Is Northern VA really all THAT cosmopolitan? (Richmond, Arlington: how much, home)

[540_804]

Originally Posted by popalnet

I don't get your point? It doesn't make any sense?

How does it not make sense? All I've said is that "inter-city rivalries" (and I use the term rivalries loosely) exist all over the country. I use rivalries loosely because these rivalries are often just created/perceived rivalries with no real substance. Don't worry, I have insulted neither NOVA nor Richmond. It was just an observation.

Originally Posted by popalnet

Compared to Richmond, Nova is so cosmo that your head will spin.

Perhaps, but probably not necessarily.

It depends on your definition of cosmopolitan. By the simplest of definitions (defining cosmopolitan as being comprised of citizens from all around the world) then NOVA is without a doubt more cosmopolitan than Richmond. By that definition NOVA is perhaps one of the most cosmopolitan regions in the country, if not world.

I think in this thread however, cosmopolitan is being used in a broader, maybe more contemporary manner. If you take other definitions (For example "where people of many ethnicities, religions and cultures meet and live in close proximity" and "A city/place or person that embraces its multicultural demographics") then NOVA may or may not fit the bill as readily.

If we were to be completely forward and honest, in the latter sense of the word, neither NOVA or Richmond are particularly cosmopolitan. Sure, Richmond and NOVA both have an artificial, created cosmopolitan facade that it promotes to potential visitors, residents and businesses, but in reality, both areas are lacking.

I've heard/read some rather un-cosmopolitan-like, borderline-provincial rhetoric MANY MANY times in both the Richmond and NOVA sections of the City-Data forums.

This is all coming from an outsiders perspective. I lived in SW VA but I have traveled/lived in both Richmond and NOVA in the past. I love both places and I have no particular loyalty to one over the other. I have family and friends in both localities. They are both nice places in their own regards. I would be happy to call either one my home in the future.


But..hey...what do I know..im just some 20 year old kid who has much to live and more to learn.

[Perlagirl25]

I think NOVA is over rated and over priced. It's a place where people are ruder than average and self entitled. Also, there are very few people that have any style. When I walk around the mall in Fairfax all I see are mom jeans everywhere. Sometimes it is hard to find someone who speaks English to take your order. I am really tired of hearing a foreign accent. It is not novel anymore when you hear a different accent everyday, day after day. There is only one great area to go out which is northern Arlington (Clarendon, Ballston, Rosslyn). (OK maybe old town Alexandria). Even those areas get mundane and boring. You won't see any NY hip fashion clothes there either. Its a jeans crowd.

However, if you can look past the ostensible chain restaurants than there are some great ethnic restaurants. And there are quite a few brainy people around here too. Of course it's all relative and my own personal opinion.

[Nancy in Nokomis]

I think the area needs more "flava" it seems the women all dress very plain Jane - jeans, ponytails, no makeup - and all the men watch the Redskins and everyone has gone to VA Tech - boring personalities
Uh Oh - I am getting negative again............
Well - I did make one good friend - but she lives in Maryland....

[normie]

Originally Posted by Richmonder27

Is Northern VA really all THAT cosmopolitan?

My god, I hope not.

What I love about the people I know in NOVA is how down-to-earth they are. I know people in Loudoun who have serious money, the type of people who own a dozen or more horses and a few dozen acres of land. Yet you see them out them gardening, not afraid to get dirt on their hands. They take pride in being regular people... regular people who just happen to have a ton of money. You see them driving to Home Depot in their jeans and without makeup... and when they get to Home Depot they chat with me while we're standing in line. They don't sneer down their nose at me, even though I'm just wearing jeans and no makeup. Like some of you apparently would.

Of course, I do have a few neighbors who're obsessed with expensive clothes and the latest fashions. I probably have neighbors who sneer at their neighbors' clothes. After all Loudoun's diverse, we have a little of everything. If that's what you consider cosmopolitan, well I'm glad we don't have that many people like that because they don't really contribute much to the community.

You don't see them volunteering for the fire department or helping the boy scouts collect cans for the food drive. You don't see them out in their yards playing football with kids. You don't see them hiking or kayaking or working in a garden. They're too busy worrying about their designer duds.

You can have 'em. They contribute to the tax base when they go shopping I guess, but other than that the sort of people who are "cosmopolitan" in the way you describe are mostly pompous asses. In my opinion, of course.

[540_804]

Originally Posted by normie

My god, I hope not.

What I love about the people I know in NOVA is how down-to-earth they are. I know people in Loudoun who have serious money, the type of people who own a dozen or more horses and a few dozen acres of land. Yet you see them out them gardening, not afraid to get dirt on their hands. You see them driving to Home Depot in their jeans and without makeup... and when they get to Home Depot they chat with me while we're standing in line. They don't sneer down their nose at me, even though I'm just wearing jeans and no makeup. Like some of you apparently would.

Of course, I do have a few neighbors who're obsessed with expensive clothes and the latest fashions. I probably have neighbors who sneer at their neighbors' clothes. After all Loudoun's diverse, we have a little of everything. If that's what you consider cosmopolitan, well I'm glad we don't have that many people like that because they don't really contribute much to the community.

You don't see them volunteering for the fire department or helping the boy scouts collect cans for the food drive. You don't see them out in their yards playing football with kids. They're too busy worrying about their designer duds.

You can have 'em. They contribute to the tax base when they go shopping I guess, but other than that the sort of people who are "cosmopolitan" in the way you describe are mostly pompous asses. In my opinion, of course.

I think you and the original poster (Richmonder27) have a lot more in common than you think. .

[normie]

Originally Posted by 540_804

I think you and the original poster (Richmonder27) have a lot more in common than you think. .

LOL, most definitely! I agree with a lot of the original post--especially the part about "NOVA is main street."

I just don't agree that this is something to be ashamed of.

More importantly I don't agree with this silliness that people in NOVA are always putting down people in Richmond. The people I know don't act that way, in fact I doubt they even think much about Richmond. Most of the people I know here moved here from some other state. If anything they're comparing NOVA to L.A. or New York.

Maybe the OP needs to meet some new friends.

[ChristineVA]

I was born and raised in this area (born in DC, lived in Maryland, and now live in Virginia). Cosmopolitan has never been a word that comes to mind to me for the whole DC area. New York--yep, but not DC. Fashion-wise, we've always been rather dull and boring in the DC area--probably due to the type of industry that's here which is mainly government and companies that serve the government. Not your style makers.

I also know very few people that really look down their nose at people on Richmond (or as normie says, even think of people in Richmond). I'm starting to think that maybe the other areas in in Virginia have a chip on their shoulders toward NOVA??

[nwlv]

The Skins' are always, by far, the biggest event in the area. I've warned people of this before. You just need to be aware of it to take advantage of it. Can be a great way to network. There are a lot of Maryland fans in NoVa, also.

[roanoker 4]

These comments remind me of a funny story. About 20 years ago on my drive up there from Roanoke I was stopped by a cop who pulled me over to say I was driving too slow for that area. He looked at my license and said "You people from downstate should not drive up here". I guess he thought I was such a hick I had no business in my own state! I should've said I just wanted to come here to see all of the highways I have helped pay for. In those days NoVa was not cosmpolitan. It was as boring as any southern town. My party wanted to visit a nightclub but we couldn't find anything open in an area of over a million residents! I know things have changed over the years but we were all disappointed and we did have a nice time in DC!

[hj2500]

It is cosmopolitan in a materialistic sense because they have things such as a Lamborghini dealership and a Versace boutique, the rest of the state or in fact most states and major cities have neither (including the rest of the DC area).

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

I also know very few people that really look down their nose at people on Richmond (or as normie says, even think of people in Richmond). I'm starting to think that maybe the other areas in in Virginia have a chip on their shoulders toward NOVA??

Pretty much, the only thing about ROVA that people in NOVA can be bothered with is the Robin Hood tax setup, which is the opposite of what it was during Virginia's slave days (the rich people on the eastern parts of the state paying very little taxes). NOVA's transportation infrastructure and public schools suffer as a result, hence the overcrowding of many public schools and roads.