I should begin clarifying what I mean by the "DMV." For most people in the United States, these three letters in this particular order make people immediately think of the Department of Motor Vehicles. However, where I am from it has a whole other meaning. For those of you who aren't hip, the Washington D.C metropolitan area which includes parts of the states of Maryland and Virginia is widely referred to as the DMV by its inhabitants. Although this nickname is not well known across the rest of the country, locals like myself have grown up with the acronym as a symbolic part of where we're from. Whether it's casually used in local advertisements or as someone's Twitter location, the DMV is proudly displayed as the unofficial nickname of the D.C metro area with the D standing for D.C (Not Delaware,) the M for Maryland and the V for Virginia.
While the entire District of Columbia is included as part of the DMV, the same cannot be said about the other two states since they are so large in comparison. While all this is entirely subjective, it is widely established that the DMV refers to Montgomery County and Prince George's County in Maryland and to Fairfax County, Arlington County, Loudon County and Prince William County in Virginia. Essentially anywhere you can get to on a WMATA train is the DMV and anywhere you cannot isn't.
Okay so now that we established the basics we can talk what it actually means to be from the DMV, not just defining the acronym, but getting into the culture. As someone who has lived their entire life in the DMV I have seen how unique the area is. This one general area consists of two states and a federal district, which is to say that in any given day (which happens a lot) you can travel through three different territories just by running errands. Now that's pretty cool. The best part of it all is the diversity that comes with that. Not only does each state (for the purpose of this article, that includes D.C) have it's own individual history and customs, but the DMV is also home to a huge population of people from all around the country and the globe. Due to the attraction of the national capital you are constantly surrounded by people from vastly different backgrounds and places. This makes the experience culturally rich and incredibly educational.
Another important part of the DMV is the accessibility. The DMV itself consists of many towns and cities each with their own landmarks and points of interest. The list of places you can go to are endless from Georgetown and Dupont in the District, to Bethesda and Rockville in Maryland to historical Alexandria and Tyson's Corner in Virginia, just to name a few. On top of that the DMV is also very well located in the grand scheme of things, since it's basically right in the middle of the East Coast traveling to other major cities is very easy. Cities like Baltimore and Philadelphia are extremely close, enough to visit them in a day. Other places such as New York City are as close as four hours.
If you didn't know what the DMV was before you read this article, I'm glad I was able to educate you about my home area. While the nickname has yet to gain the national recognition it deserves, you shouldn't miss out on all the great things the DMV has to offer. Just remember there's more to D.C than just the D, so make sure to pay a visit to the M and the V.
