Do Seattle natives really hate California transplants? (Sammamish, George: rent, how much)

[Ambitions]

Oh god. I always say "the 5". Don't hate me please! Everyone here does it including local news and radio stations.

[homesinseattle]

Ambitions, we don't. Perhaps this semantic shift can be your new ambition.

[NCDavid]

Just as annoying as the spread of 'The Five" idiom when referring to local freeways is the spread of Southern California Valley Girl speech patterns: pronouncing words like Jor-Dan' instead of Jor'-dun and Stu-Dent' instead of Stu'-dunt. To us native Northwesterners it's like fingernails on a chalk board. Aside from that, and the way they've driven up the cost of housing and clogged the freeways, I love Californians.

[angelenogirl]

Originally Posted by Ira500

I have no problem with people coming from SoCal. But please, please, if you don't want to get attacked by the natives, when you're talking about Interstate 5, or Interstate 90, or Interstate 405, don't call it " The 5."
Not that you have anything to be ashamed of, but I sense in Seattle that more and more people are calling it " The 5", and that's all I see as the negative influence of Southern Californians. Outside of that, they're lovely people. Welcome. Now say it: " Eye Five."

NEVER!

I'll gladly take the 5 to come buy you a lovely beer in Renton. Then I bet you wouldn't be so mad at me!

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by angelenogirl

NEVER!

I'll gladly take the 5 to come buy you a lovely beer in Renton. Then I bet you wouldn't be so mad at me!

I'll never be mad at you, angelenogirl. And I'd gladly have a beer with you in lovely Renton.
You ever listen to someone from Socal give directions? " Like, take the 5 to the 405, then, like, get on the 110?."
And you've got clemency, or a special exemption, or something. You have my permission to say " The 5."
I just don't like it becoming acceptable and used by local Seattle broadcast media. It's the same way that words that aren't really words get accepted and used, like "incentivize". "They need to incentivize drivers to take mass transit, and not, like, add to the traffic on the 405."

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by Ambitions

Oh god. I always say "the 5". Don't hate me please! Everyone here does it including local news and radio stations.

I know. Start practicing. Eye Five. Or just plain Five. " Where am I from, and how did I get here?" "I'm from southern California, and I drove up Eye Five."

[Seacove]

I remember the Craigslist movie where they say "the 95" supposedly in Boston. It was obviously being filmed in SoCal.

[angelenogirl]

Originally Posted by Ira500

I'll never be mad at you, angelenogirl. And I'd gladly have a beer with you in lovely Renton.
You ever listen to someone from Socal give directions? " Like, take the 5 to the 405, then, like, get on the 110?."
And you've got clemency, or a special exemption, or something. You have my permission to say " The 5."
I just don't like it becoming acceptable and used by local Seattle broadcast media. It's the same way that words that aren't really words get accepted and used, like "incentivize". "They need to incentivize drivers to take mass transit, and not, like, add to the traffic on the 405."

But traffic on the 405 is totally cray, obvs.

[Ambitions]

Haha you guys are cracking me up! When I went to school in the Midwest, and said "the" when referring to freeways, I always got sideways looks. Eventually they asked me why and realized it was a CA thing.

[beachie123]

hi! socal native here, snooping around seattle forum, coming in being nosy.

at first i am reading this thread thinking what's the big deal that we say "the 5" or "the 405" or "the 22"? then i thought i don't like when people call orange county "the OC". ugh! don't call it that!!!

maybe it became a way to call the freeways by "the" whatever went something like this

bob: i'm taking the freeway instead of surface streets

friend: what freeway are you taking?

bob: the 5 freeway

friend: (didn't hear bob) which one?

bob: the 5



haha! i don't know. it's funny that it's a regional thing. it is just so normal for me to refer to freeways and interstates as "the". if i ever come to seattle i promise to be careful.