a conversation, not a geography quiz.

Not really. "Town" has a specific meaning. And it isn't synonymous with "city" or "county." Although a town can be a locality within a county. But not a city. A city has a specific destination.

Is Fairfax City a town or a city? What about Leesburg? People here call it a town, but it has twice the population of Fairfax

Fairfax is a city.
Leesburg is a town.

The classification is not population-based. Did you really not understand that? It has to do with incorporation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are no small towns right outside of Washington D.C. They're all large suburbs, Leesburg included. And as someone correctly pointed out, Leesburg and other areas near there are not "right outside of."

Define "right outside of."

My definition is anything within about a 50-mile radius.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Leesburg? Frederick? I don't consider any of the close-in cities like Arlington or Takoma Park small towns, and I don't know anyone who would.

Arlington isn't a city. It's a county.

Alexandria is a city.

Neither are "towns."

I think you're being a bit pedantic here. Someone is having a conversation, not a geography quiz.

Not really. "Town" has a specific meaning. And it isn't synonymous with "city" or "county." Although a town can be a locality within a county. But not a city. A city has a specific destination.

Contrary to your assertion, town literally is synonymous with city; ask the dictionary. I've lived here for a decade-plus and this distinction people in close-in VA and MD make on whether they live in a town or county or unincorporated amalgamated HOA is baffling. If you say the name of the place you're from, 99.895% of people will make a mental note that you're from that city/town. They will not investigate to find out whether it's actually a subdivision of an incorporated entity that was once a county but is now a post-code designation without its own school district.