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-   -   "Cali" (https://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/cali-920855/)

azzure Jan 22nd, 2012 12:52 PM

"Cali"
 
I am a native Californian who really hates the recent trend toward calling the state "Cali". I felt the same way when people started referring to Orange County as "the OC". These nicknames were never used when I lived there...guess I am turning into a fuddy-duddy.

janisj Jan 22nd, 2012 02:10 PM

mainly used by those who post 'wanna', and 'u' instead of you. ;)

Bill_H Jan 22nd, 2012 03:12 PM

Do you live in Frisco?






(sorry, couldn't resist ... Frisco always seems to gets their blood boiling) ;)

Orlando_Vic Jan 22nd, 2012 03:49 PM

I think it used by people who want to appear cool, but obviously aren't.

_____________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

tracys2cents Jan 22nd, 2012 04:27 PM

I've seen frets about "Cali" and "Frisco" on so many message boards, I can't imagine any "faux pas" that would bother me less. Who cares what anyone else calls a place? You say New Orleans and I say "N'awlins", lets call the whole thread off.

tracys2cents Jan 22nd, 2012 04:29 PM

...although I must say it irks me to no end when I'm in a meeting at work and some young punk says "my bad" or "no worries".

nanabee Jan 22nd, 2012 05:12 PM

I agree assure. It marks someone as definately not a local or a Californian when I hear them refer to our state as Cali. And I think that is what bothers Californians Orlando Vic - that they think they are hip and cool but it brands them as not with it.

Underhill Jan 22nd, 2012 05:23 PM

As for Frisco, anyone raised in the Bay Area knows that San Francisco is referred to as "the city."

nanabee Jan 22nd, 2012 05:48 PM

erummm Underhill, that should be a capital T and a capital C. :)

Kailani Jan 22nd, 2012 08:29 PM

I hear it used by younger people, generally not from Cali. Same with San Fran.

Doesn't bother me at all, and I'm a second generation Californian.

An original Valley Girl, I like being creative with my language. Frisco makes my skin crawl, but my SoCal parents called it that. (I'm in NorCal now.)

Most of the people who use it that I know are cool! Young Phd.'s from Europe. I would never correct them. For one thing, most of them are fluent in 2 or 3 languages.

janisj Jan 22nd, 2012 08:51 PM

"<i>Doesn't bother me at all, and I'm a second generation Californian.</i>"

I'm 5th generation Californian and it bothers me . . .

Otis_B_Driftwood Jan 22nd, 2012 10:26 PM

azzure - why do you start this thread then if you hate the term "Cali"?

Underhill - "the city" is now San Jose. Look it up.

janisj - Get used to it!

montereybob Jan 22nd, 2012 10:44 PM

I am a native Californian and I never heard the term Cali until I started reading travel boards. Does anyone know how this term originated? Just curious.

lcuy Jan 22nd, 2012 10:53 PM

It bothers me, a fourth (fifth?) generation Californian.

And I bet those young PHDs would howl if you called their homes Londi or Schweitzi or Swedi, no matter what language you used to say it.

It's just silly, like something Madonna would do.

sf7307 Jan 23rd, 2012 07:27 AM

San Jose is "a" city, but it sure as heck isn't "The City".

mlgb Jan 23rd, 2012 07:37 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Going_Back_to_Cali

I think LLCoolJ is to blame.

november_moon Jan 23rd, 2012 08:53 AM

Yep - LL is to blame. East coast rapper giving a nickname to a west coast state. This may even be what touched off the whole east coast/west coast thing, resulting in the deaths of Tupac and Biggie. Thanks LL.

Jean Jan 23rd, 2012 08:56 AM

Yep, it was the rappers who started it. Then, the suits in TV production thought it would bring a hip-and-cool factor to their shows.

I think "The O.C." has pretty much run its course, but sadly the TV weather guys and gals still talk about conditions in The O.C. and The I.E. (Inland Empire).

I'm a 4th generation Californian and old enough to remember my geography lessons. Cali is a city in Colombia. Frisco is a town in Colorado.

I guess I'm also old enough to think that if you need to show how hip-and-cool you are, you aren't. It's like the 16-y.o. smoking cigarettes.

Underhill Jan 23rd, 2012 10:40 AM

I grew up in San Jose, and it was NEVER called "the city."

tracys2cents Jan 23rd, 2012 10:52 AM

People were saying "Cali" long before the rappers. As for how it originated, isn't it obvious, what would YOU come up with as an abbreviation from California if you were from somewhere else and just wanted to shorten it? What is your abbreviation for Mississippi? Connecticut?


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