How do you define a local? How long does it take to become one?

I’ve always considered a local to be someone that was born in that area. I’m a transplant from NE OH to SE NC even though I’ve lived here for 14 years. I may rethink that in the future since all northerners seem to end up in the coastal south.

Somebody who knows the area very well. Doesn’t need a map to get around, knows when places close.

Someone who lives in the area and knows their way around. I would say within a year someone becomes a local, but not necessarily takes on the identification of the state. For instance, where I live, someone who moved here full time might be a local in a year, but might not be called a Floridian nor identify themselves as a Floridian for several years.