What it’s actually like to be from Potomac

We’ve all read those “You know you’re from [insert hometown here] when…” posts, and we all hate to love them.  But my version is a bit of twist on this overused topic, one on my hometown – Potomac, MD 20854.  Sure, Potomac lies on the outskirts of our nation’s capital, and for this reason I could make it easy for myself and tell you…

That the DMV, in fact, does not stand for the department of motor vehicles, but for DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

That Marylanders are obsessed with their flag. (Because it’s the greatest flag ever…)

That you’d be crazy if you tried to hop on the beltway anytime between 4 and 7 pm on a weekday.

Or that if you’ve never picked a big bundle of crabs sprinkled with Old Bay, you must not be from Maryland.

You’ve heard that all before.  You wouldn’t have clicked on this article if you hadn’t.  So I’m not going to do that…anymore.

BUT: being from Potomac is a little bit different than being from the DMV.

Yes, we still know and love our Redskins and Caps.  We still venture down to the Mall for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.  We even say we’re from DC sometimes (which our actual DC resident friends hate), just to make it a little bit easier.  But in reality, we’re from Potomac, MD – the good ol’ 20854.

If you’re not from Potomac, you may have already made up your mind about us natives, thanks to The Real Housewives latest venture, The Real Housewives of Potomac – which, let me tell you is one of the most inaccurate and offensive representations of my hometown out there. 

If you’re set on finding your definition of Potomac, MD on air, you’d be better off turning to the fictional  TV drama Beverly Hills 90210.  Confused?  The 1990’s series that follows a group of teens into adulthood is actually based on Potomac.  Actually, the show’s original working title was Potomac 20854, but was later swapped out for the more widely-known zip code.

How do I know this?  Well being a second generation Potomac native has its advantages – my parents actually went to Winston Churchill High School with the creator of the show, Darren Star.  He may have been a little bit older than my parents, but his name soon became a known one and a treasured one among the graduates of Winston Churchill with the release of Beverly Hills 90210.

Some even claim they know who the characters were based off of (my dad “claims” one of the characters was based off of him).

If you grew up in Potomac more recently, you’ll probably know a couple of these things to be true.

You have a (301) cell phone number

And you most likely pay a little bit extra for it each and every month – just for old times sake, right? But seriously, because who wants a (240) or a (202) number… yuck.

The Village was and still is the place to be

Besides the insurmountable number of banks that dot the Potomac Village Shopping Center, it has always been the meeting place.  Potomac Pizza was the official caterer for any Little League or post-soccer game party.  You helped save Sprinkles – the local ice cream shop owned by the one and only Tom, because if not where else would you get your Blend-Ins?  And you even make the occasional Chipotle or Starbucks when you’re back home from college.

Summers were spent at either Bethany Beach, DE or Ocean City, MD

Whether you spent your summers at one of these beaches or not, you probably have a preference between the “quaint family beach town” and “the party town” – amorously known as Ocean Shitty, although both are stomping grounds when it comes to high school senior beach weeks.

But if you weren’t at the beach, you were probably sitting poolside at either Congressional, Bethesda, or Chevy Chase Country Club.

If you played a sport, it was probably lacrosse

 Or else your brother did.

Regardless of whether you went to public or private school, you probably got a better education than most

Potomac public schools are considered the most “private” of the public school realm.  If you went to any public school in the vicinity, it most likely started with a “W” – Winston Churchill, Walter Johnson, Whitman, Wootton, maybe even Woodward if you’re really throwing it back.

If you didn’t go to a public school (which many people didn’t – despite having some of the best in the area), you most likely went to a single-sex private school.  If you were like me and went to a private school, wearing your school skirt was the staple attire for a Friday evening at Montgomery Mall.  And when you got too old for the mall, your Friday’s were spent hanging outside the Bethesda Regal movie theater with the cutest and most popular Mater Dei boys.

High school in Potomac brought its fair share of scandals

You remember and even know some people involved in the numerous Montgomery County school scandals – the Landon fantasy draft or the Churchill GPA scandal.

And you remember reading about them on Twitter via @DCprvtschoolkid and/or @Moco_Truths.

But thankfully college was the end to those…

If you’re like me – which I can probably take a fair guess that you are, you’re probably reading this article from either your College Park dorm room or on the quad of some beautiful private university in the south (#GoDeacs).

Whether you stayed around the good ol’ 20854 to get that college diploma or not, you’ll probably be back

DC has a plethora of opportunities for post-college grad life, that’s why everyone flocks there.  And you most likely want to end up in the area – if not because you absolutely just love DC, but because everyone you’ve ever known in your entire life is there.  And what’s better than moving back in with the parents to save a few extra bucks – because let’s be real, if you’re gonna want to live in Potomac – you’re gonna need them.

You’ve learned that the world is a very small place, and that the DMV is even smaller, so Potomac – you can only imagine.  But that’s the way you like it

Would you believe me if I told you that my uncle used to date my boyfriend’s aunt?  Yeah, me neither – if I weren’t from Potomac that is.