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How much time does it take to become a local?
This is inspired by the "real New Yorker" purity tests that are popular on social media right now. Anyway, how long does someone need to live in your city/metro before they can claim to be a local?
In my opinion, you become a New York City local when a native or long time resident cannot tell you are not from the city without directly asking the question. If you moved here as an adult then I think this requires about five years on the low end, and perhaps up to 10 years of living in the city. The exception to this are immigrants who have permanently relocated to one of the ethnic enclaves in the city. Those people are immediately accepted as locals. For people who do not fit into an exception box, I think you must at least fit one of these criteria:
-You've experienced at least one large scale national or local disaster or traumatic event (9/11, Hurricane Sandy, COVID). These tend to happen about once a decade, so if you've been here at least a decade then you've likely experienced one.
-You can authoritatively reminisce about some local institution that no longer exists. If you can reminisce about the Times Square Toys R Us, Modell's, the Virgin Megastores, J&R on Park Row, etc., you're a local. (The Times Square Red Lobster will soon join this list.)
-You have developed friendships and/or romantic relationships with people who were raised here. This is actually the short cut to becoming a local. The native New Yorkers will never consider you one of them but they also won't just consider you to be a "transplant" or "gentrifier" if you have
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