Delco isn’t a place, except that it is. Delco isn’t a mindset, except that it is. Delco is Delco. Delco isn’t simply a portmanteau of “Delaware County”, because quite frankly it doesn’t involve the entire county or all of its people, it involves Delco.
Delco is the realest collection of suburban souls on this planet, for all the right and wrong reasons. Grudges can last from high school to your deathbed but end as quickly as an invite to have a beer. Delco is a culture; not one based on ancestry, skin color, or geography, but one based on traditions we probably never even noticed we had.
Delco is watching a TV show, seeing the town it is set in, and being able to relate to it, but also knowing if those characters ever saw Delco, they would have no idea what they were looking at.
Delco is complaining about Wawa, while you visit it twice a day, and brag to your out of County friends that it started in Delco, and you’ve been to the first one. Delco is saying “Peace Out, Delco” as you go to the Jersey Shore for 48 hours, with Delco people, to do Delco things.
Delco is not being able to un-see a building as what store it was in your heyday. Delco is using landmarks that haven’t been there for a decade. Delco is an awkwardly burning passion to defend something that means nothing to anyone but you and your friends growing up; like a tree, an animal, a street.
Delco is knowing where on Main Street the house with the plane on the roof was; Where you have to honk twice to go through a tunnel; Where to avoid when it’s raining; What town to be mad at when the Blue Route has traffic; Where the Bazaar used to be; Knowing the rules to Cow Pie Bingo; Being terrified of red cop cars; Listing what movies you saw in the MacDade Mall.
Delco is where a shouting match can break out during an argument over which local ‘Italian’ pizza shop has the best pizza or best cheesesteak. Delco is where life long relationships can simply begin by finding out someone else is from Delco.
Are we damaged? Maybe, but so is the Liberty Bell, and that’s what gives it an attitude. The Main Line looks down on us, Philly thinks we’re sheltered, and Chester County smells weird. We are real, we are proud, our area code is 610, we are Delco!
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