You Know You're From Northern Virginia If...

I recently received an email entitled, “You Know You’re From Northern Virginia If…” There were fifty-two items on the list I received which I’ve distilled down to the more significant thirty before adding two. Enjoy.

 

You’re from Northern Virginia if,

1.           You know two teens who have no idea what their parents do because whatever they do its “top secret” government work.

2.           You never tell someone that you are from “Virginia” without putting “northern” in front of it.

3.           Despite Virginia having succeeded from the Union and fought for the Confederacy, not under ANY circumstance are you a “southerner.”

4.          When people from other states or countries ask where you are from you’re from, you tell them Washington DC because it’s simpler to explain.

5.          You know that no matter where you walk, shop or drive, a good part of your journey is recorded across a range of governmental and private surveillance cameras.  

6.          Speed limits are taken as just suggestions.

7.         You measure trips to shop, visit friends or work not by distance traveled, but by travel time.

8.          It frequently takes you 30 minutes to drive five miles during non-rush hours.

9.          You dread going to the DMV and when you do so, you take the day as a personal or vacation day.

10.       It’s not actually tailgating unless your bumper is touching the car in front of you.

11.       You actually know what the black boxes at stoplights are for.

12.       Someone in your family drives 30 miles or more each way to work.

13.       When you’re driving on the beltway or interstate highway at 2:00 a.m. on a Tuesday you still expect traffic.

14.       A slow driver is someone who is not going at least 10 mph over the speed limit.

15.       You not only know what is a Smart Tag but either you or someone in your family has one.

16.       At least 50% of your graduating class went to either Mason, JMU, UVA or Tech.

17.       Your local news is part of the national news.

18.       You do a good part of your Christmas shopping online because the shopping malls are like parking lots.

19.       You know that each high school in the region has its own corresponding McDonald’s.

20.       You know at least three people who drive a Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Audi, etc.

21.       The values of the cars in the local high school’s student parking lot are worth three times those in the teacher’s parking lot.

22.       You are amused by friends and family who are actually excited to see Washington DC.

23.       There are at least 6 Starbucks within two miles of your house and work.

24.       When you get an inch of snow, you miss three days of work.

25.       When you book a flight you have choice of three airports.

26.       You call something “ghetto” even though that thing in most of the rest of the country it would be viewed as high class.

27.       You understand the meaning of “If you don’t get it, you don’t get it.”

28.       Subway is a fast food place. The public transportation system is known as Metro, and only Metro.

29.       If you can easily name more than twelve law enforcement agencies, excluding the various Sheriff’s departments, operating within twelve miles of the White House.

30.       Military helicopters, F-15s and other military aircraft flying over your neighborhood are common occurrences.

31.       For the cost of your home you could buy a small town in Iowa.

32.       You are amazed when you travel out of town and the people at McDonalds speak English.