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Posted in Northern California December 29, 2016 by Jill S.

14 Things People From Northern California Always Have To Explain To Out Of Towners

There’s a lot about Northern California that the rest of the country just doesn’t understand. How many times have you had a friend or family member visit and had to set them straight about a couple of important things? Here’s a list of our pet peeves that it feels like we are always setting people straight about!

1. You can drive for 15 hours going North to South and still be in California. (We’re a really long state and people always forget that. )

2. There is a BIG difference between Northern California and Southern California.

3. We prefer not to be lumped in with the Bay Area either, thank you very much.

4. Bring your own bags to the grocery store! I do everything I can to keep that 10 cents in my pocket rather than buying a paper bag.

5. There are a few distinct regions here, including the Shasta Cascade, the North Coast, Gold County, and the North Sierra.

6. And we’ve got a lot of trees.

7. And we’ve got a LOT of trees.

8. We’re also in a drought that is killing those trees, so don’t waste our water!

9. We’ve also go some of the world’s largest trees, which is something I forget until someone from the intermountain west, the midwest, or the east coast comes to visit and is totally blown away.

10. If you are planning a visit, go ahead and just pack everything you own. The weather can change in a blink of an eye.

11. Don’t call it pop. It’s soda here.

12. Yes, it’s actually snows here in Nor Cal. Quite a bit actually.

13. Don’t ever, ever call it Cali.

14. People smile and greet each other as they pass on the street. It’s rude not to!

Now that we’ve got you all worked up, what else should be on this list? For more Northern California culture that the rest of the country just doesn’t get, read about the Words And Phrases People In Northern California Just Don’t Understand or the Reasons Why You Should Never, Ever Move To Northern California.

Jill S.

Jill is a freelance writer from a small Northern California town and lives in the Sierra Nevada mountains. If you have an idea for an Only In Northern California story, email her at jsanford@onlyinyourstate.com.