I never really thought about having an accent until my brother moved to Colorado. Then it became a joke. He teases me for saying "waw-der" and I tease him for saying "wah-der". I say "caw-fee" and he says "cah-fee". And I need to keep reminding him that he lives in :Col-er-ah-do", not "Col-er-AAAH-do"!!!
After living there for over 20 years I still accuse him of "faking" the accent. After all, he's still a "Jersey Boy"!!!