What is "Too Loudoun" or "Too Fairfax"? (Arlington: schools, zoning)

[Caladium]

I'd answer this, but ignoring attempts by Washington Post reporters to try to sound hip is just so Loudoun...

[brooklynborndad]

it wasn't the reporter who made that remark, it was a PG county development lawyer.

"Andre Gingles, a zoning lawyer who represents the Peterson Cos., developers of National Harbor, said some businesses and politicians worried that Olson’s views and Baker’s did not mesh on economic development.
“Some people think he is too ‘Arlington,’ ” Gingles said, referring to the Northern Virginia county that has become a smart-growth hub. "

[IndiaLimaDelta]

Originally Posted by oneasterisk

Is it better to be 703 than 571? I mean it's the difference of "old area code" versus "new area code"

I think that's what passes for old money and new money in Ashburn.

You'd have to dial 212 to reach me: NYC Tech Startups Covet 212 Area Codes -- How to Get a 212 Phone Number - Metropolis - WSJ.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by michgc

I think Fairfax and Loudoun are each too big to have a singular reputation like Arlington has. For example, I can see someone saying, "She's too Middleburg" and I would conjure up an image of a horse-back riding, wealthy snob. On the other hand, if someone said, "She's too Ashburn. I'd picture someone who rides an SUV or minivan with 3 kids and soccer balls. Neither image, however, is necessarily how I'd describe all of Loudoun.

I think this must be it - though I think it's not just that Fairfax and Loudoun are big, but that they also have multiple areas with distinct identities that contrast with each other (Ashburn/Middleburg, Great Falls/Centreville).

In some Arlington circles, the distinction between North and South Arlington is often emphasized. However, perhaps because South Arlington is less well known and is in transition, the county tends to have a more monolithic image associated with its newer TODs, at least in the eyes of a PG real estate developer.

[Fern435]

Originally Posted by JEB77

But if someone said someone or something was "too Loudoun" or "so Loudoun," what would it mean?

Example of "so Loudoun" -- Incredible (!) HOAs that provide residents with many rules to live by and enforce them with gusto. HOAs keep people happy and well-behaved.

[cdmurphy]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

202 could end up becoming dog whistle speak for non-white criminal element. 571 to me indicates someone that moved here under two years ago and spends more time complaining about how unfriendly everyone is than actually trying to make friends.

My husband (NoVA resident since 1997) was a little sad when he got a new cell phone several years ago after switching jobs and was given a 571.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Arlington basically to me has the same connotation as Bethesda or DC. Funny thing is back in the day when I hear "DC" I think ghetto....like when i hear Baltimore, Philadelphia, or Detroit. Now when I hear "DC" I think very yuppie and uppity.

And might not sound PC,but given the demographics of PG County, maybe they just mean this guy "acts white" (epecially the rich yuppie kind of white)????? Sometimes people DO link places with demographics. Here in Baltimore I quite regularly hear people say things like "he's from the city but he don't act like it" or "she is definitely very Pikesville" (referring to a Jewish area).

[OrangeFish]

Originally Posted by cdmurphy

My husband (NoVA resident since 1997) was a little sad when he got a new cell phone several years ago after switching jobs and was given a 571.

LOL! My spouse was commenting this week that he still feels like a newbie here, even though we moved to northern Virginia in December 1994.

[slduvall]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

Arlington basically to me has the same connotation as Bethesda or DC. Funny thing is back in the day when I hear "DC" I think ghetto....like when i hear Baltimore, Philadelphia, or Detroit. Now when I hear "DC" I think very yuppie and uppity.

And might not sound PC,but given the demographics of PG County, maybe they just mean this guy "acts white" (epecially the rich yuppie kind of white)????? Sometimes people DO link places with demographics. Here in Baltimore I quite regularly hear people say things like "he's from the city but he don't act like it" or "she is definitely very Pikesville" (referring to a Jewish area).

Could be he was wearing brown flip flops! That is so Arlington!

[Caladium]

Not sure I'd agree HOAs are so Loudoun vs. being so Fairfax (or so Arlington or so PW County). If anything, they'd be so Fairfax, since the original HOA (and the biggest one) is in Fairfax. Also, I believe I read in the Post recently that the greatest number of HOAs is in Fairfax County (and the second greatest is in PW County). Finally, HOAs can be found in every corner of Fairfax; most of Loudoun is actually rural.