Good fun question, Jack. It is nice to have break for light fare town square. I've lived here twenty years and still don't know what the right moniker is. Palo Alto has Palo Altans. Beyond that, nothing noteworthy for other cities' residents. While Mountain Viewers sounds correct, it is a bit long.

How about "Em Vees??

I've always liked Mountain Viewer.

Being born and raised here, I always said I was "from Mountain View" and didn't try to put it any other way. I agree that Mountain Viewer sounds about right. Why not just shorten it to MoVer?

Getting away from the actual name of Mountain View, how 'bout "Shoreliners"?

Keep it Resident of Mountain View. Don't change something that sounds fine. Looking for fun, go to Rooster T. Feathers

It's something I've thought about too. None of the possibilities really sound natural, do they?

I can't think of many other places that end with a "hard U" sound (like Timbuktu or Mountain View), but other places that end with a vowel other than A seem to add "an" to the name of the place. So, I'll vote for "Mountain Viewan."

(It always amused me that residents of Milpitas are called Milpitians, which sounds sort of like they come from another planet.)

LOL at Milpitians! I guess I focus on the word "View" turning into "Viewer". A little boring. How about "Mountaineer Viewer"? Nah, too eccentric. Maybe the city charter has some clause about this.

(Thanks for answering my question too. I think your question is very valid!)

I'll vote for Mountain Viewinian although I too just say that I am from Mountain View. And that is Mountain View. Not Mt. View or Mtn. View...

Yep! I just say "I'm from Mountain View". I do use Mtn.View on envelopes, etc. where there is not enough room. Never Mt. View, not in my 35 years here.

It should be "Mountain Viewees", and thanks for asking.

Hey Deb, you are absolutely correct to use Mtn. View. "Mt. View" in fact stands for "Mount View."

Mountaineer's -
the second definition in the dictionary says.
Mountain Inhabitant; Somebody who lives in a mountainous area! :-)

Being from the old Mountain View HS Iv always come up to people I recognize from there, saying " Hey Youre an Eagle huh! WINGS and TALONS BABYYYY!!!

Yeah, Mountain Viewer sounds best to me, and is also a little lighthearted.

Since everyone in Mountain View is also from Silicon Valley, then the obvious answer is Valley Girls and Valley Boys.

Mountain Viewtonian for me! :)

What do the residents of Cupertino, Sunnyvale and San Jose call themselves?

Mtn. View Stonerz

ok anyone that went to school her and remembers what MV was. Would probably call themselves "old MV" if you didnt grow up here ya dont get a name your just a want a be.

Far Superior!!

mountain viewan sound fine to me but there are so other cute ideas in this thread too - mountain viewer - is good - it needs to be short and roll of the tongue - who has time for too many consonants and syllables around here?

I was born here in Mountain View, in 61' and at that time it was the new El Camino Hospital. Now it's new again. I say i was born in "Mountain View" So why not just call it what it is???? Mountain View. We should stay above the rest. Ron

As a Sunnyvale resident (and former Mountain Viewer), I've always liked the idea that those from Milpitas are Milpitians and those from Sunnyvale are Sunnyvalians ("Star Trek" fans unite!).

Calling someone from Mountain View a 'Mountain Viewer' seems like they are viewing something (Like the mountains).
A Mountain View-ite makes better sense.

I would simply say that "I'm proud to live in Mountain View."

I had never considered what we should be called but now that I look back at all the possibilities, I think I'm fond of "Em Vees."

Jack, thanks for asking the question.

I just tell people I'm the cock of the walk.

They say, "So you're from Mountain View"?

It works every time.

MVers?

Mountain Viewons?

I call ourselves "Ex-Palo Altans."

We live in the Varsity Park Neighborhood, and have for 55 years, and are proud to live Mountain View, California. We were the first Neighborhood--Varsity Park, not Blossom Valley!!!

FYI, Mountain Viewees would be the people looking at us! Mountain Viewers is the most logical, though hardly inspired. It's what came to my mind when I saw the question. Em Vees sounds like people who come from the Motor Vehicles Department. But like most people here, I say...I'm live in Mountain View. I'm from Mountain View. I don't really need an -ite or -er or -ian to tell people where I'm from. I think the people who will care most about this are people who write articles about people who live in Mountain View, and want to keep the character count low :-) or want something sassy to call us. We're sassy enough without the nickname, thank you!

A good, if not hugely momentous, question. Maybe the Voice could hold some kind of reader poll or contest to resolve the issue, which it's always avoided by using the phrase "Mountain View residents." I used to try to sneak "Mountain Viewians" past my editor for my own amusement, but never succeeded.

I always assumed that the city is called Mountain View because it has a nice view of Black Mountain and the Santa Cruz Mountains, although Cuesta Park Annex is really the only place now where you can see it. I imagine that 100 years ago, the air was clear enough out here for people could probably see the Diablos too. Assuming either of those are true, "Mountain Viewers" seems like the most logical.

Is Nick Perry okay? I'm kind of shocked he hasn't weighed in on this.

Mountaineer sounds best to me too.

There, that should sink that suggestion.

Mountain Viewer is embarrassing! Sounds like some kind of hobby club.

Mountain Viewan is the only logical moniker.

"I call ourselves "Ex-Palo Altans." "

How about 'reformed Palo Altans'?

Hah, thanks for the concern Jon. It's been entertaining enough to read everyone's answers without weighing in.

I think Courtney has got it right! I never thought about what to call a resident of MV until I was forced to stick to a word count for the captions in "Images of America: Mountain View." Most long-time Mountain View residents (yep, that's a mouthful) I asked said "Mountain Viewer" was the best, but everyone agreed that we'd only heard people ID themselves as a "resident of Mountain View", a "Mountain View native", or amongst especially proud Chicano relatives, "I rep Barrio MV."

I do find myself typing "MVer" as short hand for "resident of Mountain View", but don't use it in conversation. So there's my two cents.

" A poor cousin"