Do people in NOVA really "look down" on the rest of Virginia? (Virginia Beach: purchases, high school)

[757Cities Southsider]

Originally Posted by JayJayCB

I'm just asking out of curiosity, not trying to start some fiery argument. I have a few friends who attend college with me in NC from Northern Virginia who always seem to poke fun on the rest of Virginia. Comments along the lines of "Richmond is horrible, no point going down there" or "I wouldn't live in Virginia if it wasn't for NOVA." So do younger generations around NOVA explore the rest of the state? Or do they just stay around DC and prefer to stay? It's pretty interesting, these kids just don't care about the rest of Virginia and seem to look down on it.

Sure ya did. Youre such a Virginia groupie its pathetic.

Originally Posted by lovnova

Asking a bunch of transplants about the rest of our state? Whats the point?

Exactly...especially when speaking to the "snob" in certain people. Nova is extremely white...so socially MD/DC "looks down" on NoVA but economically it can be the other way around. Mind you, getting answers from transplants or delusional snobby individuals is not going to do anything but start the argument the VA caulkslobbin OP wanted.

[tysonsengineer]

Originally Posted by lovnova

Asking a bunch of transplants about the rest of our state? Whats the point?

Transplants? I've lived her my entire life, perhaps longer than you. Some people do indeed actually live here and didnt just come here after 9-11 for jobs you know, Fairfax existed and had hundreds of thousands of people long before 9-11, as did Arlington, Alexandria, and other areas of NOVA.

[Deluusions]

Originally Posted by lovnova

Asking a bunch of transplants about the rest of our state? Whats the point?

Excuse you? We're not transplants here, do you think NoVa doesn't have any natives or something?

[choff5]

Let's be real, doesn't this happen in other states or areas too? What do New York City people think of the rest of New York? Years ago I lived in central Illinois and everything was Chicago or "downstate".

[RVAbornandbred]

Good point choff5. I don't know that Virginia is all that different from other states. Chicago has nothing in common with the rest of Illinois.

I think it's also a fair question to ask, "What do you mean by the rest of Virginia?" I coached youth and HS lacrosse and youth baseball for years. Did lots of tournaments and got to know a lot of people around the state including some friends I made in NoVa.

I always got the impression that most people from NoVa didn't mind going to Richmond or Charlottesville or Virginia Beach for tournaments/games. And it's true that you will find some people from NoVa who move to those areas, though it's limited.

There's also an emotional tie for the kids from NoVa who go to VT, U.Va., JMU, and William and Mary....if they enjoy their time at those schools, you'll find that they have a good impression of those towns. The same as in any state.

I've never gotten the impression that people in NoVa look down on Richmond or Tidewater or the college towns. They may view them as a little less wealthy, but I don't think they view them as ignorant or "beneath" them.

Now...Southwest Virginia, Roanoke, Lynchburg, etc.? I won't lie. I've heard many ugly remarks about that part of the state. But that's not just from people in NoVa. You also hear a lot of it in the Richmond area as well.

[NOVA_guy]

Originally Posted by choff5

Let's be real, doesn't this happen in other states or areas too? What do New York City people think of the rest of New York? Years ago I lived in central Illinois and everything was Chicago or "downstate".

What makes Virginia's situation a bit different is it's not just one part of the state bad mouthing another, there's a lot of politics involved.

[tysonsengineer]

Originally Posted by NOVA_guy

What makes Virginia's situation a bit different is it's not just one part of the state bad mouthing another, there's a lot of politics involved.

Actually, that is the case in NY and Illinois too. Theres a lot of state versus local issues there too. I think NOVA actually has it worse than those areas, atleast in underfunding (as crazy as that might sound). Also in the case of those areas, I know lots of upstaters in NY who actually hate new yorkers, as in city folk. They hate everything about that lifestyle to the point that many I know refuse to go to the city. I dont get that sense for people outside of NOVA, nor do I get that feeling about NOVA residents about the rest of Virginia.

Another issue is NOVA is not the single big population center that is different than the rest of the state, Richmond/Norfolk also have many of these issues of rural/urban but in their cases the economic politics isn't the same as with NOVA.

[spencer114]

In what way exactly does the political reality effect NoVa that is any different from the other population and wealth generating areas of the state? NoVa is by no means homogenous. Arlington may be the only location that is decidly different from the rest of the commonwealth. The other jurisdictions are pretty similar to other areas of Virginia (just bigger).

It's rich for an area completely beholden to the Federal teat to complain about state tax money collected there benefiting other parts of the commonwealth. Federal taxes collected in RoVa pay your salaries. All wealthy areas of the state pay more into the state than they get out of it. Henrico and Chesterfield subsidize the poor in Richmond and Petersburg. Chesapeake and Virginia Beach subsidize the poor in Norfolk and Portsmouth. Is anyone honestly surprised or upset by this?

As a Virginian, you have obligations to all of Virginia. We are lucky to live in a state where pretty much every region contributes (without NoVa, Virginia would still be a well-off state). Look up wealth and income distribution maps. All of Virginia does very well.

Fairfax has the tax authority to raise revenue for its own infrastructure (though voters vote against their interests). The cost of the Mixing Bowl alone probably exceeded that of all other road projects in Virgina over the past ten years. The Willson Bridge didn't rebuild itself either. Silver Line anyone?

The idea of tolls in Southside Virginia to fund road projects in NoVa was floated just a few years ago. Punishing residents in Virginia's most challenged region to spare NoVa the indignity of paying for their own roads is a pretty favorable scenario for NoVa, don't you thnk? In case you haven't noticed, most new large projects in the rest of Virginia come with tolls too. I don't know where the money is going but drive around the state, you'll be hard pressed to find it.

[757Cities Southsider]

Only thing about that RVAbornandbred is...who in VA looks at NoVA like IL looks at CHI? We don't around my way. People don't "look up" to NoVA. Some people only know "NoVA" as Northern Virginia and what they mean by "Northern Virginia" is very vague. There is no real "hate" for it though.

Also, I nor anyone I have ever met has ever heard of "Rova" ...I saw it when I joined this site and I thought it was Roanoke's answer to Richmond's "RVA" moniker...ROanokeVA...-shrug- who knew. I know one thing...as far as the "attention for being hip" department..youd have to be delusional to think that "The 757...7 Cities" does not receive its fair share of attention...I imagine its the same for RVA. I think of it as more of a manufactured sense of importance on THIS site. Virginia is more like Ohio with three different metros than either NY or IL...neither one of those states has the balance of metros, and northern Virginia is not like NYC or Chicago.

here are some lighthearted northern Virginians outside of "NoVA"



Aside from certain folks use of the term "ghetto"...they don't seem ALIEN or alienated.

[757Cities Southsider]

Originally Posted by spencer114

I don't know where the money is going but drive around the state, you'll be hard pressed to find it.

I think it is going into the pockets of some of these politicians...some people even suggest England .