when speaking (i know writing it's just easier), do you refer to johnston county as johnston county, or as joco? is joco an imported term, and if so is it acceptable to natives? tia for your input
You may not get much response, there aren't many native Johnstonians that can get on the internets. :jester: Just kidding - I've been here longer than most, but I'm not a native so my vote doesnt count, but I consider JoCo a slang term or a cool way to say it. If I were younger I would probably prefer it when hanging with my homies, but "Johnston County" should be used by adults.
Look at it this way. What's the connotation you have when you hear or see JoCo? If you think of Johnston County, well, you have your answer. Kinda like being asked to picture, in your mind, a Zebra. I would wager that most would picture a mammal resembling a horse, with with black and white striping. Of course, some folks may picture an umpire of a sports entity. Either way, it's home. I'm reminded of what the comedian DL Hugley says, referring to the use of a Politically incorrect term referring to race. "It's not what they call you, it's what you answer to that counts."
I am not a Johnston County native (much less an NC native) but my husband and all his family are and I have NEVER heard any of them refer to it as JOCO. The first place I ever saw it was one of those window stickers on a car that says "JOCO Girl". And even then, I had to ask what it was!
At the liquor store, I make out the check to "JoCo ABC". They have never had a problem cashing it. But most folks not from around here wouldn't know what you're talking about. And sorry Mafia Man, I know you were born and raised here, as was I, but the "t" in Johnston is mandatory, at least to me.
Ever notice that people are from Cary, Wake Forest, Raleigh etc... But no one is from Clayton, Smithfield, Selma etc... Everyone is from Johnston County. I remember when a client of ours daughter got on The Price Is Right game show and when they asked where she was from, in her biggest southern drawl, it was Johnston County, North Carolina
That is true, Grinder! I always feel like that guy in that movie whose name completely escapes me now, we're a geographical oddity! If someone asks where I'm from, I say, Garner/Clayton area...you know, the next to the last good exit before the beach.
It depends on the context. If somewhere asks where I'm from, then it's Johnston County. If someone makes me angry, I say "don't make me go JoCo on you"!
Johnston Co. JoCo reminds me to much of the slang SoCo (which might be where it originated) and sorta make me think of lazy people. As in to lazy to say the whole word/phrase so let's shorten it.
That was George Clooney in O Brother Where Art Though, when he was trying to buy some Dapper Dan hair pomade stuff and the store owner said he didnt have any, but it would take 2 weeks to get some from here, from there etc.. And Clooney says, Well, isnt this place just a geographical oddity. 2 weeks from everywhere. That line cracks me up every time.
Yes, b/c there was the time we were 20 minutes from anywhere (before 4042 blew up)...20 mins from garner, 20 mins from clayton, 20 mins from raleigh, 20 mins from angier, 20 mins from smithfield....20 mins from outback, 20 mins from a grocery store that wasn't food lion, 20 mins from lowe's...
I'm from Raleigh and I've always said Raleigh. Now that I'm in Johnston County, I do say Johnston County rather than Willow Spring (the actual town I'm in). It confuses people. There is a Willow Springs in Wake County. Less than a mile down the road from me is a Benson address one way, and a Garner another way. It's just easier to say Johnston County or the Cleveland area.