What do you call people from ---?

[formerly33]

As a Minnesotan I feel as though I am letting myself down by not knowing what to call residents of lesser known cities throughout the state. In fact, I don't even know what I am. That's probably not that bad because only Minnesotans know of the existence of such an uncharted city as Mahtomedi, and on more than one occasion I've found myself explaining in frustration that it's just Saint Paul. It's torture to hear non-natives attempt to pronounce, much less spell, the name of my beloved hometown.

 

But to resume, this leads me to the extremity of my ignorance on such a delicate subject: I don't even know what to call people from Saint Paul. Grant it, I've noticed that a large enough percentage of our undereducated American populace isn't aware of its existence (and those who are blessed with that knowledge describe it in scathing terms as nothing more than old abandoned railroad freight yards and industrial warehouses), but I, who look upon our capital with sentimentality and blind love, don't even know what to call myself when people feel reluctant to acknowledge that there is such a thing as a Mahtomedite...is it Saint Pauler, Saint Paulite, or Saint Paulan? And I'm scared to even think about Minneapolis, much less start throwing words out there.

 

Back to Mahtomedi, this all stems from an argument I overheard on whether we are Mahtomedians or Mahtomedites. Someone pointed out that Mahtomedian has too many vowels, but the fact remains that one of the largest and best known cities in the country is Chicago, and residents thereof are more frequently called Chicagoans than Chicagoites. Though to be completely honest, the names Mahtomedi and Chicago have only two similarities: first, they are both derived from Native American words (and that's a pretty broad term since there are lots of Native American languages...it would be like saying that Edinburgh and Kiev, as European cities, are exactly alike), and secondly and more importantly, they both end with vowels, and if I'm a Mahtomedite because my city ends with the letter I, we might as well call ChiTown a transplanted Chicagoat.

 

And this isn't getting into what you call inhabitants of White Bear Township.

 

Minnesotans??

[Squirrel]

Why not just say you are a resident of the world and leave it at that. Greeting, Earthling!

[formerly33]

A resident, yes, but as I hail from Neptune, how do I explain my past?

[Squirrel]

 

A resident, yes, but as I hail from Neptune, how do I explain my past?

Delusions.

[formerly33]

 

Delusions.

You mean...I've been wrong all these years? I'm really from PSR 1257+12 B?

[Vanimal46]

I think you just go with whatever feels right, right? Down here in Austin they call themselves Austinites. Austinans doesn't have a good ring to it. 

My hometown Mankato doesn't have a name that I recall. Both Mankatoans and Mankatoites doesn't sound good at all. 

[formerly33]

 

I think you just go with whatever feels right, right? Down here in Austin they call themselves Austinites. Austinans doesn't have a good ring to it. 

My hometown Mankato doesn't have a name that I recall. Both Mankatoans and Mankatoites doesn't sound good at all. 

Okay...I've always been discouraged from using Wikipedia as a reference, but in this particular instance I'll go ahead.

 

Demonyms.

 

You could be like the Filipinos and simply call yourself a Mankato. It...works.

[Craig Arko]

A resident, yes, but as I hail from Neptune, how do I explain my past?

I'd blame it on gas.

 

http://space-facts.com/neptune/

[twinsnorth49]

A resident, yes, but as I hail from Neptune, how do I explain my past?

Wait, Saint Paul is on Neptune?

 

 

That actually explains a lot.....

[formerly33]

 

Wait, Saint Paul is on Neptune?


That actually explains a lot.....

Hold on a minute...are you telling me that Earthlings discovered the capital of Neptune before they discovered the planet itself?

 

Except back in the day we might have been better known as Pig's Eyers....