Trek,
I used to have a NJ accent, moved to Idaho when I was 18.
2 years later, speaking to a step sister, I actually blushed at her accent. She sounded so ... well, Jersey gal. My accent had diminished on its own already; which is why her nasal NJ vowels horrified me so much, they were shocking. So, why would a person want to lose their accent? because it sounded pretty uneducated to me at the time.

I didn't want to sound like THAT.

Now I pride myself with the few vestiges of my accent;
the ability to pronounce Mary Merry and Marry like the 3 different words that they are.


And there is no R in washington. If you're not from Ohio, why would you put one into Washington?