10 Things You Must Know About Dating Someone From Delaware

People from other states have "small world" moments - people from Delaware live in a small world. So, don't be surprised if we go out on the town and run into people we know everywhere. We'll try not to let us distract from our date, but there may be a few people we've got to say hi to, for a brief moment. We're sorry, that's just how it is here.

Okay... we might be, way way back. But we're not directly related to Delaware's most famous family, and we're kind of sick of that joke. Yes, we get it, most of our state is named after the DuPonts. But do you really think we'd be dating YOU if we could be living it up at one of the DuPoint Mansions?!

Rolling fields, homemade ice cream and all the space you could ever need - Slower Lower is our paradise. The noisy north can keep their traffic and hurriedness; we'll take it our way. Where everybody has known each other for decades, where nobody is ever in a rush, and where you can enjoy the rural solitude that is southern Delaware...yeah, that's us. Don't take us on a date to the city; we would much rather go for a picnic or a drive down country roads together.

If we're from Wilmington, Newark, or any town abve the canal, hold the "slower lower" jokes. Our part of the state is populated, thank you very much! We don't need to know the difference between a tractor and a gator, and that's fine with us. We'll take the hustle and bustle of northern Delaware over the country living below the canal any day.

All of you who immediately went on the defensive when you read that - take a second and think about it. When you travel far out of state and someone asks where you're from, most of the time it's easier to just say "outside of Philly." And, no matter how much you want people to know you're FROM DELAWARE, you've got to admit that a lot of our culture comes from the bigger city to our north. After all, we judge other states' cheesesteaks, and can't live without Wawa. I think it's fair to say that if you're dating someone from Delaware, you shouldn't be surprised when, in some conversations, they've got to say they're from Philly.

We appreciate the gesture, we really do. But...it kills us to see you wasting money on sales tax. Just bring us to the outlets, or any of the malls, and we'll be good. Paying more than you need to is something that Delawareans just don't understand.

Are we cranky? Take us to the beach. Did you do something to upset us? Take us to the beach. Do we have a day off? Take us to the beach. Want to go on a road trip? Please don't let it be to somewher landlocked. We need our beach time - we need the bay, the coast, the fresh seafood, the salt air... nothing in the world is better. Like e.e. cummings said, "Whatever we lose (like a you or a me), it's always ourselves we find in the sea."

Easiest date night ever: take us to the state fair. Don't worry about the carnival games - we'll win you whatever you want, because we've been practicing here for our entire lives. We love the State Fair - the food, the rides, and the games - and we'll want you to feel the same way.

No matter how much we hear the "dela-where?!" joke, and no matter how many references to the DuPonts we catch when telling people where we're from, there's no denying that we're proud of our state. We're proud of the history that Delaware has been a part of - from the first settlements to being a popular state on the underground railroad, to more modern history like the East Coast's finest music festival, Firefly. We love our weird food traditions, and watching pumpkins fly through the air. There's a lot that this little state has to offer, and you'll certainly get to know that by dating someone from Delaware!