Do you ever get "where's that?" when you tell someone where you're from?

[scrhsa]

I live in a really small town. No one knows where it is, even the "big" next town(45 min ) over has trouble knowing where I live. It gets even worse when I'm out of town or state. The closet known towns are about 1 1/2 to 3 hrs away. Most times I just say " on the coast between Galveston and Corpus Christi". Even THEN some people don't know, so I will then say " about 2 1/1 hrs down the coast from Houston". Then recognition clicks in
Though as the years go by, one of our closer towns is getting a bit more popular with fishermen( they do a good bit of Wounded Warrior fishing etc there too), so some will know where that is.

 

[BrianL]

I usually start off my saying a suburb of Charlotte NC but we live in SC. Then I get the look because people think Charlotte is in the middle of NC. I explain it's on the border of NC/SC. Then they say you must live near Myrtle Beach! Well, if you call 3 hours away close then I guess I do....

I find that my New England relatives have no idea how big states in the South are. I'm in Memphis, and they say things like "The mountains must be beautiful." Yeah, they are - and they're 8 hours away! SC is even small by the standards of many states around it, but it'll still fit Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont in it!

 

[AustinMommyofThree]

No, pretty much everybody knows Austin, and if they don’t, I have no use for them.

 

[OKW8297]

I thought maybe Family Guy helped with name recognition. However, they made it seem bigger, with the setting having its own TV stations and where Providence is considered a far away big city.

Oh it’s so small that you can get North to South in a little over an hour. Providence is a small city.

 

[OKW8297]

I find that my New England relatives have no idea how big states in the South are. I'm in Memphis, and they say things like "The mountains must be beautiful." Yeah, they are - and they're 8 hours away! SC is even small by the standards of many states around it, but it'll still fit Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont in it!

Yup driving back and forth to Florida several times was a real education!

 

[CdnCarrie]

We’ve experienced the same while on holidays. Very few people down south are familiar with where we’re from so I usually stick with “we’re from Canada”. That said, when I was working in Epcot a fellow cast member was speaking with a couple from New York, they were shocked that Canada was a country. They thought when their friends said they were going to Canada for the weekend that they were going to visit another town. I kid you not!,lol

OMG. Were they American?

Pretty much, you have to say the closest major city to you...even if it's an hour away.

One funny case though...I was talking to a counter part of mine at work...he was in the Dublin Ireland office...he asked where I lived and I said Phoenix (not really but close enough)...never heard of it....okay so Arizona...blank stare....The grand canyon? That worked but he thought it was near San Francisco :facepalm

Was he originally from Amerrica? If not why do you expect him to know your country's geography in minute detail? Do you know every town, mountain and landmark in Ireland?

 

[LYSE]

OMG. Were they American?



Was he originally from Amerrica? If not why do you expect him to know your country's geography in minute detail? Do you know every town, mountain and landmark in Ireland?

People think Americans are stupid but yes it seemed I had a better rough idea of the Dublin area than he did. (Of the general US) He has traveled for company related work to Seattle and San Francisco which in my mind makes it worse since I tend to at least look at Google maps to see where I'm at.

Anyway I don't expect everyone to know everything obviously...there are plenty of parts of the earth I wouldn't ask for much detail beyond a country. This was just an example of people not even knowing a state or region of the US

 

[BrianL]

Yup driving back and forth to Florida several times was a real education!

See, I was born in RI, but never really lived there. I was a baby when my Mom moved down here, so this is what I'm used to. Whenever I visit up there though I get remarks like that. They also think I talk funny. I talk funny?

 

[arminnie]

When I lived in Foster City, CA (for years and years) I used to say "Foster City. It's a suburb of San Mateo which is a suburb of San Francisco."

Now I never have to explain New Orleans. I just say Central Arkansas about our other home. Many people have never even heard of Little Rock - even when the President was from there. The whole time I lived in California I found that no one could keep Alabama and Arkansas straight. Of course no one could confuse their football teams.

 

[bcla]

When I lived in Foster City, CA (for years and years) I used to say "Foster City. It's a suburb of San Mateo which is a suburb of San Francisco."

Now I never have to explain New Orleans. I just say Central Arkansas about our other home. Many people have never even heard of Little Rock - even when the President was from there. The whole time I lived in California I found that no one could keep Alabama and Arkansas straight. Of course no one could confuse their football teams.

Those lakes are natural, right?

Kind of reminds me of Tahoe Keys.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

1) People don't realize that KC is large metro that straddles two states (heck geographically speaking some people don't have a clue where I live)

2) People don't seem to know that there are two Kansas Cities as in cities called Kansas City (and I don't live in either one).

3) People do seem to know that there is a city exists called Kansas City but they often think only of the one in Missouri (see #2).

Generally speaking I say I live in the suburbs of the Kansas City metro on the Kansas side. Sometimes people actually know the area and then I go further and say the city where I'm living in.

But I'm sure there are plenty of times I've had no clue about other areas.

 

[mmouse37]

No because I usually follow it with what its near.
I say Lockport NY. Its about a half hour from Buffalo and Niagara Falls.
If I ever just say I'm from WNY (Western New York) everyone assumes NYC for some reason as though NYC IS New York State.

I have been to Lockport, NY!!!!

MJ

 

[mmouse37]

I know what you mean. If I tell people I'm from NY they always ask "NYC?"
I then just tell them how far I am from the city, there is no point in telling anyone the city I live in they don't think NY has any others

Yes, everyone asks if we live in NYC when we say we are from NY. I always have to clarify with no...just a bit North of the city. We are also only a mile from NJ border which totally confuses people.

MJ

 

[maxaroni]

Yes, everyone asks if we live in NYC when we say we are from NY. I always have to clarify with no...just a bit North of the city. We are also only a mile from NJ border which totally confuses people.

MJ

Rockland County? Grew up in Bergen County (Ridgewood), 20 minutes from NYC & NY State. Cousins lived in Pearl River and in 20 minutes we were at their house.

 

[dyna]

All the time. Everywhere I have ever lived but then the largest city I lived remotely close to in younger years was Louisville Ky or the home of the Kentucky Derby. Now the nearest big city is Orlando. But I don't consider more than an hour away all that close.

 

[mmouse37]

Rockland County? Grew up in Bergen County (Ridgewood), 20 minutes from NYC & NY State. Cousins lived in Pearl River and in 20 minutes we were at their house.

Yep...in Tappan (not to be confused with Old Tappan which is in NJ) lol. Small world. My dad owned a Barbershop (Art's Barbershop) in Ho-Ho-Kus for 45 years right across from the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn. We have good friends who live in Ridgewood and other friends in Pearl River.

MJ

 

[MillauFr]

I say I am from Seattle. People ask which city? I say Seattle Seattle.

 

[pens4821]

The town I live in is about 20 square miles. We don't have our own post office, we use a neighboring ones (depending on where you live, we don't use just 1). While it may sound like we are in the middle of no where, we really aren't. The town is mostly homes, a few restaurants/business/bars, and a little farmland. We are very close to the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh. We are around 20 driving miles from downtown Pittsburgh. The town I live in is in one county, and for the most part the people in that county know where it is (unless you start getting to the other end of the county). What cracks me up is the towns right next to us in the different county no one knows what you're talking about (they all head the other way to shop/eat because there are most options).

If I'm asked where I live when I'm not close to home, I just say Pittsburgh.

 

[maxaroni]

Yep...in Tappan (not to be confused with Old Tappan which is in NJ) lol. Small world. My dad owned a Barbershop (Art's Barbershop) in Ho-Ho-Kus for 45 years right across from the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn. We have good friends who live in Ridgewood and other friends in Pearl River.

MJ

Small world indeed. My dads business was in Ridgewood and when my grandparents sold their home in Glen Rock, they moved to an apartment on Maple Ave on the Ho Ho Kus border. Yes, Tappan and Old Tappan can be confusing as is West New York, which is in NJ.

 

[eileenjez]

I basically grew up in the San Fernando Valley, had to tell people Los Angeles. Moved to New Mexico and had people ask me why I moved out of the country. Didn't know New Mexico was a state. When we lived in North Dakota we also got Fargo. No we didn't live there. Now that we live in North Carolina we get told you don't sound like you're from the South well I can honestly say we've been everywhere.