# What suburb is mocked in your area? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 11, 2000, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991 "2000-12-11T09:10:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/41 "2000-12-12T04:33:47Z")
> [@](#): > > But I don’t think it’s anymore white trash than Garland, Irving, Grand Prairie, Farmers Branch or Richardson. Hey, I live in Richardson! It’s not white trash! It’s hardly white, most of the people in my neighborhood are Asian (Koreans, Pakistanis, Indians) and/or college students. But I lived in Mesquite once, when we first moved to Texas. I lived in an apartment complex off of 75, between Motley and Gross. I think everyone agrees that Balch Springs is pretty trashy. ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/42 "2000-12-12T16:00:31Z")
[screeching halt] > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jman \* > **Yes, the Rongo is still kicking…** Do me a favor. Have a "Suffering -, "Dying - **OR** “Dead - B@astard” for me. NOT ALL OF THEM! Trust me on this one! And most importantly, have someone else completely sober drive you home. (The T-burg cops are just doing their job.) Mmmmm. Pierogies. We now return you to your normal mocking. [/screeching halt] ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/43 "2000-12-12T16:32:28Z")
By the way! Fuck all of you for your snobbish bigotry against people who live in trailers. But that’s another thread. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/44 "2000-12-12T20:32:40Z")
In the Boston area, we’re definitely talking about Revere (er, excuse me, Ra-VEE-ah). To illustrate: You know you’re from Revere when… 1. You’re 5’4", can bench press 325 pounds,shave twice a day, but you still cry when your mother yells at you. 2. Your father owns 5 houses, has $300,000 in the bank, but still drives a '76 Monte Carlo. 3. You share a bathroom with your 5 brothers, have no money, but drive a $45,000 Camaro or Firebird. 4. Your mechanic, plumber, electrician, accountant and travel agent are all blood relatives. 5. You consider dunking a cannoli in an espresso a nutritious breakfast. 6. Your 2 best friends are your cousin and your brother-in-law’s brother-in-law. 7. You are a card-carrying V.I.P at more than 3 strip clubs. 8. Despite the hair on your back, you still try to impress the ladies by wearing your “Just do me” tank top to Revere Beach. 9. At least 5 of your cousins live on your street. 10. All 5 of those cousins are named after your grandfather. 11. A high school diploma and 1 year of Bunker Hill Community College has earned you the title of “Il Professore” among your aunts. 12. You are on a first name basis with at least 8 banquet hall owners. 13. If someone in your family grows beyond 5’6", it is presumed his mother had an affair. 14. There were more than 28 people in your bridal party. 15. You netted more than $50,000 on your first communion. 16. At some point in your life, you were a D.J 17. 30 years after immigrating, your parents still say “Pronto” when answering the phone. 18. You have ever been in a fight defending Sly Stallone’s thespian greatness. 19. Somewhere on your parents’ property, there is a bathtub Madonna. 20. You build your house with 3 materials… brick, stone, and wrought iron. 21. You have at least one sister that went to Beauty School. 22. Clothes from the Chess King will actually fit you. 23. It is impossible for you to talk with your hands in your pockets. 24. Have been to a funeral where talk of the deceased is, “He shoulda kept his big yap shut.” 25. When you move to Saugus to take advantage of that “good old country livin’” ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/45 "2000-12-12T20:55:11Z")
Uff da, dose Polish references could fit lots o’ da Norskies up here in Minneapolis, yubetcha. Hm. Looked down on, looked down on. It’s a struggle- there are the rich suburbs ( **Minnetonka** , **Edina** , and **Eden Prairie** to name three) but not that many crappy suburbs. I guess **Fridley** counts- it seems like everyone has a car with no wheels up on blocks in their front yard there. Very working-class neighborhood. ---
**Author:** ![Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6de8d8/32.png) [@Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilgore_Trout_1)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/46 "2000-12-12T20:59:38Z")
> [@](#): > > Here in vancouver (bc, not wa) the regular target seems to be Surrey surrey has a reputation all over canada, i believe. > [@](#): > > nd, why have none of my fellow Canucks not mentioned Scarborough? a scarberian here. i remember when i lived in bc, even people there would make a face when i said i was from scarborough. ever since the megacity nonsense, i can now say i live in toronto without feeling guilty. i do live in the east end, though, near the rouge river… which seems to have more trees than the rest of toronto combined. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/47 "2000-12-12T21:15:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jman \* > Yes, the Rongo is still kicking… Yep, it’s for sale, even! [http://www.rongo.com/](http://www.rongo.com/) > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by screech-owl_ > Do me a favor. Have a "Suffering -, "Dying - **OR** “Dead - B@astard” for me. NOT ALL OF THEM! Trust me on this one! And most importantly, have someone else completely sober drive you home. (The T-burg cops are just doing their job.) I was always partial to a 57 Chevy (with the top down). Too many dead bastards haunted me the next day. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Jman_ > T-burg is pretty nice, though. But… how did you know I’m from… er, nevermind! As far as the speed traps, ya gotta feel for the cops, man! Do they have anything else to do? Besides harrassing teenagers who are just trying to have a nice party in a field or barn with a bit of illegal booze. Not that I ever drank when I was underage, of course. You also have to admire their cleverness. Hiding out right where the speed limit changes from 55 to 30, just past that stretch of woods that completely obscures the fact that you’re entering the village limits. I’d bet that 85% of the people who get tickets there had no idea they’d just entered a speed zone. and Jman’s right - they don’t qualify as suburbs, but it’s the closest you’ll get for 50 miles. It’s telling that when I moved to Ithaca to go to college I considered that moving to the “city.” Ithaca - centrally isolated. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/48 "2000-12-12T21:42:45Z")
I’ve been to Scarberia, and it’s an awful lot like Saudi Aurora. Just trade Canadian high-rises for sprawling American “lifestyle communities” (i.e. luxury apartment complexes). Speaking of Aurora, someone at the Denver Post must be following this thread. Visit [http://denverpost.com/opinion/quill1212.htm](http://denverpost.com/opinion/quill1212.htm) – \*A dreadful possibility: We’ll have to quit making Aurora jokes By Ed Quillen Denver Post Columnist Dec. 12, 2000 - One aspect of cultural geography that deserves more study is how a given society goes about the important process of determining a place to use as the butt of its jokes. Among much of Colorado’s population, that “city to pick on” is Saudi Aurora, that expanse just east of Denver where there is rumored to be at least one tree hidden in the maze of malls, franchise restaurants and big boxes\* (continued on Denver Post Web site) ---
**Author:** ![Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6de8d8/32.png) [@Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilgore_Trout_1)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/49 "2000-12-12T21:52:01Z")
by the way, scarborough is the city that aurora in wayne’s world is based on. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/50 "2000-12-12T22:19:20Z")
Aurora, **Illinois** , where Wayne’s World took place, is a real city – it’s located just outside of Chicago. Aurora, **Colorado** , is also known as “Saudi Aurora.” It’s a _very_ large. ethnically diverse, working- to upper middle class suburb of Denver, located “halfway to Kansas” on the eastern plains. _Hear about the trajedy in Aurora?_ _The tree died._. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/51 "2000-12-12T22:31:23Z")
> [@](#): > > In North Carolina, Cary (just outside Raleigh) is known as the Containment Area for Relocated Yankees. Strip malls, SUVs, subdivisions, and transplanted Northerners galore. I’ll see your Yankees, SUV’s, subdivisions and strip malls and raise you a Lake and almost every NASCAR Driver. -Mooresville, NC. The formerly wonderful small town located on Lake Norman just outside of Charlotte (completely ruined now.) ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/52 "2000-12-12T22:36:56Z")
Whoops, sorry, you guys should know by now that i get fired up when talking about the town i used to love. I totally forgot about the OP heh. Anyway, around here we make fun of **Statesville** NC. Why? Hell i dunno, the whole town just has a funk settled over it. ---
**Author:** ![AETBOND417](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@AETBOND417](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AETBOND417)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2000, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/53 "2000-12-12T22:47:57Z")
**Bithlo** easily gets mocked more than the other cities in Central FL. **Lakeland** takes a little heat now and then, as does **Eatonville**. All of **Palm Beach County** gets laughed at on TV, the radio, and in class. My friend and I also met some “country folk” from **Dixie County**. ---
**Author:** ![shimmery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@shimmery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shimmery)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/54 "2000-12-13T01:32:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Motorgirl \* > and Jman’s right - they don’t qualify as suburbs, but it’s the closest you’ll get for 50 miles. It’s telling that when I moved to Ithaca to go to college I considered that moving to the “city.” Ithaca - centrally isolated. 😃 what??? Trenton is practically south Jersey! I live in Morris County, and I don’t even consider my town a suburb of NYC…and correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Ithaca upstate? Anyway, around here, we make fun of Montville, where I live unfortunately. Everyone thinks we’re rich and snobby, which we kind of are. Okay, not just kind of. We _are_ one of the 200 richest towns in America…and damn proud of it too! Also in Montville we make fun of Paterson… we think it’s low-class and generally dangerous… If you’re from around here, I know someone (I won’t name names) who shops at the Short Hills Mall because the Willowbrook Mall is where “Paterson comes to shop”. ---
**Author:** ![City\_Gent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a87d85/32.png) [@City\_Gent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/City_Gent)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/55 "2000-12-13T02:31:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ElvisL1ves \* > \*\*In the Boston area, we’re definitely talking about Revere (er, excuse me, Ra-VEE-ah). To illustrate: > > You know you’re from Revere when… > 11) A high school diploma and 1 year of Bunker Hill Community College has earned you the title of “Il Professore” among your aunts. > 24) Have been to a funeral where talk of the deceased is, “He shoulda kept his big yap shut.” > \*\* Mostly funny, but the ones I snipped out above have the stink of prejudice. You wouldn’t say things that harsh about blacks or Jews, would you? When I lived in Cleveland, the butt of all the suburban jokes was of course Parma. I’m surprised nobody has mentioned the plastic pink yard flamingoes - do they still have those? When I lived in Columbus, almost all the suburbs had certain “character traits” that everyone assumed. Odd for suburbs of a city that itself is almost completely devoid of distinguishing features. Dublin and New Albany: Snotty and white-bread. Whitehall and Urbancrest: Ghetto. Groveport: Hillbillies. Bexley: Old money In the San Francisco Bay area, it’s hard to think of a suburb that is really made fun of, because they’re almost all so nice. I guess East Palo Alto is generally considered “down-market”, but it’s usually referred to with sorrow and regret rather than hostility. Milpitas is very similar to Parma, Ohio for having a reputation as a blue-collar, ethnic stronghold. Both cities have had as their major employer a Ford plant, although Milpitas’s closed down years ago and the site is now occupied by a delightful outlet mall. I think the Ford Parma Engine Plant was about to close, too, but someone from Cleveland will have to back me up on that. People used to make fun of Vallejo and Oakland, but they don’t anymore, because with the skyrocketing housing costs everywhere else, people are afraid they’ll have to move there! ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/56 "2000-12-13T11:51:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by City Gent \* > Mostly funny, but the ones I snipped out above have the stink of prejudice. You wouldn’t say things that harsh about blacks or Jews, would you? Hint: This whole thread is about jokes. Note the number of other identifiable ethnic groups mentioned in it. > [@](#): > > When I lived in Columbus, almost all the suburbs had certain “character traits” that everyone assumed. Odd for suburbs of a city that itself is almost completely devoid of distinguishing features. Dublin and New Albany: Snotty and white-bread. Whitehall and Urbancrest: Ghetto. Groveport: Hillbillies. Bexley: Old money I’m originally from there myself. Actually, we didn’t make fun of other suburbs in the one I was from; we made fun of West Virginians (whether they had moved to south Columbus or the southern suburbs). > [@](#): > > I think the Ford Parma Engine Plant was about to close, too, but someone from Cleveland will have to back me up on that.\*\* Just there recently. The engine plant, once “Home of the 351 V-8”, is still in operation but it isn’t what it once was (and it’s in Brook Park, anyway). The closed tank plant in Parma is now an exhibition center - maybe that’s what you’re thinking of. ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/57 "2000-12-13T12:27:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by shimmery \* > **…and correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Ithaca upstate?..** To anyone living in NYC and Long Island, anything north of New Rochelle is considered “upstate”. And yes, Ithaca is ‘Centrally Isolated New York’, about an hour from any major town, except Elmira (not much left in Elmira - like Solvay, most of the major industries had closed, unless there has been some sort of urban revilatization since I left there in the 80s. Really sad, it used to be a nice town). Oh yeah, add the **Golden Glow** area of Elmira - it was quite looked down upon as trailers and ‘people you just don’t associate with’. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/58 "2000-12-13T16:45:44Z")
I grew up in Mount Vernon, which is a nifty place in Baltimore. I went to private schools all my life, so what we made fun of may not represent what the rest of the city made fun of. If you were from Dundalk or Essex, you were the butt of many jokes. The running joke was you can take the girl out of Dundalk, but you can’t take the gum out of her mouth. I remember a local DJ once saying: It’s 9 am, time for Dundalkians to get up and move their El Camino’s to the other side of the street! Those neighborhoods were VERY blue-collar. Most of the men worked at Bethlehem Steel (a shipyard in Baltimore). The girls there always had bangs at least 7 inches high cemented in place with a can or two of AquaNet. Oh, and the ‘upscale’ house had painted screens (it’s a Baltimore thing, hon). A local artist would paint a serene picture on the screen of your storm door or first story windows. It was usually a swan in a lake or something like that. Don’t forget, Baltimore is responsible for FormStone. Don’t know that that tacky stuff is? Follow this link: [http://www.uuu.org/fun%20facts.html](http://www.uuu.org/fun%20facts.html) Ctrl + F (for IE users) and find formstone. Read the three questions there. Follow this link for a picture of the hideous facade: [http://www.dhcd.state.md.us/homeown/reo/withpics/clevelnd.htm](http://www.dhcd.state.md.us/homeown/reo/withpics/clevelnd.htm) Residents of East Point, Middle River, Golden Ring and Arbutus weren’t given much respect, either. Now I live in Columbia so we just make fun of all of Baltimore (except Downtown, Mt. Vernon, Federal Hill, Fells Point and Guilford - the posh places, well as posh as one can get in Baltimore, that is) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/59 "2000-12-13T17:36:33Z")
Haven’t heard from any Daytonians yet, so I guess I’ll do the duty. Dayton, Ohio has a few suburbs worth noting. Now I’m not saying I _agree_ with these (politically incorrect) stereotypes, I’m simply stating what _many_ Daytonians say in private: **Dayton Suburb** : stereotype **Centerville** : “New” money. Considered “snobby.” **West Carrolton** : Rednecks with money. **Springboro** : “New” money. Considered “snobby.” **Oakwood** : “Old” money. Considered “snobby.” **Miamisburg** : Rednecks. **Kettering** : No stereotype. Considered normal and boring. **Beavercreek** : Independent folks with big yards and a boat in every garage. **Huber Heights** : White folks who wish they had enough money to live in Beavercreek. **Vandalia** : No stereotype. Considered normal and boring. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991/60 "2000-12-13T19:06:57Z")
I’ve gone into great detail about Buffalo, but I think I’ll bring up some of the other 'burbs. **Buffalo suburb** - Stereotype **Amherst, Clarence (north)** - New money, snobbish, everyone drives Lexii and listens to smooth jazz while eating in “bistros” decorated with vintage French advertising posters. **Tonawanda (north)** - Buffalo’s version of Levittown, where young couples buy their first houses. **Niagara Falls (far north)** - _Extremely_ Italian – IROCs, wife-beater shirts and Bills Zubaz pants, hairy backs, etc. Buffalo’s version of Bensonhurst. **Lewiston (far north)** - Upper middle class Italian. Home to most area Mafia kigpins. **Cheektowaga, Depew, Sloan (east)** - Polish-American, working class, tacky lawn ornaments, funny accent, very racist, fundamentalist Catholic, Bills fanaticism, everyone bowls and belongs to a volunteer fire department. **Lancaster (east)** - Middle class boomtown, where the NIMBYist residents wants to shut the gates behind them after they’ve moved in. **West Seneca, Hamburg (south)** - Middle class, no stereotype. **Lackawanna (south)** - Classic blue collar; i.e. guy who works at the Ford plant living in a $30,000 house with a $40,000 boat on a trailer in the driveway. **Orchard Park, East Aurora (south)** - Old “horsey” money, the genteel upper class as compared to the Blue Book gentry in the city. **Elma (south)** - Upper middle class redneck (yes, there is such a thing). 4,000 square foot luxury houses with two or three pickup trucks in the driveway, a car on blocks, and a few cords of wood stacked in the front yard. By the way, are there other cities where people convert their garages to “summer rooms” during warm weather? In **Cheektowaga** , lots of folks replace the garage door with a screen, and move their living room furniture to the garage for the summer (see [http://www.ap.buffalo.edu/~tasman/virtual\_cheektowaga\_images/vc\_27.jpg](http://www.ap.buffalo.edu/~tasman/virtual_cheektowaga_images/vc_27.jpg) ). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-suburb-is-mocked-in-your-area/44991.md?page=4)