Anonymous
03/28/2023 15:08
Subject: "Where do you live?" "Oh we're in North Arlington"
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:"North Arlington, not to be confused with South Arlington," is how I would take that comment.
this. it's definitely this. people have been saying this since the 80s, at least.
to follow up on this, what I understood was South Arlington was where poor immigrants lived in apartments (the horror!) whereas north arlington was "old virginia families" who were "wealthy" and lived in "single family homes." The people who said "North Arlington" would always sort of pause right after they said north, just to give it some emphasis. "North [breathy pause] Arlington [looks around the group for acknowledgement]."
Growing up in NoVA, people were so snobby about North Arlington that when I visited Yorktown HS for an event, I thought it was going to be some kind of amazing school with chocolate milk in the water fountains and mercedes in teh parking lots. Was disappointed to find it was just another NoVa high school, although i remember getting super lost on my way there, driving through the wilds of arlington in the pre-GPS days.
I love this story haha reminds me of going to a children's museum with a soda fountain and being super disappointed that it wasn't a drinking fountain that dispensed any type of soda you could imagine
Anonymous
03/28/2023 15:05
Subject: "Where do you live?" "Oh we're in North Arlington"
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:No. I'm in the DC area and I am not aware that North Arlington is more or less nice than other locations in Arlington.
Ha – that tells me you don’t know Arlington though
DP. Exactly. I live in close-in MD and “North Arlington” means nothing to me, either, except something vague about the missing middle. So I’m answer to OP’s question, people who use that phrase may think they’re conveying something, but for the most part they’re not.
You wouldn’t think they are referring to the northern portion of Arlington?
Missing middle has nothing to do with N v S Arlington.
Well yes, it would be the northern part of Arlington, obviously. But if you’re trying to tell me you’re somehow different from those folks in the southern part, the distinction is lost on me. Except that, since you went to the trouble of specifying “northern,” I’ll conclude that it means something to you if not to me.
Anonymous
03/28/2023 15:02
Subject: "Where do you live?" "Oh we're in North Arlington"
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:"North Arlington, not to be confused with South Arlington," is how I would take that comment.
this. it's definitely this. people have been saying this since the 80s, at least.
to follow up on this, what I understood was South Arlington was where poor immigrants lived in apartments (the horror!) whereas north arlington was "old virginia families" who were "wealthy" and lived in "single family homes." The people who said "North Arlington" would always sort of pause right after they said north, just to give it some emphasis. "North [breathy pause] Arlington [looks around the group for acknowledgement]."
Growing up in NoVA, people were so snobby about North Arlington that when I visited Yorktown HS for an event, I thought it was going to be some kind of amazing school with chocolate milk in the water fountains and mercedes in teh parking lots. Was disappointed to find it was just another NoVa high school, although i remember getting super lost on my way there, driving through the wilds of arlington in the pre-GPS days.
Anonymous
03/28/2023 14:58
Subject: "Where do you live?" "Oh we're in North Arlington"
Anonymous wrote:I’m from here, so find it kind of funny that living anywhere in Arlington would be a status symbol.
It’s like trying to make fetch happen.
I'm also from here and think you're being intentionally obtuse. In an area where people try to make everything a status symbol a pricey inner suburb with high home prices isn't "fetch" in your analogy.
Whether one believes anywhere in Arlington (or this whole area) is deserving of that status symbol award is something else entirely
Anonymous
03/28/2023 14:57
Subject: "Where do you live?" "Oh we're in North Arlington"
I live in North Arlington. To a DMV person, I just say Arlington until someone asks for specifics. 99% of people don’t really care. It’s just noise unless the person is actually coming to my house or is asking my proximity to something.
Anonymous
03/28/2023 14:55
Subject: Re:"Where do you live?" "Oh we're in North Arlington"
Just don't say "North Bethesda" or "North Potomac," or DCUM will come at you
Anonymous
03/28/2023 14:53
Subject: "Where do you live?" "Oh we're in North Arlington"
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Assume the person asking also lives in the DMV and is thus familiar with the area. Is specifying North Arlington unnecessarily boastful or merely descriptive?
Help me settle a debate on the topic.
Imagine boasting about living in Arlington, North or otherwise.
Right? Nothing is really boastful in the entire DC area.
Anonymous
03/28/2023 14:52
Subject: "Where do you live?" "Oh we're in North Arlington"
It's usually snobbery.
Anonymous
03/28/2023 14:51
Subject: "Where do you live?" "Oh we're in North Arlington"
I’m from here, so find it kind of funny that living anywhere in Arlington would be a status symbol.
It’s like trying to make fetch happen.
It’s like trying to make fetch happen.
Anonymous
03/28/2023 14:49
Subject: "Where do you live?" "Oh we're in North Arlington"
Anonymous wrote:"North Arlington, not to be confused with South Arlington," is how I would take that comment.
this. it's definitely this. people have been saying this since the 80s, at least.
Anonymous
03/28/2023 14:47
Subject: "Where do you live?" "Oh we're in North Arlington"
Anonymous wrote:Assume the person asking also lives in the DMV and is thus familiar with the area. Is specifying North Arlington unnecessarily boastful or merely descriptive?
Help me settle a debate on the topic.
That is how I would answer. I know people in South Arlington who just say "Arlington", so there is some truth to your suspicions.
Anonymous
03/28/2023 14:47
Subject: "Where do you live?" "Oh we're in North Arlington"
Anonymous wrote:Assume the person asking also lives in the DMV and is thus familiar with the area. Is specifying North Arlington unnecessarily boastful or merely descriptive?
Help me settle a debate on the topic.
Imagine boasting about living in Arlington, North or otherwise.
Anonymous
03/28/2023 14:44
Subject: Re:"Where do you live?" "Oh we're in North Arlington"
definitely snobbery.
Anonymous
03/28/2023 14:43
Subject: "Where do you live?" "Oh we're in North Arlington"
Anonymous wrote:No. I'm in the DC area and I am not aware that North Arlington is more or less nice than other locations in Arlington.
same, i am from MD (Takoma Park) and I wouldnt see it as bragging because i dont fully grasp how much better North Arlington is to south arlington. I have a vague sense because i skim through this forum but thats it. My DH would have no clue other than assuming North is closer in so probably better
Anonymous
03/28/2023 14:33
Subject: "Where do you live?" "Oh we're in North Arlington"
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:No. I'm in the DC area and I am not aware that North Arlington is more or less nice than other locations in Arlington.
Ha – that tells me you don’t know Arlington though
PP you replied to. Well... duh. Exactly. So specifying a specific location will not be perceived by most people as boastful. Because we don't know, and don't care.
+1 The distinction is pretty meaningless outside Arlington.