So I decided to dump the DC metro area side by side to the Los Angeles metro area so I could compare the two.
Keep in mind the zoom on the LA area is closer in than the DC area zoom.
Taking this into account, traveling from Dale City to Laurel is about the same as traveling from Van Nuys to Norwalk or Long Beach to Pasadena.
My thoughts here...
1) Our beltway is a joke.
2) Their traffic sucks but people in LA can travel further distances in less time than we do.
3) People who can afford property along the coast (the views are amazing) have much more of a reason to be snobs than the people living in NOVA but they are not.
Many are more easy going and laid back.
Must be the weather or they are not trying to be something they are not.