Yep. Especially in New England. It seems that every New England state has about 50 towns with the exact same name. Bit of an exaggeration, but multiple names proliferate.
Yeah, I always say I’m from DC, not Washington.
Most people from D.C., don’t really say Washington. I’d usually tell someone from the area that I live in the District. Someone from out of the area, I would tell that I live in D.C. or Washington, D.C.
Although I have been occasionally confused by some media outlets who have made the editorial decision to call the NFL franchise “the Washington football team” which without any other context I would assume to be the UW Huskies.
Here in DC, it’s almost always DC or the District. I can’t recall ever just saying “Washington,” and I’d only say “Washington, DC” if I were talking to out-of-towners or writing my address. “Washington” just isn’t considered the relevant part.
Anyone in DC referring to Washington State would say “Washington State.”
Here in Washington State, we refer to the city as “D.C.” or “the other Washington.”
Hay!
Well, every town, city and county south of the Potomac is named “Jackson.” (slight exaggeration)
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My wife is from just east of there and they all called it “Washington P-A.” (They said the letters)
I beg to differ. Here in the DC area “little Washington” refers to Washington, VA!
That screaming sound you all just heard was me strangling my wife, who just told me they all called it “little Washington” growing up. Marriage.Can.Be.Like.That.Sometimes.
I’ve never heard ANY say that they are from Washington State, here in Washington!
The other is DC.
How about Vancouver, Washington?
Vancouver? Oh, Canadian, Eh?
No, Vancouver, Washington.
What, Washington DC?
No, Washington State.
So you’re not Canadian?
No, Washington State, USA.
Rinse. Repeat.
Americans think I’m Canadian and from the Capitol. Most Canadians know the difference, even the Easterners I’ve met.
Too many geographically challenged Muricans out there.
Vancouver WA has a few nick-names; The Other Vancouver, Fort Vancouver, North Portland, The Couve (particularly detestable for me), Vantucky, and now New Vansterdam (There’s a pot shop here by that name.)
For years I kept hearing intermittently about some football team called the “Washington Redskins” and I just assumed it was a team based in the Pacific NW coastal state. Apparently not.
Americans in general are profoundly ignorant about their own geography. I recall hearing several years ago a radio interview with a Postal Service official about the difficulty in delivering mis-addressed mail.
People routinely confused states like “Ohio,” “Iowa,” and “Idaho,” for example. One letter was addressed to a place in “Ohidowa.” And these are people who know somebody living at the intended destination.
There are routinely stories by people from New Mexico who when traveling to other states are treated as foreigners.
One story I heard was from the time of the Atlanta Olympic Games. A resident of New Mexico called to find out where to get tickets and was told that he would have to contact the Olympic authorities “in your country.”
Another more recent one was from someone who had moved to New York or New Jersey and wanted to exchange his New Mexico driver’s license for a local one. He was told that that office did not handle international matters.
The Capitol is a building*. You mean the capital. A common error.
*Admittedly it’s the seat of Government, but nonetheless, only a building.
Speaking of Canada and capitals, I’m pretty certain that the majority of Americans have no idea what Canada’s capital city is.
Is it still Ottawa?
I think it would be fair to say that if there were a test that asked only the most basic questions about Canada, the vast majority of Americans would score a zero.
But Vancouver, BC isn’t the capital of anything. Neither is Vancouver, WA. Victoria is the capital of BC; Olympia is the capital of WA.