Means nothing. Basic descriptor. It’s also in the address as someone noted, and the county is very obviously bisected by Rt. 50.

I swear some of you just relentlessly assume the worst in everyone and can’t wait to tear people down—in this case, over just about the most trivial thing I could imagine. OP has a bet on this?!

Look in the mirror once in a while.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe it just cuts down on a frequent follow-up; "Oh, whereabouts?"

Correct! I have lived in both and specified both North and South to orient the person asking. Follow-up would be the exact neighborhood.

Anonymous wrote:They're probably specifying because when you say you live in Arlington people will inevitably follow up with "what part?"

This. I wouldn't think anything of it.

Maybe it just cuts down on a frequent follow-up; "Oh, whereabouts?"

I live in N Arlington and would never say this. Yes, it's very loaded. Saying either Arlington or N Arlington are too vague to be all that helpful. Both cover pretty large areas. If someone actually cares and asks after I say I live in Arlington, I would drill down on more specific neighborhoods or say something like - near the East Falls Church metro.

No, it is not boastful - it is descriptive.

Guess what....I live in North Arlington and when I lived in South Arlington, I told people I lived in South Arlington. I bet you'd assign motives to that too..."oh...she thinks she's so edgy to live in South Arlington" ...it's a geographical description used to help vector people in.

Why ask the question? I could assign nonsense motives to that as well.

The actual ADDRESSES of the county have an S or a N in the official post office description of the language. This isn't a geographical delineation someone created to put you down.

I don't see that as any different than if I say "I live in Silver Spring, just outside the beltway", and my friend says "Downtown Silver Spring", and my other friend says "Silver Spring, close to Olney".

Silver Spring is big, so narrowing it down makes a difference.

I’d give the benefit of the doubt, but I hear the subtext because I live in Arlington. It’s not descriptive enough to be helpful as a locator since it could mean Rosslyn or it could mean Rock Spring.

It’s just a geographical descriptor that Arlingtonians use to signal their status to other Arlingtonians. Because nobody else knows or cares.

They're probably specifying because when you say you live in Arlington people will inevitably follow up with "what part?"

I’ve lived here in the DMV my entire life. I’ve lived in “North Arlington”. I’d never ever call it North Arlington when referencing where I live or know of even anyone else would say that.

Maybe if someone asked where in Arlington, I’d give the neighborhood like Lyon village. But that’s about it.

Anonymous wrote:I live in North Arlington but I say Arlington when people ask where I live. It would never occur to me to narrow it further unless someone asked, in which case I would refer to the closest big neighborhood that someone was likely to know.

Same. Live in N Arlington. Always just say Arlington or if they know more, neighborhood like Cherrydale.

Oh good grief, seriously?

The distance between Chain Bridge Forest (North Arlington) and Shirlington (South Arlington) is 9 miles and about 30 minutes depending on traffic. It makes sense to be specific.