I told my son, when meeting new Southerners in NC, to not tell them that he’s from the San Francisco Bay Area but rather that he’s from the Central Coast of CA (where he last lived), which I figure might sound a bit better to North Carolinians, and those who do know a bit about CA will realize that area is somewhat more conservative too.
Back when Asheville was a blue collar working town with dive bars and few fags when you asked someone where they were from they’d reply, “Waynesville”, “Barnardsville” “Brevard”, “Old Fort” etc. where all nearby mountain towns.
Today when you ask that question you’ll hear, California, NY, Ohio, Maryland, NJ, Mass, etc.