Opinion

Morning Poll: How do you describe where you live to out of towners?

Aerial view of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor at left, the Crystal City-Pentagon City corridor at right, and the Four Mile Run Valley at bottom (staff photo)

For those who travel, especially, it’s a common experience.

Someone not from the D.C. area will ask where you live. And if you’re an Arlington resident, you then face a mini dilemma.

You can tell them you’re from Arlington, Virginia — not to be confused with the other Arlingtons in Texas, Massachusetts and elsewhere. But, at the risk of bruising some local egos, not everyone knows where that is.

For those not familiar with the region’s geography, you can try something more familiar or more general: D.C., the D.C. area or Northern Virginia. But saying you’re from D.C. when you actually live in the surrounding suburbs comes with its own pitfalls.

What’s your go-to answer for out of towners curious about where you like?