"east of the river" - what's in a name

i am quick to say that i live "east of the river" - it's quick and simple, yet descriptive. i could say that i live in southeast, but then most people assume that i live on capitol hill - i don't. i could say that i live in anacostia because that's the only community across the river that most people know, but i don't. so "east of the river" seems to capture it ... and it is the moniker that is used by everything from a community newspaper, to a specialized court in the dc superior court system, and countless community organizations and programs. but today i met a woman who raised an interesting point - that is, is referring to southeast as "east of the river" the first step in distancing ourselves from all that "southeast" conjures - the good, but inevitably, and mostly, the bad (that is why they established the "east of the river community court")? and dare i say - the first step towards gentrification?

i need to think about this some more, but i will say that i'm proud to live in southeast - the southeast across the river that encompasses wards 7 and 8.