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There only a handful of people I've met and could tell they grew up in NYC. I can easily tell the people who claim to be from NYC but are really from the burbs ahah.
Most late transplants that came here in their 20s or 30s normally would not stay in NYC forever. Usually they stay for a good decade or so and go back to their home town. It's only the younger ones that grew up here likely to stay here for longer duration.
It's mainly that those that came here late, still have families back home and it's very difficult to stay close to your love ones. Eventually they get tired of flying back and forth or tired of NYC and move back.
I always thought that whether or not someone referred to queuing as getting "on line" vs. "in line" was a good indicator as to whether or not they grew up in NYC. Is that still valid? Are there any natives on this board that use "in line"? Or non-natives that use "on line"?
It's easier with African-Americans and Puerto Ricans. They're probably natives. Jews as well. I think it would be easy to get statistically significant accuracy by just assuming that all these people one can identify are natives.
Young Dominicans are also likely to be native. Same for young, black Caribbeans. Same for younger East and South Asians.
White people are much more difficult. I doubt I could pick out natives of NYC to any degree of accuracy---with the obvious exception of counting tourists and obvious hipsters.
Young adult Italians...probably suburban Jersey and LI, but could be from SI or Brooklyn. Those that appear to have Slavic features, probably native, but could also be suburban.
People that look like me---blonde, fair, blue-eyed, doesn't wear black except to funerals---transplant most of the time.
Overall, I think most people would be very poor at picking out people in a commercial neighborhood like midtown or the financial district (excluding the tourists). In residential neighborhoods it is much easier. I know in mine almost everyone not Asian or hispanic, over a certain age, is going to be a native. I also know that in Williamsburg almost every white, non-Jewish person is going to be from somewhere else.
You can't always base it on an accent or how someone dresses. My friend dresses like a hipster, has facial hair and was born and raised in Brooklyn. My other friend, also born and raised in NYC doesn't have an accent at all--and he is blond.
It's funny to read all the characteristics that people think differentiate them. Not sure why its important anyways, but I suppose it keeps the outsider dialogue going.
Only with white well educated millennials and yippies I can tell if they are not NYC, whites from outside of NYC usually slur their words as if they are lazy or taking their sweet as time to finish a sentence. Where as us NYCer is always in a hurry to finish our sentence.
I always thought that whether or not someone referred to queuing as getting "on line" vs. "in line" was a good indicator as to whether or not they grew up in NYC. Is that still valid? Are there any natives on this board that use "in line"? Or non-natives that use "on line"?
Very funny and true. I remember the first time I was 'called out' for saying I was standing on line was when I said it in college. I had never before then realized that it sounded funny to some people.
And yes generally speaking I can usually tell when someone isn't from the area. But by area I blend NYC/Westchester/NJ/LI a bit together, because distinguishing between those can sometimes be more difficult depending on where they grew up / live now and where their parents are from.
I can pick out newbies to NYC if the are fresh off the boat. Once they are here 6 months or more it gets harder as they develope the same stressed out look of native NYers.
Eyy, let me get'a butta-roll with-a cauwfee, black, no suggah...
Reminds me of the time I was on the road -- can't remember where exactly -- and I went in a diner and asked for a coffee "regular". I guess that's a New York thing? They didn't have any idea that it meant milk and sugar. Just stared back at me and said, "Well, all our coffee is regular coffee. That's the only type we got."
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