Pennsylvania is known throughout the country for a few things: its Amish population, country roads, Ben Franklin, and excellent Polish food… among other things. Here are some of the questions that immediately spring into peoples’ minds when you tell them you’re a proud Pennsylvanian. Have you ever fielded these questions?
- Pop? What’s that?
Jeremy Brooks/ Flickr Pop? Soda? Yinzer? Yous? Buggy? Gum band? What? Pennsylvania is the most linguistically diverse state in the country, displaying five different dialectic regions. We have plenty of weird words to confuse out-of-staters with.
- Did any of your family members work in a coal mine or steel mill?
Janet Lindenmuth/ Flickr If our family has been living here for a few generations, chances are that the answer to this question is a big old yes.
- So do you eat pretzels with every meal?
Razvan Orendovici/ Flickr Yes, and of course every meal consists of cheesesteaks. All washed down with…
- Is Yuengling your favorite beer?
Amelia Gapin/ Flickr America’s oldest brewery is located in Pottsville!
- Isn’t Scranton in PA? Home of The Office?
Herman Yung/ Flickr Yes, it is, and it is just about as exciting as the show makes it seem. We’re also home to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
- Have you ever met Taylor Swift?
GabboT/ Flickr It is pretty cool that one of the country’s most popular musicians is from Reading. Most of us don’t know her, though, at least as far as I know.
- Allentown?! Isn’t there a Billy Joel song…?
Samira Khan/ Flickr This one is probably only familiar to people from eastern PA or the Lehigh Valley specifically. I’m from Allentown and about 97% of the time when I tell people that, they ask about Billy Joel’s song “Allentown.”
- Philly, Pittsburgh, or Pennsyltucky?
Wikimedia Commons Pennsylvania is famously divided into three regions. Which are you from? Which is the BEST? (There’s really no way to compare them.)
- Do you really have a town named Intercourse?
Ken Lund/ Flickr Yep! And Blue Ball, of course.
- Did you go to Penn State?
drocpsu/ Flickr State College has such a big student population that it rivals many towns in Pennsylvania.
- How many guns do you own?
Public Herald/ Flickr Pennsylvania has more registered gun owners than anywhere else in the country, and hunting is a big deal here. That doesn’t mean that everyone owns guns, though!
- Are you Amish?
Ali Eminov/ Flickr Pennsylvania has more Amish people than anywhere else in the world, so you might very well come across an Amish person here…
- So do you ever want to leave Pennsylvania?
Jonathan/ Flickr Maybe here and there, to see the world, but Pennsylvania will always be home in the end.
What else would you add? Share below.
Jeremy Brooks/ Flickr
Pop? Soda? Yinzer? Yous? Buggy? Gum band? What? Pennsylvania is the most linguistically diverse state in the country, displaying five different dialectic regions. We have plenty of weird words to confuse out-of-staters with.
Janet Lindenmuth/ Flickr
If our family has been living here for a few generations, chances are that the answer to this question is a big old yes.
Razvan Orendovici/ Flickr
Yes, and of course every meal consists of cheesesteaks. All washed down with…
Amelia Gapin/ Flickr
America’s oldest brewery is located in Pottsville!
Herman Yung/ Flickr
Yes, it is, and it is just about as exciting as the show makes it seem. We’re also home to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
GabboT/ Flickr
It is pretty cool that one of the country’s most popular musicians is from Reading. Most of us don’t know her, though, at least as far as I know.
Samira Khan/ Flickr
This one is probably only familiar to people from eastern PA or the Lehigh Valley specifically. I’m from Allentown and about 97% of the time when I tell people that, they ask about Billy Joel’s song “Allentown.”
Wikimedia Commons
Pennsylvania is famously divided into three regions. Which are you from? Which is the BEST? (There’s really no way to compare them.)
Ken Lund/ Flickr
Yep! And Blue Ball, of course.
drocpsu/ Flickr
State College has such a big student population that it rivals many towns in Pennsylvania.
Public Herald/ Flickr
Pennsylvania has more registered gun owners than anywhere else in the country, and hunting is a big deal here. That doesn’t mean that everyone owns guns, though!
Ali Eminov/ Flickr
Pennsylvania has more Amish people than anywhere else in the world, so you might very well come across an Amish person here…
Jonathan/ Flickr
Maybe here and there, to see the world, but Pennsylvania will always be home in the end.
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