Why do people say they are from DC when they are not?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone who lives in Virginia and Maryland claim to be from DC, but that isn't DC! That's another state, people! It drives me crazy because Virginia and Maryland are suburban towns and DC is a city!!

Who would want to admit to living in Virginia or D.C.?

Oops! I meant Maryland, not D.C.

Actually, why would anyone want to live in D.C., Virginia, or Maryland?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:if you have time to worry about this...I am jealous.

...but you had the time to respond???

[zumbamama]

If I'm here in the DC area, I always say I'm from Arlington. Although, I was born in DC, so I could technically say I'm from DC, even though I don't live there anymore. But if I'm in LA, no one is going to know what Arlington is. It's easier to say DC.

But I notice south of Fredericksburg, many people I run into think NOVA is nothing like the rest of the state.

[Anonymous]

I don't know...because Virginia and Maryland are considered by the rest of the U.S. as redneck states.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here- actually what bothers me is not that they are trying to get through the conversation as quick as possible, but that they would rather say DC because it sounds more civilized than say, a suburb in Virginia. I know it seems like a petty issue, but it's annoying- I think people are prouder to say DC than MD or VA, but MD or VA is NOT DC!!!

No, people don't say DC because it's more "civilized" than a suburb of Virginia or Maryland. (And taking your comment literally, I question your understanding of the term "civilized.") People use DC as shorthand for geographical context, as everyone else here has suggested. I am "from" a suburb of another city, but since no one has ever heard of that suburb, when I'm asked where I'm from, I say "City." If the person suggests familiarity with city, I say, "Oh, you know City? I'm actually from a suburb of the City called Suburb." This is a common practice in conversations, OP. If you have this much trouble with generalizations, you have not yet mastered the fundamentals of living in society.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone who lives in Virginia and Maryland claim to be from DC, but that isn't DC! That's another state, people! It drives me crazy because Virginia and Maryland are suburban towns and DC is a city!!

Who would want to admit to living in Virginia or D.C.?

Oops! I meant Maryland, not D.C.

Actually, why would anyone want to live in D.C., Virginia, or Maryland?

And why would anyone who doesn't live in VA, DC or Maryland waste his or her time posting on this board? "Oops!" Just another idiot moment, PP?

[Anonymous]

My address is Fairfax, VA but I'm surrounded by Burke right across 2 streets. I've told some people I'm from Burke since it's easier for them to picture where I live than if I say Fairfax. I bet people from Burke must hate me for claiming to be from there.

[Anonymous]

When I'm at a party people ask me where I'm from, I say DC, even though I live in VA. Then I eat all the shrimp cocktails and pick out all the good nuts from the mixed nuts bowl, because I like giving DC a bad name.

[Anonymous]

My address is Fairfax, VA but I'm surrounded by Burke right across 2 streets. I've told some people I'm from Burke since it's easier for them to picture where I live than if I say Fairfax. I bet people from Burke must hate me for claiming to be from there.

How outrageous! I'm not even from Burke, but I hate you on behalf of Burke residents.

I live in Vienna, but I tell people I'm from McLean, or sometimes Oakton, depending how much I want to impress them.

For people outside the area, I say I'm from DC. I've tried saying Virginia, but people seem to like me better and think I'm more civilized if I falsely claim to be from DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because when I tell people (that don't live in this area) I live in Virginia, they picture me living on a farm with cows. I haven't seen a cow in Arlington recently.

Totally agree with this - although my 2 year old would be in heaven if there actually were cows in Arlington! Virginia is a big state with many different regions so it is easier to tell someone who doesn't live around here that we live in DC so that they better understand where that is geographically. If I am talking to someone in another part of the country or overseas and say I am from Arlington, VA, they probably would have no idea where that is (although Arlington is probably more recognizable than many DC suburbs). I think this would be even more true if someone lived in Reston or Chantilly - both suburbs of DC, but probably not recognizable to most people who don't live here. If I am talking to someone who lives here, I definitely say I live in Arlington because I assume they know where that is. I am certainly not ashamed of where I live and don't think saying I live in DC makes me sound "better".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I'm at a party people ask me where I'm from, I say DC, even though I live in VA. Then I eat all the shrimp cocktails and pick out all the good nuts from the mixed nuts bowl, because I like giving DC a bad name.

Bahahaha!

[Anonymous]

Oh yeah, being from D.C. is DEFINITELY *NOT* more civilized. In fact, it should be an embarrassment half the time - LOL!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know...because Virginia and Maryland are considered by the rest of the U.S. as redneck states.

Really? I've lived in several states (on both the west and east coasts, and in the southwest) and not once have I heard Virginia or Maryland described as redneck states. When I lived in DC, however, I came across an awful lot of people who wanted to tell me how crime-ridden and dangerous it was once they heard where I lived.

[Anonymous]

I find this thread hilarious - well really just OP's rant - because I used to think the same way - in high school and college. I'm from DC - and I mean in the city, born and raised. In college, we hated it when the suburban kids would say they're from DC, because being from DC gave you some street cred (even though I was raised in upper NW) and we felt the suburban kids didn't deserve it. But, uh, I'm 33 now, and really could care less. Also curious if OP is actually a DC native ...

[Anonymous]

I find this thread hilarious - well really just OP's rant - because I used to think the same way - in high school and college. I'm from DC - and I mean in the city, born and raised. In college, we hated it when the suburban kids would say they're from DC, because being from DC gave you some street cred (even though I was raised in upper NW) and we felt the suburban kids didn't deserve it. But, uh, I'm 33 now, and really could care less. Also curious if OP is actually a DC native ...

LOL! Did I go to high school with you?? I was thinking the same thing going through this thread! I figured the OP was some GW or AU kid originally from bumble-butt Iowa and is renting an apartment in Adam's Morgan and is really excited to be a city girl now and wants to put down anyone that isn't "legit."