Not as many transplants as people think? (Baltimore, Chillum: how much, houses)

[liliblu]

I was reading the Raw Fisher on the Post online. The question was "Nobody's From Here, Right?" Fisher goes on to answer the question. I've read a lot of posts where people complain that everyone is from somewhere else. Maybe that's not really the case.

"Nobody's From Here, Right?
Not quite. One of the great myths about Washington is the notion that most people here are just passing through. In fact, many of those who move to Washington from elsewhere end up staying forever, and, in even greater contradiction to the stereotype, the portion of residents who are native to the city is pretty much on par with other major U.S. cities.

Today's Random Friday Question--sparked by overhearing a conversation at a Northwest restaurant among four young executives bemoaning the fact that "nobody's from here" and "everybody's home is far away"--sent me into the bowels of the Census, where there are answers to just about every question: Is Washington different from other cities? Are more people here really from elsewhere?

According to the 2000 Census, 50 percent of D.C. residents were living in the same residence in 2000 as they had been in 1995--the same percentage for whom that was true in California, and slightly below the portion in Virginia (53 percent), Maryland (55 percent), or, for that matter, Montana (54 percent.) The national average for that rather minimal evidence of staying put in one place was 54 percent."

Raw Fisher

http://www.census.gov/population/cen...-t23/tab01.pdf

[westsideboy]

To say that somebody is "from here" requires far more than just living in the same house for 5 years, or immigrating to a new city and staying there for the rest of your life. For a community to truly have a coherent demographic and cultural tradition it takes generations. Where are these people's parent's from? Where will their children end up living? Until you have continuity between residents' past, present and future, a community will lack a common identity.

[Cheasare]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

To say that somebody is "from here" requires far more than just living in the same house for 5 years, or immigrating to a new city and staying there for the rest of your life. For a community to truly have a coherent demographic and cultural tradition it takes generations. Where are these people's parent's from? Where will their children end up living? Until you have continuity between residents' past, present and future, a community will lack a common identity.

I think there are some pockets in the greater metro area where you have this sense of continuity from generation to generation, but you are right that does not appear to be widespread. It really becomes salient during the holidays when my office empties out as people travel "home" including those that have made this their home for a number of years.

I suppose I belong to this group as a transplant myself as I don't plan to live here permanently.

C.

[kjg1963]

There are more people that have lived here for generations than you may think. Most transplants have come here for the jobs and those jobs would be in the professional fields. If you happen to work in these more professional atmospheres, you would notice a larger number of transplants. I happen to work for a government contractor and probably more than 50% of the employees are from other areas of the U.S. I personally am from here--one grandfather grew up on a farm in Oxen Hill and the other was in the Chillum area. My significant other has multi-generation roots in Laurel. My ex's family has always been in Hyattsville. Most of my friends have also been in Maryland for generations. Two of my elderly neighbors still live in the houses they were born in. Friends have told me of the neighborhoods they grew up in that have never changed and the homes are passed down to other family members. If you grow up in this area and have roots you would be exposed to more people who are actually from here. If you are from another area, work is where you will first be introduced to people living in this area and if it is a corporate, government, or technical environment, most likely it will be comprised of transplants.

[westsideboy]

kjg1963, That is a good point. It is probably less that the locals have moved out as much as they have been outnumbered and overwhelmed by the newcomers. I guess if you know where to look you can still find them.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Yes, there are too many transplants. If you look at what is happening with Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado and Idaho being flooded with Californians and Florida and North Carolina flooded with Yankees, that's what's happening here. I'm not talking DC itself, but Montgomery and Howard counties and also Harford and Baltimore Counties.

Look at how much the population size has increased? These people have to come from somewhere. The fact that these people stay si the worst part. Look at how much forest and farmland is lost every year. Look at how much worse the traffic gets. Northern Virginia is so bad now that its not even southern anymore, but is now part of the miserable, unpleasant Northeast. Same with Maryland.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Add to the transplants obviously there are the countless illegal immigrants from various countries south of the Rio Grande.

For both immigrants and transplants, I'll just say... When in Rome......

I hate people bringing their way of life. This is not New Jersey. You should say please and thank you. You should hold the door open for someone. You don't have to speed up when some guy signals he wants to change lanes in front of you!

This is not Mexico. We speak English here.