To be born and RAISED in the Tarheel State is a special thing.

1. You have strong feelings about barbeque
Flickr / Dread Pirate Jeff
You've had to take a side, even if you secretly like (gasp) both.
2. You've bled a certain shade of blue(or red) since birth
Flickr / James DiBianco
And when someone with "said" rival bumper sticker cuts you off on the HWY you're like "yeah, explains a lot!"
3. You've cried over a basketball game
Wordpress
Somehow our favorite team always come down to some last-minute victory or loss. Ensue floods of tears.
4. Your first trip above the Mason-Dixon line left you appalled sweet tea was not a global thing
Flickr / Connie Ma
You're missing out...NORTHERN VIRGINIA. (and yes, I know its still in the Mason-Dixon line, but c'mon)
5. You can basically construct a whole sentence in front of non-natives and they have no idea what you're saying
Sodahead
Ma carried Granny to the Doctor down Yonder and he said I reckon she's a hootenanny from all those leafers in the area.
6. You've had to apologize for something a politician or governor from our state has done
Flickr / Andy Withers
I don't make the rules, ok? I just vote...I swear we're progressing...c'mon...look at Asheville!
7. On a Florida vacation at least three people have asked you where you're from
Flickr / Jonathan
This southern accent doesn't construct itself YALL.
8. You LIKE tobacco, as in, the gorgeous tobacco fields and the rich heritage it has in our state
Flickr / John Buie
And this beautiful sight is not new to you.
9. You've partied in a field
Flickr / John Garghan
And a barn.
10. You've had your fair share of hanging out in parking lots
Flickr / Sean Connors
Where else am I supposed to meet up with all of my friends?
11. You basically don't even bother to compare Raleigh and Charlotte
Flickr / Bill Dickinson
They might as well be two different worlds.
12. You have your go-to Cookout order
Flickr / Gerry Dincher
BBQ tray with Cheerwine and hushpuppies. Oh, and peanut butter banana shake with fudge, THANKS.
13. It's not Christmas unless you watch the Andy Griffith Christmas Episode
TV Land
14. Speaking of Christmas, you've tirelessly waited hours in your car to witness Christmas Lights
Christmas Town USA
Rather it be McAdenville, or Tanglewood, for my section of the state. Christmas Light drive-bys are a tradition.
15. When going to a concert in Charlotte you still refer to it as "Verizon"
PNC
PNC what?
16. It doesn't feel like fall unless you visit the State Fair
Flickr / Keith
Or any local fair for that matter.
17. You have sentimental feelings towards...lighthouses
Flickr / Curt Fleenor
I still remember my first one!
18. When a non-native likes an NC band you feel a certain sense of artistic pride
Flickr / Andrew Gardecki
Oh, you like Ben Folds, how about Ben Folds is FROM MY HOMETOWN.
19. And you sing EXTRA loud when anything NC is mentioned in a song
Flickr / Ehpien
20. After visiting family you always come home with plastic bags full of peaches and tomatoes
Flickr / Cultivate Oxford
They're fresh! But Grandma...I really don't need ten....
21. You still see Joe Camel everywhere
Flickr / Joe Haupt
Despite the ban on cigarette advertising.
22. Summer vacations meant one thing, ferry rides to the Outer Banks
Flickr / Zach Frailey
23. You don't 'shred the pow pow' you Ski Beech, or Sugar, or Appalachian
Flickr / PaperMakesPlanes
Please never say that again.
24. You've bought watermelons, peaches, and vegetables off the side of the road
Flickr / Ann Blair
Just a little detour.
25. You're not scared of a little two-step
Romantic Asheville
And the best way to go is with some fine banjo-pickin in the background.
26. You know a burger or hot dog is best served 'all the way'
Flickr / One Hot Southern Mess
27. You're seriously offended when someone thinks SC is basically NC
No..oh no no no...you did not.
28. You've corrected someone on the proper pronunciation of Appalachian
In my best Hermione voice "It's not APPA "LAY" SHUN"
29. You have mixed feelings about Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach Hotels
Did someone say 'beach week.' Yeah, you know North Myrtle is the way to go, actually, lets just go to Wilmington.
30. You, or someone you know, has wreaked havoc on a poor sleeping cow
What else am I supposed to do on these long, southern summer nights?
31. Bojangles is basically the holy grail of, "I had too much fun last night" food
Nothing rehydrates you quite like a nice Cajun Filet Biscuit.
32. You've attended a pig pickin'
Eric Boggs
Or some event involving roasting a whole hog.
33. Your accent and dialect varies depending on which part of the state you grew up in
Someone once asked me if I was from Winston because I said "YA" a lot....
34. You look at mountains out west and think 'they're all just a bunch of rocks'
Wikipedia
Nothing beats the Blue Ridge!
35. You pity states who don't have THIS
And really you pity all states because you know everythings finer in Carolina!

There is so much more I can add to the list, but I tried my best to keep this one ‘relatively’ short. In what ways do you know you’re an NC native?

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