When asked "Where are you from?" how do you answer? (live in, vs.)

[BacktoNE]

Back in Maine, I say the name of the town.

Out here, I say Maine.

[Fishtacos]

I tell them where I was born, raised and the cities I have lived in since, and where I live now. It isn't a one word answer.

[krudmonk]

"San Jose"

[vegaspilgrim]

I usually just answer "Colorado"-- then if they ask where?, "A suburb of Denver"-- then sometimes I'll say "Aurora." Even though my Colorado home is technically a city called "Centennial," I almost never tell people that since most people-- even most people from the Denver metro area, surprisingly, have never heard of it, unless if they themselves live in Centennial. It has over 100,000 people, but it was only incorporated about 6 years ago. There is no such thing as "downtown Centennial." It is a basically a collection of suburban land south and southeast of Denver that happened to be unincorporated for many years until one of the neighboring municipalities threatened to erode the tax base with flagpole annexation. The section of Centennial that I'm from is surrounded by Aurora on all sides, I went to all three K-12 schools in Aurora, all the local stores are in Aurora, so I might as well say I live there. Not that Aurora is something to brag about.

[Ohiogirl81]

Context, context, context. It depends on why they're asking. "Where are you from" could mean

How do I get to your house
Where do you live
Where were you living before you moved here
Where did you grow up
Where were you born

etc.

[SpeedyAZ]

Usually if I'm on vacation say in Dallas, San Diego, Las Vegas, etc and making small talk with someone I met, if they ask me where I'm from I usually say "Phoenix". Now if I'm in the Phoenix area and someone asks me where I'm from I say "Scottsdale". It just depends where I'm at.

[astroline95]

i live in MA now, but if someone asks where i'm from, i just say "tampa"... although my real hometown is about 25 minutes east, but otherwise they'd have no idea where it is at all. if i say "central florida", they'll assume it's orlando, which i definitely would NOT want them to think lol!

[ajf131]

I just say St. Louis wherever. If I'm talking to someone who knows St. Louis well I go more specific.

[M TYPE X]

Again, concentric circles:

Detroit area
Michigan
Middle America
North America
Planet Earth
Milky Way
Within the realm of the spatial-temporal zone where the Michigan Alumni Association can try to shake me down for "dues" or "a donation"

... here in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, near the UIUC campus: corner of X street and Y avenue ... "oh, that's the one where all the pedestrians get run over" yes yes "hey, isn't there a McCoffee Shop across the street?" yada yada

[danco]

Depends on what they want to hear.

Born and raised in Chicago 30yrs.
Temecula for 4yrs.
Back to Chicago for 4yrs.
San Marcos for 6 yrs
Last 6 mo. in Vancouver WA.

Kinda like it here
( This is the first place I really chose to live.)