Posted in Pennsylvania April 09, 2015 by Christi

20 Things That Only People In Pennsylvania Know To Be True

By virtue of living in Pennsylvania, you are endowed with unique experiences that few others would understand, for better or for worse. (Though our neighbors in Ohio and New Jersey might be able to chime in on a few of these.) Here are twenty that spring to mind.

We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/

1. Let's get one thing straight, right off the bat: it's not Pennsylvania, it's PA.

2. There's nothing better than a Philly cheesesteak, though whether Pat's or Geno's is superior is an ongoing debate. (There's also the eternal underdog, Jim's.)

3. Even if you live in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, or another metropolitan area, you know you don't have to drive more than half an hour to find horses and buggies, cows, and moon pies.

4. You're proud to live in what is essentially hundreds of miles of rural paradise bookended by two of the best cities in the country.

5. You expect to find forests, waterfalls, mountains, caves, and lakes without driving more than hour.

6. You also expect to experience all four seasons in almost equal amounts.

7. As soon as the weather changes, people around you immediately switch from complaining about it being too cold to it being too hot, or vice versa.

8. The summer humidity is like a wet blanket that will cease its smothering for no man.

9. You are newly stunned each autumn by how breathtaking the foliage is when it changes colors.

10. Every year, we repave many of our roads, only to find that winter has left them cracked and full of potholes once spring rolls around.

11. When snow is in the forecast, you better get your milk and bread before everyone else does.

12. Scrapple: you either love it or hate it, and if you don't know what it is, you don't want to find out.

13. You've been living here so long that you no longer giggle at silly town names like "Intercourse" or "Blue Balls."

14. You also don't think of the Bible when someone talks about Bethlehem, Nazareth, Emmaus, or Egypt.

15. We're divided amongst ourselves. In Philly, you eat a lollipop, drink soda, and have to watch out for slippery floors. If you're in the western part of the state, however, you eat a sucker, drink pop, and watch out for slippy floors.

16. Stink bugs: THEY'RE TAKING OVER THE WORLD.

17. Your elementary school education included at least three field trips to Philadelphia, two field trips to farms, and at least five million field trips to go apple picking.

18. You have become so used to absurd laws surrounding the sales of liquor that you don't even think twice about making two different stops at the liquor store and the beer distributor to stock up before a party. Getting your alcohol at the grocery store is an unheard-of concept.

19. Even if you don't go hunting, you know plenty of people who do. Bambi would NOT do well here.

20. We don't have to go all the way out west-- we have our own Grand Canyon tucked away in Pennsylvania.

The number one thing that everyone should know about Pennsylvanians is that we’re always sad to leave our state, and happy to return. That might sound trite, but it’s tried and true.