NoVA is a little bit South. We have a neighbor who occasionally flies the Stars and Bars. You probably won't see that in MoCo - maybe in Rising Sun though.

On the other hand, there isn't a Waffle House anywhere in the Nova. When you hit the first Waffle House, you know you are leaving NoVA and entering the Old Dominion. That's why they put the Virginia Welcome Center on southbound 95 iin Fredericksburg, not Alexandria.

Most of the Maryland people in here seem to only know about Montgomery county. Coming from PG and Charles it feels like Montgomery is just far away.

Anonymous wrote:Different poster here. VA certainly is deep south and scary (not in a good way, or to your benefit) way to some of us. You may be "proud" of it, but others might not be. Every one is different, thankfully.

I'm from Mississippi originally and I live in Prince William County. Virginia is NOT the Deep South. People from the Deep South don't even think North Carolina qualifies as the "real South". There are parts of Virginia (the southwestern corner particularly) that are pretty southern, but NoVa does not resemble the South in any meaningful way. Lee-Jackson Day and all that stuff are relics of a bygone Virginia. This is a different state now than it was even ten years ago -- just look at its role in presidential politics.

I don't assume that everyone in DC or MD are tree hugging liberals.

I can assure you, we are.

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people have a natural affinity for one over the other--I don't think the "trashing" goes in one direction more than the other.

In general, as a liberal D, I am more comfortable with the politics in MD than VA, which still celebrates Lee-Jackson Day. On a more specific level, I do find northern VA awful to be designed only to be navigated by car, and yet awful to navigate by car.

In MD traffic is horrible because the county spent years and years on a plan which concentrates growth as much as possible and results in too many cars on the road. In VA traffic is horrible because no one ever plans for growth, resulting in too many cars on the road.

indian-american born and raised in the north east in my late 20's. Agree with having a 'natural affinity' to one or the other. I much prefer MD to VA.

VA has two benefits though that i would really like MD to copy.....much more relaxed gun laws (extremely easy to get a carry permit), and better public higher education system.

Different poster here. VA certainly is deep south and scary (not in a good way, or to your benefit) way to some of us. You may be "proud" of it, but others might not be. Every one is different, thankfully.

Anonymous wrote:I'm wondering how 16:03 assumes us Virginians are all racist. I'm not, and I've lived in liberal D.C. and then Virginia for more than 30 years. I've never heard anyone in VA make a racist joke to my face - in fact, I heard more racist jokes in MD schools by both parents and children. And not everyone over here is conservative or Republican either. I keep my mouth shut when it comes to politics, as I've instructed my children.

We we are not "The South" (16:23) when you are speaking ill of the South. But even when I've traveled further "south" in the state I haven't heard any racist comments.

I've never even heard of "Lee-Jackson" day. I hope that was a joke.

To assume that we are all racists, conservatives and from the South is the ultimate in bigotry. I don't assume that everyone in DC or MD are tree hugging liberals.

I think it is all about the American Legion Bridge. I've traveled all my life so the bridge is of no consequence to me, but I can't tell you how many people I've met in MD residents who will say to my face, "I never go over that bridge, but for you, I will." Uh, it's just a bridge. There are lots of bridges in America. You probably cross several a day and don't realize it. For some reason, that bridge is a psychological barrier for some MD people. I live much closer to Bethesda, CC, Rockville, S. Potomac than most people who live in Potomac Village. Also, I don't have that one N/S clogged lane (River Road after the Beltway) to deal with to get to my mansion in Potomac. I have Location, location, location.

Nope. Not a joke - http://www.virginia.org/Listings/Events/LeeJacksonDay/.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people have a natural affinity for one over the other--I don't think the "trashing" goes in one direction more than the other.

In general, as a liberal D, I am more comfortable with the politics in MD than VA, which still celebrates Lee-Jackson Day. On a more specific level, I do find northern VA awful to be designed only to be navigated by car, and yet awful to navigate by car.

In MD traffic is horrible because the county spent years and years on a plan which concentrates growth as much as possible and results in too many cars on the road. In VA traffic is horrible because no one ever plans for growth, resulting in too many cars on the road.

Surely you realize that NoVA is practically an entity unto itself as far as the rest of VA is concerned? I've never seen or heard of anyone north of Fredricksburg or Richmond doing this.

I'm OP and it makes me laugh that people lump Northern Virginia in with "the South." I'm from the South. This is NOT the South. You're right, Northern Virginia is its own entity. Geographically it might lie in the South but there are no Southerners here.

Bless ya'll's heart for pointing that out...

Please don't turn it into a South bashing post. My point was, if the only "minus" against Virginia is you think it's "the South", it's not a very strong point. And y'all is already plural, it doesn't require an "s" and you punctuated it incorrectly.

I'll give you the incorrect punctuation but the s was meant to be possessive, not plural.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people have a natural affinity for one over the other--I don't think the "trashing" goes in one direction more than the other.

In general, as a liberal D, I am more comfortable with the politics in MD than VA, which still celebrates Lee-Jackson Day. On a more specific level, I do find northern VA awful to be designed only to be navigated by car, and yet awful to navigate by car.

In MD traffic is horrible because the county spent years and years on a plan which concentrates growth as much as possible and results in too many cars on the road. In VA traffic is horrible because no one ever plans for growth, resulting in too many cars on the road.

Surely you realize that NoVA is practically an entity unto itself as far as the rest of VA is concerned? I've never seen or heard of anyone north of Fredricksburg or Richmond doing this.

Richmond has a white supremacist station on cable access. Classy.

Anonymous wrote:I lived in DC for a while and now MD. I generally have a very good sense of direction but I find VA very difficult to navigate, particularly 395 and going south - like the airport and beyond. The signage is terrible. I always end up driving around the Pentagon and can NEVER find the Costco in Pentagon City.

Havent had the same issues going west (Falls Church and Seven Corners were always good to me).

This. Traffic sucks and it is way too easy to get lost in VA.

I'm not from this area, but after living in the District for almost 9 years I find things to dislike about both. Traffic in VA makes it almost not worth going there; it is much easier to get around in MD IMO. But MD drivers are the worst on the face of the planet. It's equal opportunity, though - in DC we have crooks and former crackheads on the city council, so we're nothing to brag about either.

Not from either. Both are pretty hostile. Drivers suck in both. So its a toss up. If you are not from here, some idiots assume you are from someplace like a small town or worse. This area is extremely closed minded compared to other parts of the U.S. There really is no huge difference between MD and VA, unless you have mostly lived in either area. Then it becomes a p*ssing contest.

If I had to choose one reason, I would say politics.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people have a natural affinity for one over the other--I don't think the "trashing" goes in one direction more than the other.

In general, as a liberal D, I am more comfortable with the politics in MD than VA, which still celebrates Lee-Jackson Day. On a more specific level, I do find northern VA awful to be designed only to be navigated by car, and yet awful to navigate by car.

In MD traffic is horrible because the county spent years and years on a plan which concentrates growth as much as possible and results in too many cars on the road. In VA traffic is horrible because no one ever plans for growth, resulting in too many cars on the road.

Surely you realize that NoVA is practically an entity unto itself as far as the rest of VA is concerned? I've never seen or heard of anyone north of Fredricksburg or Richmond doing this.

I'm OP and it makes me laugh that people lump Northern Virginia in with "the South." I'm from the South. This is NOT the South. You're right, Northern Virginia is its own entity. Geographically it might lie in the South but there are no Southerners here.

Bless ya'll's heart for pointing that out...

Please don't turn it into a South bashing post. My point was, if the only "minus" against Virginia is you think it's "the South", it's not a very strong point. And y'all is already plural, it doesn't require an "s" and you punctuated it incorrectly.

Whoa, apologies for the punctuation. My point was to thank you for pointing out that NOVA is not the South, anymore. Anyone making the claim does not know the area very well, that is all. I am not bashing the South.

16:38 You do realize that the 9/ll pilots and cohorts got their fake licenses in Virginia?

I'm wondering how 16:03 assumes us Virginians are all racist. I'm not, and I've lived in liberal D.C. and then Virginia for more than 30 years. I've never heard anyone in VA make a racist joke to my face - in fact, I heard more racist jokes in MD schools by both parents and children. And not everyone over here is conservative or Republican either. I keep my mouth shut when it comes to politics, as I've instructed my children.

We we are not "The South" (16:23) when you are speaking ill of the South. But even when I've traveled further "south" in the state I haven't heard any racist comments.

I've never even heard of "Lee-Jackson" day. I hope that was a joke.

To assume that we are all racists, conservatives and from the South is the ultimate in bigotry. I don't assume that everyone in DC or MD are tree hugging liberals.

I think it is all about the American Legion Bridge. I've traveled all my life so the bridge is of no consequence to me, but I can't tell you how many people I've met in MD residents who will say to my face, "I never go over that bridge, but for you, I will." Uh, it's just a bridge. There are lots of bridges in America. You probably cross several a day and don't realize it. For some reason, that bridge is a psychological barrier for some MD people. I live much closer to Bethesda, CC, Rockville, S. Potomac than most people who live in Potomac Village. Also, I don't have that one N/S clogged lane (River Road after the Beltway) to deal with to get to my mansion in Potomac. I have Location, location, location.