Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
one thing I noticed from moving around quite a bit, is that a lot of times natives don't really know their city well. Also, if the downtown or formerly "bad" parts of town have been restored, many times the natives who grew up there will cling to outdated mentalities and refuse to visit those areas. I am actually sometimes puzzled by how people could live most of their lives in one area and be so insular or intellectually lazy as to not know the lay of the land or facts about their hometowns. Has anyone else noticed this
This is St. Louis all day, everyday. Locals are harder on the city than transplants. A lot of the urban revitalization and organizations have been propagated by people from outside the area. Locals that live in the suburbs still say things like "Don't go to the city or you will get shot in the head". Meanwhile St. Louis has won numerous national and international awards/recognition for urban rehabilitation. I think the local media plays a big part in that.
I see in this Portland, especially with people who grew up and still live in the western suburbs of Hillsboro or northern suburbs in Clark County, WA. When I tell peope I live in N/NE Portland they'll remark how dangerous it is there and how they wouldn't want to go there for any reason ever(or sometimes they'll make a more unfortunate but somewhat veiled reference to the African-American community that used be more dominant but still lives in that area). One woman from the south Clackamas suburbs got a job that was near the Lloyd Center in NE Portland(a fairly sterile office/mall area) and said she felt she might need a concealed weapon permit to protect herself. In general though this sort of attitude is limited to certain suburban areas--people who grow up in much of Portland itself are pretty cool and have a good sense of the city and seem to enjoy it if they still live here.
The thing that really bothers me is when people from the suburbs complain about transplants moving to Portland yet, are so clueless about Portland they can't even find their way around most neighborhoods or have no idea of most neighborhood's character. They complain about Californians moving to Portland and then show in Portland like some wide-eyed tourist driving their car around at 15 mph to go to Rose Garden for a game or show or to stop at Powell's Books and then freak out when they can't find the onramp to the highway. These are the type of people though, that if I would tell them I'm from California would look at me differently, possibly tell me to go back to where I was born--yet Portland is much my city than their city at this point. I've actually lived, worked, and paid taxes in Portland for 8 years--yet some of these people haven't ever lived in and are too scared or stuck up to actually visit most parts of the city. Once again, this is limited to a certain segment of the population it's not true of all suburbanites in the area. The funny part is that the Portland Metro isn't that big--it's not as if it take more than 30-45 minutes to get anywhere.
People here in the Bay Area tend to be exceedingly balkanized. They have their little niche of the area and other than commuting to work tend to be ignorant of many other parts of the metro. Of course many of the CD crowd are an exception due to being a self selecting geographically aware subculture, YMMV.
You see it any city, because that's just the way people are. Many tend to stick mostly to their own world and have little reason to go elsewhere, or have no means of experiencing much else. When it comes to SF (city proper), the divide is more or less North/south (which is basically: north = wealthier, south = poorer). I've met natives from both sides who know little about the other.
This seems pretty universal. I have friends who have lived here all their lives and can't navigate if 'their' exit is closed for construction. And venture into a different neigbhorhood? Not without GPS and a hotel reservation! (literally in one case - the 'different' neighborhood was 4 miles away, but she needed a hotel room if she was going to go 'over there')
I like to make up little treasure hunts which generally consist of figuring out items to go search for in new neighborhoods. Then I'll take a Sat or Sun and enjoy the journey. I'll duck into cute little shops, have fun ordering lunch at a local favorite, and take note of places for my husband and I to explore for a date some night. If I never find that item - that's ok. I also like playing 'tour guide' for family and friends which means I've been to all the major attractions, many of the minor ones and definitely the quirky ones. I'm surprised by how many locals I meet who have never been to any of the top 5 tourist attrations here.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I also like playing 'tour guide' for family and friends which means I've been to all the major attractions, many of the minor ones and definitely the quirky ones. I'm surprised by how many locals I meet who have never been to any of the top 5 tourist attrations here.
