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zapppop
02-02-2002, 06:28 AM
I was just wondering:

Do you consider Disneyland to be in or associated with the city of Los Angeles ?

justagrrl
02-02-2002, 07:07 AM
No...not in the least bit.

It's Anaheim...and if not that...then Orange County.

But then, I've lived in O.C. by whole life - and currently live in Anaheim.

socabch
02-02-2002, 07:46 AM
No, Never!

When I moved up north to the San Jose area for a while, people used to say "I'm to go LA to visit Disneyland." I'd usually say "good luck in finding it, because it's not there." You should see the looks on their faces.:D Then I would tell them it is in Anaheim which is in Orange County not LA. It's like saying Marine World is in San Francisco instead of Vallejo. Give credit where credit is due.

DisneylandKid
02-02-2002, 08:17 AM
Of course since I live in OC, I want people to know that Disneyland is in OC. But I still associate it with Los Angeles. If people coming from another state or country are coming to LA, I would hope that Disneyland would be on their "things-to-do" list.

ionfreeway
02-02-2002, 08:23 AM
I'm from Jersey and preparing for our first trip to the DLR next month. I have to admit that until I picked up Birnbaum's Disneyland book I thought DL was in LA. Then again, everyone in the country thinks Jersey is one big nuclear power plant run by the soprano family... so there ya go.

Ghoulish Delight
02-02-2002, 09:01 AM
Here's the break down. If you are from any of the following counties, you understand the difference between Orange County and LA: LA County, Orange County, Riverside County, Ventura County. That's it. The rest of the country believes they are one and the same. And that goes for San Diego. We have some friends that no matter how many time we tried to set them straight, they'd always say "up in LA," meaning where we lived (Buena Park)! They think anything north of San Onofre is Los Angeles. Although hopefully Flub can figure out the difference by now.

MammaSilva
02-02-2002, 09:14 AM
well since the only reason I go to that area is to go to Disneyland I rarely if ever say I'm going to LA... unless I got cheap cheap fares and am landing at LAX and driving the last 2 hours from there.....my niece went to college at Northridge so we would usually say we were either going to Northridge or to Disneyland...

Not Afraid
02-02-2002, 09:40 AM
I grew up in OC, so its Anaheim or OC to me.

Its funny - I live in Long Beach and friends who live in LA proper think I live in OC. OC friends think I live in LA.

San Francisco is just SF, but anything just outside is "the Bay Area". Or how about those who think that Santa Barbara is Northern California? I actually think that SF is central CA. Cross the GG Bridge and you're in Northern CA. (Sorry BA folks, look at a map).

I don't go to Illinois, but to Chicago. New York is the city unless your in Upstate NY (then you're just cold).

Also, what do you consider "The South"? My family's from Maryland which is south of ths Mason-Dixon line, so technically it is part of the South.

I could go on - cultural differences across the country fascinate me. I think I need more coffee.

I miss Spell Check :mad: .

blusilva
02-02-2002, 10:31 AM
No. Disneyland is definately Anaheim. Or Orange County. But then, I'm a local, born and bred.

LOL Not Afraid. I get that too. I live in Downey. People north of downtown think its in Orange County and people south of the 91 think it's north of downtown. :)

Gemini Cricket
02-02-2002, 10:44 AM
Disneyland is in Orange County. I say "it's near the LA area" for people who don't know anything but LA.

It's like when people come to Hawaii and think that Waikiki is the name of the island and not O'ahu. They also don't know that you don't address your mail to Waikiki, HI. It's Honolulu, HI.

Then again, I still say Disneyland or DCA and not the Disneyland Resort. I also still say Disney World and not Walt Disney World/Walt Disney World Resort.
:)

MickeyD
02-02-2002, 11:56 AM
My parents think of Disneyland as being in LA, but, they're from Santa Barbara, and like all Santa Barbaran's they think everything from the Conejo Grade to Camp Pendleton is LA. I've given up correcting them.

Ghoulish Delight
02-02-2002, 12:11 PM
Exactly my point, MickeyD. There's a certain radius where people understand the difference. Beyond that, you can forget it.

Another one I hate is that most people who are from out here call Illinois/Chicago the "East Coast." What the heck is that!?! It's the Midwest for crying out loud! This includes Cadaverous Pallor whose father is FROM Chicago. Baffling. I mean geez, would you call Colorado the "West Coast?" It's just as from from the Pacific as Illinois is from the Atlantic.

socabch
02-02-2002, 12:22 PM
Ghoulish Delight
re: And that goes for San Diego.

I know what you mean. I live in San Diego and some of my neighbors refer to DLR as LA. Maybe I know better because I originally lived in San Clemente-Capo Beach area. My family is from LA County (Venice Beach & south of Griffith Park). So I grew up knowing the difference.

SimpTwister
02-02-2002, 02:51 PM
It's all a question of distance.

The further you live from DL, the more you will generalize its location.

I know my LA and OC geography quite well, but I still refer to the whole area as 'LA', from DL to SFMM!


I live in Portland. You live in, say, Irvine or something.

If I'm leaving my house to go to, say, the Columbia Gorge (20-odd miles out of town), I'll say 'I'm going out to the Gorge'.

If you're leaving your house bound for the same destination, you'd be more likely to say 'I'm going to Portland'.


That's just the way it works.

Morrigoon
02-02-2002, 03:14 PM
As a Socal native (valley girl here) who has lived in Anaheim, I'd like to defend the "in LA" position.
Outsiders, as we well know, do not make the distinction. For ease of conversation, I say LA, knowing full well that it's in Orange County. For example, when I tell my mom I'm driving out to LA for the weekend, she knows what I really mean is that I'm going to Disneyland (;)) LA is just the best known marker for the area. And if you want to go by urban sprawl, you can argue that there is really no distinct border between the two - one county flows into the other. Now, if someone said they were going to LA and meant Santa Barbara, well that would be a bit silly because there's this big non-urban gap between the two.
Anyway, non-Californians (and some Nocalers) do not know where "Anaheim" is, and Floridians get confused by Orange County, since they have one of their own. But everyone has a general idea of where "LA" is. Also, LA is unusual in that it's such a large, spread out city (The island of Manhattan, by comparison, occupies an area smaller than DFW airport). People who aren't from the "LA Area" (and by that I mean a smaller area than SoCal - to the exclusion of San Diego and anything north of the Valley) don't know where "Anaheim" is, but any idiot can find LA on a map. So despite the fact that it's inaccurate, it is the easiest answer for those not in the know.

innerSpaceman
02-02-2002, 03:30 PM
Even though folks from outside the socal area may think of Disneyland as being in L.A., I don't think anybody associates Disneyland WITH L.A. That is, while it is a true American icon and a super famous attraction, I doubt it is thought of as part of L.A. in the same sense that the Golden Gate Bridge is associated with San Francisco, or the Gateway Arch with St. Louis, or the Statue of Liberty with New York City. Because Disneyland is a walled-off, pay-to-enter, private corporate piece of property, I don't believe it is associated with its host area in the same way that other great American attractions are. And even though there may be a fee to get to the Statue of Liberty or to the top of the Empire State Building or to cross the Golden Gate Bridge, these things are thought of (and rightfully so) as part of the municipal landscape, a natural part of SF or NY. Disneyland is not a natural part of the landscape.

Maybe it's because it was created to be a tourist attraction, and not something that became so as a side effect of its main purpose. Whatever the reason, it's not associated with L.A. as other landmarks are with other cities.

Gracy_hm
02-02-2002, 04:45 PM
I associate Disneyland with EVERYTHING!

Ghoulish Delight
02-02-2002, 04:45 PM
I'd be interested to hear what people form outside the area would say about Spaceman's theory. I'm not so sure about it. I mean, when I think of Orlando, I think of WDW and vice versa. I suppose the difference would be that Southern California, before Disneyland existed, was a known entity and had other icons associated with it (Hollywood, the beach scene, etc.), so those have left a more lasting impression on the rest of the world.

As for what Morrigoon said, I do concede that point. I usually say that I live in LA when talking to peoplpe from out of Southern California (actually, I mostly say "LA area" just because I feel better). Occasionally I'll say "I live in Orange County, which is just south of LA and where Disneyland is," but usually not. And for most people, I can forgive that. As Morrigoon pointed out, this is a unique situation in that the two counties are totally adjacent, and are nearly equal in size. I guess what really bothers me is the San Diego people. I mean they really should know better. It's ridiculous to hear someone tell me that I live in LA when, in reallity, I live just as far from them as I do from downtown. Irvine is actually (I think) closer to the northern San Diego County border than it is to the souther LA County border (at least via the I5).

Hey, Not Afraid. You're right, Long Beach occupies an odd existence in this whole thing. What's the deal?? Is it it's own county? I never did figure that out.

Morrigoon
02-02-2002, 04:56 PM
It's at least its own city, isn't it?

mad4mky
02-02-2002, 05:00 PM
This discussion got so deep for such an easy topic...

I am from (ahem) No. California....and yes, I live south of the G.G. Bridge. I think we like to say that ...as to not be associated with those who live in Southern California.

Different kinds of people...different lifestyles. (at least my naive thinking says that...although I have never lived further in California as I do now)

When we say we are going to DL...we say DL. We look at the signs on the highway for the miles to L.A....and the closer we get to that, the closer we know we are to DL.
Do I feel they are one and the same? No. But, it's easy to do that. The whole L.A. area is such a huge megaopolis...it's hard to be distinct between where one county starts and one ends. Unless you live down there...or used to.
I'm sure you so. cal folks feel the same about us "northerners".
When I go to Europe next month, and people ask me where I am from, am I going to say "Redwood City, CA"?
No, I am going to say the San Francisco Area. People know where SF is...just like LA. People in some places don't realize that Anaheim and L.A. are different places...

cemeinke
02-02-2002, 07:24 PM
I'm fine with associateing Disneyland and LA (or perhaps to bit a bit nit-picky, the Greater Los Angeles Area). You fihure when you fly into LA (or Orange County) you see one big expanse of urban/suburban sprawl with little deliniation.

I'm reminded of the shock I had going to college in Ohio in a small town. You could walk to the edge of town, tand there was nothing besides cornfields until you got to the next place. Growing up in OC, you just kind of get used to different places just being different freeway offramps.

Not Afraid
02-02-2002, 07:31 PM
My Sister lives in the "real" Northern California (Mendicino Co.) They call the people from the SF area "Bayarians". SF is definantely NOT considered Northern California to them (but is less of a negative place than LA). It truely is a different world that far north.

The Bay Area is becoming more and more like LA with the urban sprall. The difference is that there is a fabulous "City" (in the traditional sense) to anchor the area. LA is not a "City" but a collection of wonderful pockets, next to boring pockets, next to terrible pockets.

And Long Beach is its own city! The Port of Long Beach is one of the biggest on the west coast. Our downtown actually had tall buildings! Its quite a fabulous secret little community. Its got it all including wonderful areas and places full of crime, great restaurants, lots of diversity, a strong art community and the ocean. I kind-of like it here.:)

One other thing before I shut up. Isn't the Statue of Liberty actually in New Jersy?

stan4d_steph
02-02-2002, 07:35 PM
I'm from Rochester, New York, but every time I tell people that "I'm from NY" I have to qualify it. It's like the rest of the state doesn't exist. Similar to others seeing DL in LA. If you don't know the area too well, everything seems to be really close together.

coronamouseman
02-02-2002, 07:52 PM
If you live in Southern California, you know that DLR is in Anaheim/Orange County, not LA and not San Diego.

If you live outside of SoCal, you would probably associate DLR with LA, much the same way in which you would associate WDW with Orlando even though Orlando is 30 miles away from WDW.

Rallymonkey23
02-02-2002, 07:59 PM
Everyone living where I live(Lancaster,Ca--see below avatar LOL) refer to going to Disneyland or anywhere in the LA-San Diego area as "down below". Basically meaning going "down below" the mountains.