Please say Detroit when visiting

[MidTownMs]

I live in Detroit and I have never heard of Washington Township.

[DetroitPole]

Unfortunately some people who live in places like Washington Township, for some reason, believe they live in some kind of unique, consequential, meaningful place that has an identity outside of being a suburb of Detroit. As anyone from the civilized world could tell them, they're wrong.

I've had the opposite happen. I told a customs official [[US, coming from Canada, of course) when asked the perfunctory question of where I live, upon saying "Detroit" he asked me, with typical US Customs officer charm, "IN Detroit?!?" Of course, because, as if my handle didn't give it away, I happen to be white.

Yes, in Detroit. Which, I may add, bears little semblance to Washington Township or the other surreal, unearthly places that have sprung up outside of the City of Detroit due to the massive flight of capital and people. Frankly I don't know which is worse, saying you're from Washington Township, or the pitiful thought of someone whose driver's license says "Washington Township" having the audacity to say they're from Detroit.

[miketoronto1]

Its still interesting.

Because I remember dealing with tourists on a daily basis at one of my old jobs.

And say I got someone from Metro Buffalo, they would just say "from Buffalo". I would then ask what area and then they would tell me the suburbs like "Amherst", "Tonawanda", etc.
Same goes for other cities like Cleveland, Philly, etc.

Detroit is one of the only ones that is in reverse, where people say the suburb first.
Of course I would always bug the Detroit visitors when they would say they are from for example "Sterling Heights". And I would go, "ohh thats a nice part of Detroit".
It catches people off guard, and one person I remember was like "ohh its not part of Detroit". And I was said "well its just a suburb, its all Detroit".