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If someone asks where I'm from, I'll typically say "I grew up in NY State" (northern Westchester County) since I lived there the first 18 years of my life. Then I'll explain that I've lived in NC since 2005 (I've also lived in CA, NV, UT and OR). Or more specifically, in the Triad since 2011.
And as the previous poster said, the answer depends on the situation. I would use the above explanation for someone in the Triad. I forgo the more detailed explanation in other scenarios. For someone in NC outside of the Triad or if I'm outside of the Triad but in NC, I would say Winston-Salem. For someone in another state, or if I'm in another state, I'd say NC. If I'm in another country, I'd say U.S. and North Carolina.
I have been thinking about this lately and reading about all of the transplants to NC and the attitudes towards them which causes me to pose the question.
The first 17 years of my life were in NY... I have now lived away from NY longer than I lived in it. I have spent none of my adult life there and out of the 20ish years of my adult life I have spent most of it in the Carolinas. There is no attachment and people can't tell that I grew up there.
We have chosen to settle down in NC, bought a house and don't plan on leaving ever. In your opinion, do you have to be born somehere to be from somewhere? Or do you have to be at a place by a certain age to be from there? Can you live in a place for decades and not be from there?
My children are young and most likely will consider themselves from NC and I would like to think in a few years I will be from NC too
The true answer to this question is other peoples perception of you....it is not the p/c answer but it is the truth.
For example: Lets say there is someone who moved to NC from NY, even a decade ago, but they keep their accents (which I admit you may not lose and not your fault). They fly their Patriots or Giants flag (even when its the Panthers on the way to the playoffs) , etc etc, but in the same breath when they are asked where they are from they say "North Carolina!".....
In the south where you are from is where you were born where my roots and people are. I am from Lake Lure, NC but grew up in Black Mountain, NC. I have lived all over the world and the USA but I am from NC.
In your case you are from NY or wherever but you grew up in NC if that is the case. So it probably depends on why you are being asked. Could be a vestige of an accent, a turn of the phrase, or the asker may just be looking for directions
Good luck
Last edited by theoldnorthstate; 04-10-2016 at 06:05 PM..
I have been thinking about this lately and reading about all of the transplants to NC and the attitudes towards them which causes me to pose the question.
The first 17 years of my life were in NY... I have now lived away from NY longer than I lived in it. I have spent none of my adult life there and out of the 20ish years of my adult life I have spent most of it in the Carolinas. There is no attachment and people can't tell that I grew up there.
We have chosen to settle down in NC, bought a house and don't plan on leaving ever. In your opinion, do you have to be born somehere to be from somewhere? Or do you have to be at a place by a certain age to be from there? Can you live in a place for decades and not be from there?
My children are young and most likely will consider themselves from NC and I would like to think in a few years I will be from NC too
"From" is where you were born, mainly.
Or possibly where you grew up.
Living in a place as an adult doesn't make you "from" there.
My poor kids if you have to be born somewhere to be from there! My eldest spent less than a year in the place she was born(hasn't been back to that state since) and the younger one was born in a foreign county.
I don't know if families living in one place for generations is the norm anymore. My roots are in NY but my husband nor his father have any roots by that definition. He didn't move to the state he identifies being from until he was a teenager. His father never stayed in one place for more than a few years until even later in life.
My heart is here as some of you have mentioned. I do not pine for NY (we could have moved there if we wanted to) and we started rooting for the Panthers when we realized we were going to move here . Our college team loyalty is to NC as well
You're "from" where you come from (NY in your case) but you could say "but I have lived most of my life here". Moving somewhere at 17 doesn't really make you "from there"--if you moved when you were 3, maybe.
You can always say "I'm originally from NY, but..." to be technically accurate but show that it's not what you consider yourself?
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