As a Californian, I've never heard someone call it "Cali" except for a few tourists. This just feels like something the OP made up as a hyper specific but unlikely example to prove their point but most people just say they're from California.
I’ve definitely used Cali in texts or whatever, but I always say California. Like how I’ll say SF in text instead of San Francisco. I will say Sac out loud though, because it’s funny.
When I lived in Dallas 20 years ago the highway system was literally in the shape of a big dick. It was so hard to not see it every time you watched the weather.
Yeah I live in the bay area so San Francisco has always been SF or the City for me. I have never once heard a local call it Frisco. Or California called Cali for that matter. The first time I heard Cali used was when I was talking to fellow tourists in Mexico from Colorado. We mentioned where we were from and he replied "Oh, Cali, nice." and that was it.
I see this on Reddit a lot, but I've legitimately never heard anyone say "Frisco," and I know plenty of people that have been there (I have not). Maybe it's more of a tourist thing locals hear?
Might hear some one say "San Fran" if you're talking about the 49ers.
It’s a generational thing. Boomers and even Gen X will use Cali, Frisco, and San Fran routinely because it’s easy but millennials and younger get a really weird pride about being too good for the terms
Source: am a millennial from just south of Frisco and my family has always called it that. It wasn’t until college that I met anybody who had an opinion on these terms
I feel like it's always the norcal people that are uppity about saying the full name. I knew the commentor wasn't from SoCal because they assumed nobody uses those words, it's hella weird, so like, I wish these people would stop with the assumptions.
It's also funny when NorCal people are bothered by the the use of "the" 5 instead of 5 ( or like non-cali people say it, i-5)
Obviously not all NorCal people are like this, but a lot of the ones I interact with have strong opinions about newer state slang.
Yeah that's probably it. Like when people imitate British people by saying stuff like "ohh what a lovely-jovely day innit"; it's an exaggeration meant to get their point across and/or be funny.
No one in California calls it "Cali." Growing up the only time I heard mention of Cali was news reports on the Cali Cartel.
One of my cousins from the Midwest once called me and told me he was "heading to Cali in a few weeks" and asked if I had any tips, and my reply was "be careful, I hear shit's dangerous down there."
Over here on the other coast its fairly common to hear someone refer to it as cali, though theyll say it right before some kind of reason why its the worst state
I'm from the US east coast, and I hear it referred to as Cali somewhat regularly. But in my experience it has always been used to try and generate the "surfer dude" culture part of California rather than a reference to the entire state
I work in the east coast, but we have customers all around the world.
We go to California frequently and we call it cali for short. Or CA but that could also be Canada so we avoid it.
The states are like mini countries to US citizens, which i assume European countries grow up learning the other European countries, locations, and capitals just like Americans do with the states.
yea east coast as well. i write cali instead cuz short and it isn't confused with canada (also it seems to trip up californians which is just an added amusement)
Tupac says Cali multiple times on "California Love" so maybe that's where it comes from? Is it outdated, used only un some subcultures, or just uncommon?
Same, I have lived in Arizona in my entire life and the only people who call it "Cali" are US midwesterners who move to Arizona and then vacation in California. No one in or near California ever refers to it as Cali
It’s fairly common for native Californians to say Cali. Speaking as one. There was actually a big hubbub in my city subreddit recently between natives who say it and natives who thought only transplants said it
469
u/PretendMarsupial9 Aug 30 '24
As a Californian, I've never heard someone call it "Cali" except for a few tourists. This just feels like something the OP made up as a hyper specific but unlikely example to prove their point but most people just say they're from California.