Look, I feel like we’ve been through this before with “McKinleyvillains,” which now enjoys near-universal acclaim. 

“Arcatians” has obvious advantages — a suitable hint of otherworldliness, primarily — and it’s been used fairly often in Humboldt’s online spaces. But let Dezmond deploy it in a light-hearted Outpost story today and up jumps commenter Owen Moore, speed-dialing 9-1-1:

For the record, people from Arcata are called “Arcatans.” I’m glad to see Mr. Remington and his editors are so knowledgeable about the local issues and citizens they purport to cover.

Mr. Moore is what we in the profession call a “prescriptivist,” or a “grammar Karen.” He believes it is the job of a writer to learn all the rules and to follow them. Whereas we, like all actual writers, have other aims in mind.

“Arcatan” v. “Arcatian” — which one do you like to read more?