By Tori Jane|Updated on March 26, 2024(Originally published December 07, 2022)
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Tori Jane
Author
Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
If you’re one of those people who’s lived here in Indiana all your life – or you moved here some time ago and it’s pretty much like you were born here – then chances are, you have more than a few hills you’ll always be willing to die on just because you’re a Hoosier. Some of these opinions and beliefs are strongly held, and others are just fun to bicker about over family dinner – but some or all of these six things are weird (and amusing) hills Hoosiers will die on, period. How do you know someone who knows all about living in Indiana? Don’t worry – they’ll tell you. At least a few times. Life in Indiana is funny like that.
1. October 18, 2015: A Day That Will Live On In Infamy
On this fateful day in 2015, the Indianapolis Colts attempted a trick play versus the New England Patriots. Long story short, it went poorly - very poorly - directly resulting in a victory... for the Patriots. To this day, it is considered one of the all-time worst plays in NFL history, and if you ask us, it was easily one of the worst days in Indiana history, too. Ask any Hoosier about that day, and they will lament about how if they could go back in time to ONE day, just one day in all of human history... it would be this one, to tell our beloved team: DON'T DO IT.
Seriously, when someone who isn't from Indiana acts like this state is all fly-over and no fun, we might get a little steamed. Indiana is an incredible, underrated place filled top-to-bottom with amazing things to do, see, and experience. The natural wonders of Indiana are incredible, and the only people allowed to make corn jokes about Indiana are us. Not from around here? Pff. Don't even try it.
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3. Parks and Rec is forever ours. Signed, the People of Muncie.
Pawnee, Indiana, may not be a real place, but it turns out that the wholesome Hoosier town in the hit TV comedy Parks and Recreation was, in fact, based on the beautiful small town of Muncie. Of course, those of us who have been around a while already knew that, and many an internet argument was had between folks who have never been and Hoosiers who knew all along. Turned out, we were right: upon the finishing of the series, it was revealed that Muncie was indeed the inspiration for Pawnee. Ha, we knew it.
We do not care how many people find urban exploration to be interesting. If you ask any Hoosier where they refuse to go at night (or during the day), they'll likely interrupt you with "Gary" before you're even done asking. Why? Once upon a time, Gary was the murder capital of the world. Though it's made attempts over the years to renew and rejuvenate (not to mention some of the actually-pretty-amazing abandoned places in Gary worthy of a photoshoot), most lifelong Hoosiers will tell you: nope.
If you go to Italy, and you visit Rome, you'll come upon some ancient streets you're still able to walk to this day. Even those have fewer potholes than Indiana's roads. Seriously, are they that hard to fix? What did we do wrong? Pictured above: definitely not Indiana.
There are two types of people in this world: people who make that joke, and people who roll their eyes at it. Nevertheless, the weather in Indiana is notoriously strange and unreasonable, often with sunshine and warmth in the morning and blizzard conditions by nightfall. We get all sorts of fun stuff: tornadoes, blizzards, ice storms... good times. We stand by that silly little adage about Indiana's weather, though. It really can be totally wild sometimes.
So, there you have it: six hills every last one of us is willing to die on. Proud of your Indiana roots? Check out all the goodies our friends at Wear Your Roots have on sale! What are some totally Hoosier hills you’re willing to die on? Did you also scream incoherently at your television in October 2015? What other aspects of life in Indiana are recalled fondly (or ferociously)? Let us know!
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