Ah yes, growing up in the vast state of North Dakota. There are a few things you likely picked up along the way. Habits, speech patterns, and life skills alike. These little quirks make us into North Dakotans! No matter how weird they may be to some people, here are 12 side effects you have likely experienced if you grew up here in the Peace Garden State:

1. You say "uff da" without realizing you say it so often.
Darin/Flickr
It just comes naturally to North Dakotans after a while. Uff da can be used in so many situations, our speech tends to be riddled with it.
2. You know the "Menards" commercial jingle by heart.
Mike Kalasnik/Flickr
Where can you save big money? You know it if you've seen the Menards commercial, which you probably have if you've watched any local TV in North Dakota.
3. You've become an expert winter driver.
Wes Peck/Flickr
Braving the storm isn't hard for North Dakotans (unless the interstate is closed). After a few winters here, you have to be good at handling winter driving or you might not survive.
4. You know the proper way to pronounce "Minot," and it's not the French way.
TheWestEnd/Flickr
"Why not Minot," is a good rhyme to remember for this one. You'd think it'd be easier for people to guess pronouncing it the right way and yet I hear a lot of outsiders saying it like "minnow."
5. You've either become a Packers fan or a Vikings fan.
Joe Bielawa/Flickr
North Dakota doesn't have an NFL team of their own, but that doesn't mean there isn't any football fans here. However, there is a pretty distinct divide between those fans. Are you in green on game day, or in purple?
6. You're used to thinking of these when someone says barbecue:
superdupermanda/Flickr
Someone from Texas might scoff at the fact that we consider what they probably call Sloppy Joes as "barbecue," but it's just what we call them!

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7. And you're always expecting hot dish or special K bars at a potluck.
contusion/Flickr
If neither of these things are there, can you really call it an actual potluck in North Dakota?
8. You have an extra sense where you will always notice when there is no wind.
Bri Weldon/Flickr
The wind seems never ending here so in the rare chance that the air is perfectly still, we notice quickly. And we're going to point it out.
9. You're used to having to experience a long trek between big cities.
Bill Walsh/Flickr
Other states have big cities right next to each other, sometimes practically merged together. In North Dakota, you can expect at least an hour long drive between most of our bigger cities with nothing but the prairie in between them.
10. You tend to gravitate to the porch when there is a storm.
William Neuheisel/Flickr
Most people would probably go further inside their home during a thunderstorm, but somehow we end up outside watching it.
11. You're proud to live in North Dakota...
Jonathan Miske/Flickr
It's hard not to be when you have places as beautiful as this here.
12. ... And you always somehow end up back here even if you've gone and traveled the world.
J. Stephen Conn/Flickr
North Dakota is a home for life no matter where you go!

What other side effects have you experienced from growing up here? If you grew up in a North Dakota small town specifically, this list might describe you perfectly.

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