10 Signs You’ve Lived in Virginia Longer Than You Planned

A lot of people end up in Virginia on what was supposed to be a temporary arrangement: a military assignment, a government job, a relationship, or a lease that turned into another lease.

And then somewhere along the way, Virginia stopped being the place you were staying and started being the place you lived.

Here are 10 signs that it happened to you and you didn’t even notice.

1. You Stopped Saying “The” Before Route Numbers

There’s a very specific tell that separates people who are from Virginia from people who moved there from another region.

People from, say, the Midwest and Southern California say “the 66” or “the 95.”

Virginians just say “66” or “95.”

It’s a small thing that becomes automatic faster than you’d expect.

The day you catch yourself saying “take 7 to 267” without the article, you’ve been here a while.

2. You Have Strong Opinions About Wegmans vs. Harris Teeter

When you first moved to Virginia, a grocery store was a grocery store.

Now you have a preferred chain, a preferred location within that chain, and a set of opinions about which deli counter is worth the wait and which prepared foods section is actually good vs. just looks good.

You’ve also probably had at least one conversation about this at a party that lasted longer than it should have.

3. You Know What “The 573” Refers to Without Looking It Up

Virginia’s telephone area codes, exit numbers, and local shorthand have embedded themselves into your daily vocabulary without you noticing it happening.

You know which exit is yours on 95.

You know what people mean when they say “inside the Beltway.”

You know that NoVA and Hampton Roads are not the same place and you could explain the difference in detail if pressed.

This is just how your brain works now.

4. You’ve Done Shenandoah Valley Wine Country at Least Twice

The first time was because someone suggested it.

The second time was because you actually wanted to go.

You drove through the valley, stopped at a couple of tasting rooms, and spent more than you intended on bottles you carried home and then opened way too fast.

You’ve been looking at the calendar to figure out when you can go back.

5. You Defend Virginia Wine With Genuine Conviction

When someone outside Virginia dismisses Virginia wine as a novelty, something happens in you.

You think of the specific bottle from that Shenandoah Valley tasting room. You think of the Viognier that made you realize what Viognier actually tastes like when it’s done right.

And then you say something. Politely but firmly.

Because they’re wrong and they should know it.

6. Fall in Virginia Makes You Emotional in a Way That’s Hard to Explain

You didn’t expect this when you moved here.

The Blue Ridge Parkway in October, the way the whole state shifts color like someone turned a dial, the specific light of a Virginia fall afternoon.

It got to you.

You’ve recommended the Skyline Drive to out-of-town guests multiple times.

You’ve watched them react the way you reacted the first time and felt proud of a place you didn’t grow up in.

7. You’ve Picked a Side in the UVA vs. Virginia Tech Debate

You didn’t come to Virginia with a preference.

But you’ve been to a game, or you know someone who went to one of the schools, or you’ve just been in enough conversations that you’ve formed an opinion.

And now it’s your opinion, and it’s not changing.

8. You Know Exactly When to Hit the Tunnel and When to Wait

If you live in Hampton Roads, this one hits hard.

You’ve learned the patterns. You know the windows when traffic through the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel runs smoothly and the windows when it doesn’t.

You’ve planned your entire weekend departure around a twenty-minute variance.

This kind of knowledge is earned through suffering, and it means you’ve been here long enough to have suffered the right amount.

9. Old Town Alexandria Went From “A Nice Spot” to “Your Spot”

The first few times you went to Old Town, you were a tourist in your own metro area.

Then you found the restaurant you like. Then the wine bar. Then the farmers market that you go to when you’re trying to feel like a person again.

Now, when someone mentions they’re visiting the D.C. area, your first recommendation is Old Town Alexandria, and you say it with a confidence that surprises you a little.

10. You Stopped Keeping Track of When You Were Going to Leave

This is the real one.

At some point, “I’ll be here for two more years” became “I’ll probably be here through next spring,” which became “I’m not really thinking about it right now.”