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It's obvious some of the 'new residents' don't know anything about the city residents that are born and raised there and don't care to know. There are residents born and raised who are middle, upper middle, wealthy, poor and workin class that live thru out DC.
+4
I guess my birth certificate that reads Georgetown University Hospital and my Woodrow Wilson High School diploma are fabrications.
Seems like he has limited himself to a narrow social circle. Certainly, the 237,000 people (37% of DC's population) that were born in DC and currently also living in DC as of July 2013 would disagree with the statement that "no one is actually from here". This statistic came from the US Census Bureau itself.
See, here is the disconnect we are having. While statistically you may be correct, those that are asking are not about numbers and statistics. They don't care about statistics. In reality, it doesn't matter where the people in question are from. It's the emotional connection that people like the OP are seeking. I bet you that if people were more relatable in this area, and there more DC enthusiasts and less bitter transplants, this topic wouldn't come up. It would be the norm and understood. In the military, I moved to several different countries/states and met so many groups of people "not from there". But there was a level of relation that the subject didn't matter. As a matter of fact, if I met someone from NC in one country/state, there was a level of connection between me and another person also from NC upon meeting them in a different country or state. It would be more like "hey, I knew a guy also from NC". That would be our immediate connection. But people were also relatable which is what made the difference. There was a sense of comradery and togetherness. There isn't any here for various reasons.
So, on an emotional level, statistics has nothing to do with it. That is what natives of DC are good at- those that thrive here. And it's a good thing but doesn't relate to the non-natives. DC thrivers can tell you the designer and who engineered the metro station lights by name (check out the why is the metro so dark thread).
The whole "no one is from here" is simply the inability to jive with the non-relatable folks on a subconscious level. Trust me, if there was such a connect here in DC, we wouldn't be having half of the conversations regarding DC culture.
See, here is the disconnect we are having. While statistically you may be correct, those that are asking are not about numbers and statistics. They don't care about statistics. In reality, it doesn't matter where the people in question are from.
I strongly suggest that the disconnect we are having is with reality. There is a persistent minority on these forums that would have us all agree with a reinvention of reality to accommodate elements of their personal experiences; real or imagined, accurate or inflated.
Anyone that doesn't is a "DC defender", "DC enthusiast" or the newly coined "DC Thriver"; purely invented terms to discredit without merit. Perhaps if I started throwing out "DC Failure", "DC Flunkee", as terms you would see the childishness application of these terms.
Quote:
Originally Posted by halfamazing
It's the emotional connection that people like the OP are seeking. I bet you that if people were more relatable in this area, and there more DC enthusiasts and less bitter transplants, this topic wouldn't come up...The whole "no one is from here" is simply the inability to jive with the non-relatable folks on a subconscious level. Trust me, if there was such a connect here in DC, we wouldn't be having half of the conversations regarding DC culture.
Internet forums tend to be permeated to some degree by the bitter seeking out the bitter to affirm their bitterness and mutually externalize the cause. Sometimes they even see things that aren't there; for example the OP neither expressed that they are seeking an emotional connection, nor are they even the one in DC. He just remarked on his friends comments that he hadn't met many people native to DC; not an uncommon experience for people attending the Universities in DC.
Quote:
Originally Posted by halfamazing
It would be the norm and understood. In the military, I moved to several different countries/states and met so many groups of people "not from there". But there was a level of relation that the subject didn't matter. As a matter of fact, if I met someone from NC in one country/state, there was a level of connection between me and another person also from NC upon meeting them in a different country or state. It would be more like "hey, I knew a guy also from NC". That would be our immediate connection. But people were also relatable which is what made the difference. There was a sense of comradery and togetherness. There isn't any here for various reasons.
There is always mutual excitement when I meet someone from DC when I'm travelling; the odds of meeting someone from a city of 600k being that much smaller than meeting someone in a state of nearly 10 million.
If you're someone who lives here, and actually has roots here instead of just one foot out the door, it's an immediate connection.
Quote:
Originally Posted by halfamazing
So, on an emotional level, statistics has nothing to do with it. That is what natives of DC are good at- those that thrive here. And it's a good thing but doesn't relate to the non-natives. DC thrivers can tell you the designer and who engineered the metro station lights by name (check out the why is the metro so dark thread).
Being that this forum is City-Data, I would think that you might have some inkling as to why data and statistics occasionally come up. The fact is that, while DC is very transient, there are plenty of people who grew up in the District and even more that grew up in the area. If you're attending a school here, it's less apparent. If you're a young person, living in a trendy area that caters significantly to rentals for young professionals/students it's also less apparent. Having grown some roots here over the past 10 years, a significant portion of my friends, colleagues and neighbors are from the District or inner-burbs. It's not as prevalent as Philly, for example, but I don't know how you live here and don't run into people native to the area.
My knowledge of DC metro history has little to do with whether or not there are natives in the area or not, or why I enjoy living in the city or not. It is only an indication of my interest in transportation, history and civil engineering.
I strongly suggest that the disconnect we are having is with reality. There is a persistent minority on these forums that would have us all agree with a reinvention of reality to accommodate elements of their personal experiences; real or imagined, accurate or inflated.
Anyone that doesn't is a "DC defender", "DC enthusiast" or the newly coined "DC Thriver"; purely invented terms to discredit without merit. Perhaps if I started throwing out "DC Failure", "DC Flunkee", as terms you would see the childishness application of these terms.
Internet forums tend to be permeated to some degree by the bitter seeking out the bitter to affirm their bitterness and mutually externalize the cause. Sometimes they even see things that aren't there; for example the OP neither expressed that they are seeking an emotional connection, nor are they even the one in DC. He just remarked on his friends comments that he hadn't met many people native to DC; not an uncommon experience for people attending the Universities in DC.
There is always mutual excitement when I meet someone from DC when I'm travelling; the odds of meeting someone from a city of 600k being that much smaller than meeting someone in a state of nearly 10 million.
If you're someone who lives here, and actually has roots here instead of just one foot out the door, it's an immediate connection.
Being that this forum is City-Data, I would think that you might have some inkling as to why data and statistics occasionally come up. The fact is that, while DC is very transient, there are plenty of people who grew up in the District and even more that grew up in the area. If you're attending a school here, it's less apparent. If you're a young person, living in a trendy area that caters significantly to rentals for young professionals/students it's also less apparent. Having grown some roots here over the past 10 years, a significant portion of my friends, colleagues and neighbors are from the District or inner-burbs. It's not as prevalent as Philly, for example, but I don't know how you live here and don't run into people native to the area.
My knowledge of DC metro history has little to do with whether or not there are natives in the area or not, or why I enjoy living in the city or not. It is only an indication of my interest in transportation, history and civil engineering.
As a proud native of DC, before the 'new' DC emerged, I always met people not from DC, always. At work, eating out, at basketball games or other social events. DC is a great city to meet and connect with people from all over. When I was at Howard I met people from everywhere. I agree with what you are saying. I think some of the new people here don't believe this was a functioning city at all before they got here. My family has been here for 50 plus years. Seen a lot of changes. Seen our neighborhood change from white to black and now half white half black. As the city grows and changes it's still going to be my hometown. Eventually it will so expensive that even the young professionals won't be able to afford it. I will be curious to see what will be said about DC when that day comes.
I strongly suggest that the disconnect we are having is with reality. There is a persistent minority on these forums that would have us all agree with a reinvention of reality to accommodate elements of their personal experiences; real or imagined, accurate or inflated.
Anyone that doesn't is a "DC defender", "DC enthusiast" or the newly coined "DC Thriver"; purely invented terms to discredit without merit. Perhaps if I started throwing out "DC Failure", "DC Flunkee", as terms you would see the childishness application of these terms.
Internet forums tend to be permeated to some degree by the bitter seeking out the bitter to affirm their bitterness and mutually externalize the cause. Sometimes they even see things that aren't there; for example the OP neither expressed that they are seeking an emotional connection, nor are they even the one in DC. He just remarked on his friends comments that he hadn't met many people native to DC; not an uncommon experience for people attending the Universities in DC.
There is always mutual excitement when I meet someone from DC when I'm travelling; the odds of meeting someone from a city of 600k being that much smaller than meeting someone in a state of nearly 10 million.
If you're someone who lives here, and actually has roots here instead of just one foot out the door, it's an immediate connection.
Being that this forum is City-Data, I would think that you might have some inkling as to why data and statistics occasionally come up. The fact is that, while DC is very transient, there are plenty of people who grew up in the District and even more that grew up in the area. If you're attending a school here, it's less apparent. If you're a young person, living in a trendy area that caters significantly to rentals for young professionals/students it's also less apparent. Having grown some roots here over the past 10 years, a significant portion of my friends, colleagues and neighbors are from the District or inner-burbs. It's not as prevalent as Philly, for example, but I don't know how you live here and don't run into people native to the area.
My knowledge of DC metro history has little to do with whether or not there are natives in the area or not, or why I enjoy living in the city or not. It is only an indication of my interest in transportation, history and civil engineering.
Seems like he has limited himself to a narrow social circle. Certainly, the 237,000 people (37% of DC's population) that were born in DC and currently also living in DC as of July 2013 would disagree with the statement that "no one is actually from here". This statistic came from the US Census Bureau itself.
As one would expect, however, the statistics vary widely based on race. For African Americans in the District of Columbia...
-60.19% (189,912) were born in DC
-31.64% (99,845) were born in a different state
-7.50% (23,631) are foreign born
For non-Hispanic Whites in the District...
-12.32% (28,372) were born in DC
-75.98% (174,975) were born in a different state
-9.72% (22,395) are foreign born
The interesting thing is that 22,781 (9.89% of all NHWs) non-Hispanic Whites in the District are under the age of 18. Children in all likelihood constitute a very large portion of the non-Hispanic White residents who were born in DC. So statistically speaking, it is quite rare to come across a non-Hispanic White person who grew up in the District.
Quote:
Originally Posted by revitalizer
And, here's the kicker. DC is not terribly out of alignment with other major cities as far as the above metric. Going from memory from past research, both Seattle and San Francisco have less percentage of their population that were born and living there than DC does here.
How would you do that for city propers? In DC's case, it's easy because the District is its own jurisdiction.
In terms of metro area, DC is only second to Miami in terms of current residents not living in the state in which they were born (31% vs 29%...for NHWs). While part of that may be attributable to the multi-jurisdictional setup of the metro area (you could have been born in DC and live in MD or VA), you don't see that trend in Philadelphia and New York, which also have metros comprised of three different nearby jurisdictions. Those metros also don't have the population churn of the DC metro. The DC metro receives more transplants on a raw numerical basis than the NYC CSA.
As one would expect, however, the statistics vary widely based on race. For African Americans in the District of Columbia...
-60.19% (189,912) were born in DC
-31.64% (99,845) were born in a different state
-7.50% (23,631) are foreign born
For non-Hispanic Whites in the District...
-12.32% (28,372) were born in DC
-75.98% (174,975) were born in a different state
-9.72% (22,395) are foreign born
The interesting thing is that 22,781 (9.89% of all NHWs) non-Hispanic Whites in the District are under the age of 18. Children in all likelihood constitute a very large portion of the non-Hispanic White residents who were born in DC. So statistically speaking, it is quite rare to come across a non-Hispanic White person who grew up in the District.
How would you do that for city propers? In DC's case, it's easy because the District is its own jurisdiction.
In terms of metro area, DC is only second to Miami in terms of current residents not living in the state in which they were born (31% vs 29%...for NHWs). While part of that may be attributable to the multi-jurisdictional setup of the metro area (you could have been born in DC and live in MD or VA), you don't see that trend in Philadelphia and New York, which also have metros comprised of three different nearby jurisdictions. Those metros also don't have the population churn of the DC metro. The DC metro receives more transplants on a raw numerical basis than the NYC CSA.
Thanks for adding to the conversation in a productive way. I think it is great that we are drilling down more into it. I think there will be more and more non-hispanic white DC natives here as rebalancing of the city's racial makeup continues. I like that DC is moving toward not being lopsided towards one side or another - and it is long overdue. Those children will grow up and will still be DC natives and some of them will stay here and have children as well who would also be DC natives, and so on. As the basis of this discussion was that no one was from here, the reality remains that it isn't "rare" to meet a DC native person.
As for doing the same study for city propers, I'm still thinking on it. I just know that Seattle has 38% of its population born in Washington State. It is reasonable to assume that not all those people would actually be from Seattle proper, thereby decreasing the total percentage of people native to Seattle. Same goes for San Francisco, and so on.
Last edited by revitalizer; 01-08-2015 at 03:41 PM..
Thanks for adding to the conversation in a productive way. I think it is great that we are drilling down more into it. I think there will be more and more non-hispanic white DC natives here as rebalancing of the city's racial makeup continues. I like that DC is moving toward not being lopsided towards one side or another - and it is long overdue. Those children will grow up and will still be DC natives and some of them will stay here and have children as well who would also be DC natives, and so on.
Maybe, maybe not. The thing about DC is that the Whites are VERY educated and educated people are more likely to leave than non-educated people. You're never going to have a multi-generational South Philly-style neighborhood in DC where white kids are walking over to grandma's or Uncle Ned's. A lot of those kids will probably leave. There's also the issue of their parents leaving the city before their formative years. We've already posted data in many previous threads showing that the non-Hispanic White middle school age population is not increasing (and in some cases declining) notwitstanding large increases in the White population overall. Underperforming schools and a high cost of living play a large role in that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by revitalizer
As the basis of this discussion was that no one was from here, the reality remains that it isn't "rare" to meet a DC native person.
That depends on who you are and where you go. If you go to a Black barbershop, then you'll be surrounded by nearly all natives. If you go anywhere in the majority White areas of DC, then you're not going to come across many natives. There simply aren't many White natives of the District and many of them aren't even old enough to have driver's licenses.
Quote:
Originally Posted by revitalizer
As for doing the same study for city propers, I'm still thinking on it. I just know that Seattle has 38% of its population born in Washington State. It is reasonable to assume that not all those people would actually be from Seattle proper, thereby decreasing the total percentage of people native to Seattle. Same goes for San Francisco, and so on.
That's true. Though I would imagine more White people grow up in Seattle proper because it's historically been a much Whiter city.
You're never going to have a multi-generational South Philly-style neighborhood in DC where white kids are walking over to grandma's or Uncle Ned's. A lot of those kids will probably leave. There's also the issue of their parents leaving the city before their formative years. We've already posted data in many previous threads showing that the non-Hispanic White middle school age population is not increasing (and in some cases declining) notwitstanding large increases in the White population overall. Underperforming schools and a high cost of living play a large role in that.
One thing I do not think is good is to say never. We are not all-knowing. The schools are improving. It's happening with each passing day. I just looked up DC census data for population by age group for all the years from 2010 to 2013. Here is what I found amongst the 19 years and below categories:
Under 5 years:
2010 population - 32,861
2013 population - 41,061
Note: Baby boom.
5 to 9 years:
2010 population - 27,268
2013 population - 32,187
Note: People comfortable with sending their kids to the elementary schools.
10 to 14 years:
2010 population - 23,969
2013 population - 23,091
Note: This age group has shown some stabilization from the previous 4-year period. Also indicative of people getting more comfortable sending kids to middle/junior high school in DC
15 to 19 years:
2010 population - 42,688
2013 population - 36,718
Note: More work to do for this age group as some families are not comfortable sending their kids to high school. This too will improve in time.
DCPS Enrollment by Race
2008-2009 SY
Black – 84.4%
Latino – 9.4%
White – 4.6%
Other – 1.6%
2013-2014 SY
Black – 68%
Latino – 16%
White – 12%
Other – 4%
The change, rebalancing, is happening on all levels. And, it's a good thing and will need time to fully cycle through.
Last edited by revitalizer; 01-08-2015 at 05:44 PM..
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