Should "Fairfax County" become a city?

[Sbane]

It is useful to know if you're from a suburb or from the actual urban area considering how different they are. Just because they are within a 20 mile radius doesn't make them similar.

When I say I'm from "Minneapolis", I want people to know I mean just that. Not a suburb.

When you meet random people they usually don't care if you live in a suburb or a city. If you are within the metro area you should definitely specify which exact city you are from. But outside it I think it is fine if you just say that you are from "Minneapolis". Of course in this case I would expect the person to use the term "twin cities" just like I say I am from the bay area and not SF or Oakland. A person from the suburbs of Seattle or Kansas city doesn't really have that option though. And yeah they could add "area" behind the cities name but most people really don't see the need. 

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

No one in Minnesota ever says Twin Cities. Even when referring to the entire area (Then it's just "the cities".)

[phk]

Who gives a sh**t?

[nclib]

Is it that inconvenient to add the word "area" on after the city's name?

But why would you if the other person doesn't even care if you are from the city or its surroundings?

No way of knowing that (unless the person says so), but if someone's asking, I would give an answer that actually describes the location--I can tolerate people who live just outside city limits in a place that is culturally part of the city (as mentioned, Somerville-Boston), but in areas far from their center city and that are quite different from the major city, people should (if the town is not well known) say: near X, X area, or even northern Illinois, southern Calif., etc.

[ilikeverin]

It is useful to know if you're from a suburb or from the actual urban area considering how different they are. Just because they are within a 20 mile radius doesn't make them similar.

When I say I'm from "Minneapolis", I want people to know I mean just that. Not a suburb.

The only way you're going to make people from out-of-state care about what insignificant part of the insignificant state you're from (not that I think Minnesota is especially insignificant, but that peoples' perceptions and knowledge of states that aren't their own are absolutely appalling) is by metaphor with a location they're familiar with.  ("The Twin Cities region has about 70% the population of the Detroit area."/"Plymouth is like Novi but with 20,000 more people and about 10 years older", which either leads to a frown or a pitying look.)

Besides, your point about being "within a 20 mile radius" applies to suburbs, too; I'll bet you'd be able differentiate Brooklyn Center from Minnetonka from Corcoran (or even, to borrow Detroit cities, Grosse Pointe vs. Novi), but as I've learned through painful experience not even people from as close as outstate know the difference, even though there is one.

Heck, I sincerely doubt anyone would bother to differentiate Minneapolis and St. Paul, even though they are distinct cities; hence the term "Twin Cities", which contrary to your pronouncement I do use.  If I'm not allowed to differentiate which suburb I'm from, why should you differentiate which urban area of the Twin Cities you're from?

[Nutmeg]

If any Virginia county should become a city, it's Arlington.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

If any Virginia county should become a city, it's Arlington.

I believe counties can't become cities once their population density reaches a certain level. Yes, that makes no sense.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

It is useful to know if you're from a suburb or from the actual urban area considering how different they are. Just because they are within a 20 mile radius doesn't make them similar.

When I say I'm from "Minneapolis", I want people to know I mean just that. Not a suburb.

The only way you're going to make people from out-of-state care about what insignificant part of the insignificant state you're from (not that I think Minnesota is especially insignificant, but that peoples' perceptions and knowledge of states that aren't their own are absolutely appalling) is by metaphor with a location they're familiar with.  ("The Twin Cities region has about 70% the population of the Detroit area."/"Plymouth is like Novi but with 20,000 more people and about 10 years older", which either leads to a frown or a pitying look.)

Besides, your point about being "within a 20 mile radius" applies to suburbs, too; I'll bet you'd be able differentiate Brooklyn Center from Minnetonka from Corcoran (or even, to borrow Detroit cities, Grosse Pointe vs. Novi), but as I've learned through painful experience not even people from as close as outstate know the difference, even though there is one.

Heck, I sincerely doubt anyone would bother to differentiate Minneapolis and St. Paul, even though they are distinct cities; hence the term "Twin Cities", which contrary to your pronouncement I do use.  If I'm not allowed to differentiate which suburb I'm from, why should you differentiate which urban area of the Twin Cities you're from?

Yes, you should differientate what suburb you're from, that's my point. Plymouth is not Minneapolis.

[Keystone Phil]

The only reason you get away with that is because you're form a pretty well known city.  If you asked somebody where they were from, and they said "Erskine"... you'd probably be going "where the hell?"

I know that's why I get away with it but my point is if others are from areas that can be easily identified, they can just say, "I'm from the __________ area."

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But you're from the metro area. That's my point. Suburbs in New Jersey are part of the Philly metro area and it would be ridiculous for someone from a different state - even though they're in our metro area - to say they're from a city that isn't even within their borders. That just makes it even more confusing when you're explaining your residency to a stranger.

"Oh, yeah, so and so is from Pennsylvania."
"Oh, no, I'm not. I'm from New Jersey."
"...you said you were from Philadelphia..."

So, in the end, you just end up explaining to them that you're from the area anyway!

 

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But you only understand it to be the metro areas (especially with the latter) because of some weird subjective reasoning. Anyone else would take "I'm from Chicago" to mean "I live in the city of Chicago."

I just don't get why people can't add "area" at the end since they a) end up having to say that anyway and/or b) have people wondering about where they're really from.

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But "Chicago" means "Chicago" and "Philadelphia" means "Philadelphia" and so on...