there are a few benchmarks here that i've devised that express degree of localness:
 
Rear flat on a Motorcycle, jungle version.

The first procedure is to see exactly how far you can make it on the flat, using whatever means available to get you home.  This includes but is not limited to, trying to fill the tire with water to keep from damaging the rim, knocking on all the neighbor's doors, and attempting various hand pumps.  If this is enough to get you back to a spot where you can work on your bike at your leisure, consider yourself a local, and chalk it up to just another thing that happened to you on the way back to the house.

If however, that doesn't work, then you walk/gun the bike to the nearest guy who you know for a fact has tools.  And hope that he's home.  Two adjustable wrenches and a milk crate later, you kiss off a prayer to the gods of travel, and walk your rear tire to the corner that gets you the best chance of getting a ride to the gas station/tire shop that is 30 minutes away in the hour or so that you have before the tire guy goes home, and hope that the little bit of cash that you stashed in your surf shorts is enough to buy a new tube.

if that works out, you start walking to try and get back to the bike before dark, but try to remember to wipe the relieved smile off of your face, because although Samaritans are willing to pick up a despondent looking guy carrying a flat tire, no one will stop for someone right outside of town carrying a perfectly good looking rear tire who is grinning like an idiot.

Except for that one guy on the bike who is also grinning like an idiot because he loves tearing around on his little street bike at breakneck speeds in the mud and on the hills after a shot or two of guaro.

But who cares?  As long as you can get yourself and the tire back to your bike and get the thing together (in the dark) with the help of another friend who just happened to be passing by and get home and back to the store to buy dogfood and back again while it's raining without a wreck (neither with mudercross guaro boy or on the slightly malajusted rear tire)

then you are perfectly suited to call yourself a local.  And everyone along the way will give you props for it too.  Really, only locals ride around tandem on motorcycles carrying spare parts for other motorcycles.