Newsletter #151 - Are you a local?
How many years does it take?
Recently I was talking to a friend of mine who is a local in the town where I currently live.
You know what I mean by a “local.” He grew up here. His parents grew up here. His grandparents grew up here.
Anyway, I was telling him about a secret path near a bridge on the Delaware River that leads to a perfect fishing spot. He had no idea about this spot or the path that leads to it, or what the history of the bridge is.
This got me thinking about what it means to be a local and how long it takes to really become one.
In my opinion, you become a local after ten years, regardless of who you are and where you came from. That’s enough time to get to know the geography and recent history of the area, and to be known enough within the community that people recognize you and probably even know your name.
After ten years, you’re not just passing through. You’re settled. I feel like I’m just as much of a local as my friend who has lived here his whole life.
I was curious what other people thought about this topic, so I took it to Threads and asked, “How many years do you need to live somewhere before you are considered a local?”
These are some of the responses I got.
In rural New York, you’re not a local unless your family name is on a road.
Had to go to local schools. If you didn't grow up in that culture, you're not from there
My hot take as a military kid who has continued to move around is that I think it's a little weird how people gatekeep being a "local." If you've lived somewhere long enough that you know your way around, have connected yourself with other locals and the local culture, are invested in the community, & see yourself continuing to stay there long term, I think you're a local. Local to me is about the relationship to a place, not a chunk of time.
I started feeling like a local when I didn't have to use a GPS or maps to get around Seattle. But honestly in Seattle, if your go to outfit is a soggy hoodie and a vape pen you're a local by default.
In some places of the US, it is infinity and beyond… unfortunately
Depends on where your heart is. You can be local by proximity, but not necessarily culturally. Like, knowing the area and how to live there. But some of those folks move and want to change the culture of a place. Or they come in and simply don't honor the history and memories of the place ..and tbh, if you don't know and honor that, then you don't actually know the people and therefore, you don't really know the place....so you local, but not a local.
In New England, the rule is simple. You are considered a local as soon as you have three grandparents who were born in the town where you live.
If you've integrated into a place, accepted it, love it and committed to it in any way, you're a local.
If you've lived there forever but can't be bothered to actually pay attention to what's going on and just want everything to stay the way you like, you're more of a parasite than a local.
Local isn't about time, it's about love. And love isn't passive OR static.
You have to be born there. That's the rules.
You’re considered local when you care about your community (almost) as much as the place you were born. You volunteer, shovel walks or act neighborly etc. attend civic events, contribute more than you take, visit the parks and libraries & people stop to ask you for directions because you look at home.
If you keep to yourself you will always be someone who lives there.
I had a friend move from CA to PA. He told me that people move to CA and build new lives and new families, and generally people are accepting of transplants. Meanwhile, he has a hard time acclimating to PA bc people tend to stick in the area where they grew up - it's hard to break into an area where everyone's great grand parents knew everybody's great grandparents. And having moved from the Philly suburbs to the Philly suburbs, I totally got what he meant.
It doesn't necessarily take years. It can't be measured in time.
This is clearly a very nuanced question. Maybe the answer depends on other factors besides just length of time, like where in the world you live or how connected you are with other members of the community.
I decided to go visit another friend of mine who owns a restaurant in town. He’s definitely what would be described as a “local.” His family has lived here for generations. He has lived here his whole life. He knows everyone and everyone knows him.
I asked him, “How many years do you need to live somewhere before you are considered a local?”
He said, “Who gives a fuck?”
Notes:
Photographs in this letter were made in the towns of Lumberland, NY, Highland, NY, Tusten, NY, and Shohola, PA.
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Zach Vitale lives in a van down by the river.
Kristen Neufeld has only lived upstate for two and a half years but feels like a local every time she has to deal with weekender traffic.
"Who gives a fuck?" indeed.
“Who gives a fuck.” is certainly the correct answer.