Is NOVA really that rude these days? (Richmond, Arlington: home, live in)

[Richmonder27]

Im just curious . I havent lived in Loudoun County since 1998. I currently live in Richmond, but drive up to NOVA to do some shows like in Vienna, Fairfax, Leesburg, etc.

Growing up everyone was really friendly.

Anyways, people I meet up there still seem friendly enough. I am a very friendly person myself

I was just wondering why there are so many threads about rudeness in NOVA. I dont live there now, so I wonder if its changed a lot since the 90s.

[Tone509]

Originally Posted by Richmonder27

Im just curious . I havent lived in Loudoun County since 1998. I currently live in Richmond, but drive up to NOVA to do some shows like in Vienna, Fairfax, Leesburg, etc.

Growing up everyone was really friendly.

Anyways, people I meet up there still seem friendly enough. I am a very friendly person myself

I was just wondering why there are so many threads about rudeness in NOVA. I dont live there now, so I wonder if its changed a lot since the 90s.

The new stereotype of NOVA incivility is probably less prevalent in Loudoun than Fairfax County, Arlington and Alexandria... and even then more so during the week when people deal with being sandwiched on the Metro or getting on the conga lines known as I-95 and I-66.

If you're driving up on weekends to Vienna and Leesburg, you'll probably see a lot more friendly faces than on a Monday afternoon coming out of Tysons Corner.

[Richmonder27]

Originally Posted by Tone509

The new stereotype of NOVA incivility is probably less prevalent in Loudoun than Fairfax County, Arlington and Alexandria... and even then more so during the week when people deal with being sandwiched on the Metro or getting on the conga lines known as I-95 and I-66.

If you're driving up on weekends to Vienna and Leesburg, you'll probably see a lot more friendly faces than on a Monday afternoon coming out of Tysons Corner.

That might be true. I find the drivers actually in NOVA to be more courteous than Richmond drivers. I think its because they basically sit behind a red light all day long

Is the rudeness people refer to- more of an aloofness?

I always felt we were Southern, but someone coming from rural Alabama might feel NOVA is a bit less warm to them.

[car54]

Originally Posted by Richmonder27

....I was just wondering why there are so many threads about rudeness in NOVA....

So you decided we need ANOTHER one? LOL

Oh, if you get arrested for reckless driving, be sure to start a thread about it....that's a perennial favorite around here!

[Yankeesfan]

No, I don't think people are rude at all. Perhaps a little more reserved than in some places but that's because they are busy and are more likely to spend their waiting time on the Metro, in lines, etc. being productive on their Blackberries or laptops or reading than making random small talk with strangers. If you initiate a conversation you'll usually get a polite response.

[Tone509]

Originally Posted by Richmonder27

That might be true. I find the drivers actually in NOVA to be more courteous than Richmond drivers. I think its because they basically sit behind a red light all day long

Is the rudeness people refer to- more of an aloofness?

I always felt we were Southern, but someone coming from rural Alabama might feel NOVA is a bit less warm to them.

Some would say the the Mason-Dixon line has moved metaphorically down to about Fredericksburg, and maybe Fauquier County to the west. NOVA would seem to have a even more of an international influence, including a strong Northern presence, than it may have had when you were here.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by Richmonder27

That might be true. I find the drivers actually in NOVA to be more courteous than Richmond drivers. I think its because they basically sit behind a red light all day long

Is the rudeness people refer to- more of an aloofness?

I always felt we were Southern, but someone coming from rural Alabama might feel NOVA is a bit less warm to them.

It's aloofness (plus road rage). I feel like we Northerners are a bit misunderstood though. We're not totally unfriendly; we just don't see the point in small talk.

I might be the prototypical Northerner- I'll go out of my way to help people. If some little old lady asks me to get something off the top shelf at Giant, I'll gladly do it. If someone asks me for directions on the Metro, I'll go over exactly how to get them to Metro Center until they can't forget it.

...but if someone who I'll probably never see again comes up and asks me what I think of the weather, I'll probably just smile and nod. People who just start conversations with no reason kind of weird me out. I know they are just trying to be friendly, and I know it's common in the South, but it wasn't where I grew up, and so I'm just not used to it at all.

[Richmonder27]

Originally Posted by pcity

It's aloofness (plus road rage). I feel like we Northerners are a bit misunderstood though. We're not totally unfriendly; we just don't see the point in small talk.

I might be the prototypical Northerner- I'll go out of my way to help people. If some little old lady asks me to get something off the top shelf at Giant, I'll gladly do it. If someone asks me for directions on the Metro, I'll go over exactly how to get them to Metro Center until they can't forget it.

...but if someone who I'll probably never see again comes up and asks me what I think of the weather, I'll probably just smile and nod. People who just start conversations with no reason kind of weird me out. I know they are just trying to be friendly, and I know it's common in the South, but it wasn't where I grew up, and so I'm just not used to it at all.

Oh I see. Where are you from originally?

[ScranBarre]

As a fellow Yankee residing on the outskirts of a medium-sized politically-moderate city I'm the antithesis of pcity. I frequently strike up random conversations with complete strangers, and 99.9% of the time my efforts are met with a positive response. Most people whom I greet at work and say "How are you today?" give me the generic "Good" response, but more often than not here than in other areas that is followed by "How are you?" to which I also reply "Good." (Technically I ought to say "I am well, thank you," but I don't want to sound snobbish given the fact that I work in a home improvement store).

I find Northerners (at least here in Pennsylvania) to be downright friendly! If this stereotype about people in NoVA being standoff-ish is true, then I'm really not going to enjoy my impending relocation to Alexandria!

[Richmonder27]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

As a fellow Yankee residing on the outskirts of a medium-sized politically-moderate city I'm the antithesis of pcity. I frequently strike up random conversations with complete strangers, and 99.9% of the time my efforts are met with a positive response. Most people whom I greet at work and say "How are you today?" give me the generic "Good" response, but more often than not here than in other areas that is followed by "How are you?" to which I also reply "Good." (Technically I ought to say "I am well, thank you," but I don't want to sound snobbish given the fact that I work in a home improvement store).

I find Northerners (at least here in Pennsylvania) to be downright friendly! If this stereotype about people in NoVA being standoff-ish is true, then I'm really not going to enjoy my impending relocation to Alexandria!

Alexandria is friendly to me. But you wont find any real Southern hospitality until you get to Richmond.