Are people really more unfriendly in Northern VA than other large US suburban areas? (Arlington: house, neighborhood)

[Dingler]

I talk to alot of people about their impressions of the Northern VA area. Most tell me that much of Northern VA is getting to be more like New Jersey (just outside of NYC) than the Southern Place it use to be. Almost everyone complains about the huge number of fake, unfriendly, cold, Type A people. I agree, this is a place for immigrants, people who work 80 hours a week to "turn the world on fire" and people who like fine dining, fancy shopping and keeping up with the Jones. I find a large number of people unfriendly here.

As part of my job I do alot of travel and get a chance to see and interact with people from all over the country. I notice a huge cultural difference between the people in the greater DC area and most low key relaxed Metro areas in the South, Midwest and the Mountain West.

Sure, there are nice people in NVA, but as a percentage of the group I do not see this as a place to go if you want a nice neighborhood with easy conversation over the fence. Your thoughts?

[seldomseen]

I never heard of people saying that folks in NoVa are unfriendly. I personally find NoVa to have a pleasant atmosphere/attitude, in comparison to metro areas like Boston, NYC/Jersey, and Philly. But the bottom line reality of the matter is, fake, rude, nasty etc people are in every city/town in the United States. I really never personally found the people in NoVa as being characterized as rude.

[Alanboy395]

i don't even like dingler but i do agree with this statement. I used to live in Hampton Roads and i always had at least 5 neighbors who at least mustered up a hi to me no matter which neighborhood i lived in. In my high-rise in NoVA, i have like 2 maybe 3 who are somewhat friendly and i feel that is b/c my building has more blue-collar folks. I bet i may get even fewer friendly neighbors if i moved to North Arlington, Ballston, Clarendon, etc the white collar/young professional/really affulent area. They, to me, seem to have the highest percentage of cold folks.

[Yankeesfan]

I don't find people here to be cold and unfriendly. I do think that this area draws a lot of Type-A, achiever types. They tend to be very active and so are usually doing a lot, rather than just hanging out killing time. That's not a criticism of one lifestyle or the other, just a factual observation. But when you have the opportunity to talk, people are nice and polite and usually interesting.

For example, after school people may be taking their children to a team sport rather than sitting on the porch watching them play in the yard. But they'll converse in the bleachers at the game. Or they may come home from work, eat dinner and go off to a community meeting, rather than talking over the fence with a neighbor. But if you're at the meeting, people are friendly and the conversation is good. Etc.

The main thing is that with longer-than-average hours at more-demanding-than-average jobs, with longer-than-average commutes and more-structured-than-average daily schedules, people are very busy. But that makes them interesting when you do talk.

[eastli84]

People in Northern Virginia are generally very nice. I've lived in DC for 4 years and NoVa for 1 and a half years and have never encountered anyone exceptionally rude.

It seems like the people who have lived in this area for a long time (i.e. over 10 years) are very kind and genuine. For example, my neighbors (who have lived in the area for 18 years) frequently chat with me through the fence, wave when I park my car, and relax on their porch every evening with some sweet tea and regularly invite me to join them. That is obviously an anomaly for this region, but it shows that sweet, down to earth people do exist, even inside the beltway.

Overall, if you're moving to NoVa from places like LA, Chicago, NYC, Boston, or Philly, the people here will be much more friendly than what you're used to (not saying that any of the aforementioned cities are all rude people). If you're moving here from a more rural area, the people may seem a little cold at first....but they're just busy yuppies and very friendly once you get to know them. This region is not the craziest rat race that many people paint it as.

[claremarie]

If you want a nice neighborhood with easy conversation over the fence, don't move to a major metropolitan area with high housing costs, demanding and time-consuming jobs, and serious traffic issues.
Most people I know love living in DC. Most people who describe DC as cold and unfriendly seem to have other issues in their lives that affect their happiness -- they don't like their job, they can't afford to live in a nicer neighborhood, or they are having problems meeting other single people.

[The_Fairfaxian]

Originally Posted by Dingler

I talk to alot of people about their impressions of Northern Virginia. Most tell me that much of Northern Virginia is getting to be more like New Jersey (just outside of NYC). Almost everyone complains about the huge number of fake, unfriendly, cold, Type A people. I agree, this is a place for immigrants, people who work 80 hours a week to "turn the world on fire" and people who like fine dining, fancy shopping and keeping up with the Jones. I find a large number of people unfriendly here.

Here's a more accurate description of the people who are rude in the DC area:

I talk to alot of people about their impressions of suburban Maryland. Most tell me that much of suburban Maryland is getting to be more like New Jersey (just outside of NYC). Almost everyone complains about the huge number of fake, unfriendly, cold, Type A people. I agree, this is a place for immigrants, people who work 80 hours a week to "turn the world on fire" and people who like fine dining, fancy shopping and keeping up with the Jones. I find a large number of people unfriendly here.

As you can see, I've seen the rudeness and coldness of the DC area myself. However, it definitely isn't in NoVA, but right across the river. When I was raised in NoVA, which was in the early to mid 1990's, i felt so much kindness and friendliness from residents and peers (at that time, I was in my childhood). Especially compared to people in suburban Maryland, Northern Virginia is a true social gemstone and place of acceptance. As I say, NoVA=Southern Hospitality, Northern Efficiency, and Western Social Process. If you want to see the stuck up d*cks that NJ and NY is defined by, go to suburban Maryland.

[SmerkyGrl]

Anyone that thinks NoVA is unfriendly clearly has not seen Pittsburg.

[seldomseen]

Keep in mind that if you really think that people in NoVa are rude/mean...you should really keep in mind that the MAJORITY of the people that live in NoVa are from other areas of the United States/World, so the rudeness/meaness is most likely not a locally rooted behavior. But even so, I find that whenever I travel between the DC Metro area to Boston, the attitude/mentality of people are very different, and my experience has always been that people seem to be more "unfriendly", and less "welcoming" from New Jersey up to Massachusetts (Boston). Massachusetts residents are widely known as "M_ _ _holes" lol

[jmarkd]

People in NOVA are rude only when behind the steering wheel, myself included.
I am commuting to a new job in Charlottesville until we sell our house (good luck there right?) and I have to consciously turn off my aggressiveness as I leave Prince William county going south on 29.
Can't wait to leave NOVA! Someone buy my house!