I think it accurately reflects two realities: (1) PG and MoCo are way more closely related to and involved with DC than they are Maryland. Kojo Namdi will host events at Silver Spring libraries. Never heard him talk about Baltimore. These counties also owe their existence to the federal government— nothing but farmland before the post-war / New Deal boom. (2) DC has been gentrified af in the last 20 years. To my ears, there is a direct correlation between that and the use of DMV. In fact I recall a song singing something like “now DC is the DMV” because that’s where a lot of former DC residents have moved, and similarly, where a lot of people from the DC area who previously would have moved to DC, now have to remain because the city has become a playground for the rich, non-locals who move here with dreams of getting caught up in a politician’s sex scandal.

My background: born in DC; moved to Wheaton in middle school; live in Baltimore now.