When you meet a fellow Pennsylvanian who grew up here, you just know. Maybe it’s the way he refers to our homestate. Perhaps it’s the fact that she correctly pronounces words like Monongahela. Whatever the reason, it’s pretty easy to spot a native Pennsylvania. Here are 15 signs you grew up in Pennsylvania.
- You wished for snow days but rarely got them.
Flickr/Jon Dawson Sure, school delays and days off are the norm for many school districts in PA after a big snowfall these days. But, plenty of Pennsylvanians can remember when even a few feet of snow didn’t guarantee a day off of school.
- You avoid the stores before a snowfall.
Flickr/Bart Really, you fall into one of two categories. You avoid the grocery store before a snowfall or you join the countless others lining up for bread, milk, and toilet paper…the essentials.
- You always had the Monday after Thanksgiving off of school and…
Flickr/thriol The Monday after Thanksgiving served as a holiday in many Pennsylvania schools and promised an extra day of Thanksgiving vacation in observance of the first day of deer hunting season.
- Stopped for a moment every February for Punxsutawney Phil’s weather prediction.
Flickr/Shannon Ramos Only those who grew up in PA can really appreciate that furry little fella Phil, the weather-predicting groundhog who spawned copycats in numerous other states.
- You know what scrapple is and…
Flickr/Kate Hopkins You either love it or hate it. There’s no middle ground when it comes to scrapple.
- You never actually refer to it as Pennsylvania.
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM Pennsylvania’s a mouthful. We stick to PA.
- You know how to pronounce Knoebels.
Flickr/kishbee And you’ve been there at least once during your childhood.
- You’re an expert at avoiding potholes and…
Flickr/exacta While PA may be the Keystone State, it certainly could pass for the pothole state but that’s okay. We Pennsylvanians have learned how to maneuver around those pesky potholes.
- Deer.
Flickr/shibby777 Pennsylvanians know to slow down during the evening hours and when driving in rural areas because you just never know when a deer – or a family of deer – is going to unexpectedly cross the road in front of you.
- You’re either Team Sheetz or Team Wawa.
Flickr/William F. Yurasko So, which are you? Team Sheetz versus Team Wawa just might be the biggest state rivalry after the Philly versus Pittsburgh sports team rivalries.
- You’ve attended a wedding reception or another celebration at a fire hall and…
Facebook/Garden City Hall You know there’s no better place for a celebration than your local fire hall.
- Your favorite part of a wedding reception is the cookie table.
Flickr/Jeremey Crantek Forget the cake. The highlight of many wedding receptions, especially in Southwestern PA, is the ever-popular cookie table.
- You’ve gone to a mud sale.
Flickr/Lisa G. And you’ve found some pretty decent deals on antiques and handmade Amish goods with funds going to help local fire companies.
- You don’t blink twice when you hear about outhouse races and lawnmower races.
Flickr/Nekenasoa PA’s a pretty creative place so what might seem weird to others is perfectly normal to us.
- You know that PA is the Snack Capital of the U.S.
Flickr/Sarah Best No one ever needs to leave PA, especially snack lovers. After all, we’ve got it all here – Utz, Hershey, Tastykake, Herr’s, Middleswarth Potato Chips, whoopie pies, shoofly pies, Snyder’s, and Turkey Hill.
What are the telltale signs, in your opinion, that show you grew up in Pennsylvania? If you grew up in Pennsylvania, you might just agree with these 15 indisputable reasons it isn’t always easy living here.
Flickr/Jon Dawson
Sure, school delays and days off are the norm for many school districts in PA after a big snowfall these days. But, plenty of Pennsylvanians can remember when even a few feet of snow didn’t guarantee a day off of school.
Flickr/Bart
Really, you fall into one of two categories. You avoid the grocery store before a snowfall or you join the countless others lining up for bread, milk, and toilet paper…the essentials.
Flickr/thriol
The Monday after Thanksgiving served as a holiday in many Pennsylvania schools and promised an extra day of Thanksgiving vacation in observance of the first day of deer hunting season.
Flickr/Shannon Ramos
Only those who grew up in PA can really appreciate that furry little fella Phil, the weather-predicting groundhog who spawned copycats in numerous other states.
Flickr/Kate Hopkins
You either love it or hate it. There’s no middle ground when it comes to scrapple.
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM
Pennsylvania’s a mouthful. We stick to PA.
Flickr/kishbee
And you’ve been there at least once during your childhood.
Flickr/exacta
While PA may be the Keystone State, it certainly could pass for the pothole state but that’s okay. We Pennsylvanians have learned how to maneuver around those pesky potholes.
Flickr/shibby777
Pennsylvanians know to slow down during the evening hours and when driving in rural areas because you just never know when a deer – or a family of deer – is going to unexpectedly cross the road in front of you.
Flickr/William F. Yurasko
So, which are you? Team Sheetz versus Team Wawa just might be the biggest state rivalry after the Philly versus Pittsburgh sports team rivalries.
Facebook/Garden City Hall
You know there’s no better place for a celebration than your local fire hall.
Flickr/Jeremey Crantek
Forget the cake. The highlight of many wedding receptions, especially in Southwestern PA, is the ever-popular cookie table.
Flickr/Lisa G.
And you’ve found some pretty decent deals on antiques and handmade Amish goods with funds going to help local fire companies.
Flickr/Nekenasoa
PA’s a pretty creative place so what might seem weird to others is perfectly normal to us.
Flickr/Sarah Best
No one ever needs to leave PA, especially snack lovers. After all, we’ve got it all here – Utz, Hershey, Tastykake, Herr’s, Middleswarth Potato Chips, whoopie pies, shoofly pies, Snyder’s, and Turkey Hill.
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