7 Hills Every Illinoisian Is Willing To Die On
When it comes to Illinois, there are fact-facts, crazy-but-true facts, and then there are strongly held opinions that we live and die by. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell where the line is drawn. Perception is nine-tenths of reality, right? So if you really want to get in good with a resident of the Prairie State, make sure to memorize these hills to die on for Illinoisians.
One of the quickest ways to out yourself as a non-Illinoisian is to say "soda" instead of "pop." In particular, it's pop with a flat "a" — so it's more like "pahp." Soda is for our Midwestern cohorts in Wisconsin and Minnesota. We have no clue what they drink in Michigan, and frankly, we don't want to know.
If you're walking past an Illinois resident and they need to get around you, you'll probably hear this exact phrase: "Ope, just gonna scootch past ya real quick." This translates to, "Pardon me, I need to walk past you and I don't want to inconvenience you." Ope is also used as a non-dire, semi-calm exclamation that acknowledges something just happened, but that you're not going to freak out about it. For example, as your friend drops a piece of paper, you might say, "Ope, let me get that for you." The ope acts as a "whoops!"
No one's tougher in the cold than an Illinoisian. Yeah, that's right! Not only do we shovel ourselves and each other out, but you'll catch us in shorts and a T-shirt walking the snow-blower when it's 40 degrees. When temps can reach into the -20s, 40-50 feels like summer. We never said it was smart, we just said it's something we do.
If there is one thing that truly unites us it's our fervent hate for constant road construction. There are always new multi-year projects announced that just seem to further jumble the already worst traffic in the nation. Then, the roads that aren't under construction are likely in need of newly painted lines and pothole filling. Of course, we still have to pay the tolls.
Willis Tower, who is she? We don't know her. This iconic beauty is called the Sears Tower and it always will be.
The vast majority of this state is farmland — usually corn or soybeans, but with a couple of other crops as well. But Illinoisians know that corn is the symbol we identify with most. The other side of the coin is having Chicago, the third-largest city in the country, in our state. While we have a few other larger areas like Rockford and Peoria, the two major settings for most of us are either corn or Chicago. And honestly, we need both.
Whether you're more of a corn person or more of a Chicago person, we can all agree that we are not Indiana people, and we like it that way. There is an undeniable rivalry that exists between the two boxy "I"-states. It's true that the cost of living in Indiana is cheaper, but, then you'd have to be living in Indiana.
Do you agree with these hills to die on for Illinoisians? What else would you add to the list? Tell us in the comments! And while we’re on the subject, here are seven more quirky things you can find only in Illinois (hello, white squirrels!).
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Address: Illinois, USA