10 Bizarre Things People From Montana Do

You’ve probably heard a few stereotypes about the people of Montana, like that they are all avid and skilled outdoors people (not entirely true) and that they love wild game (okay -- mostly true). But admittedly, residents of Montana do have a few oddities that the rest of the country just doesn’t seem to have. Montanans are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet --but we do have our quirks. Here are 10 weird things Montana people do that outsiders just don't understand.

1. We wear short sleeves when the weather hits 55 degrees.

Montanans are used to dealing with some incredibly cold weather. When the sun comes out and the temperature is above freezing, we like to take advantage.

2. We drive fast, even when we probably shouldn’t.

This state stereotype is totally true -- in fact, Montana has gotten national attention over its past lack of speed limits. We live in a state the size of a country, so we want to cover it as quickly as possible!

3. We have an entire festival dedicated to cattle testicles.

The Testy Fest at Rock Creek Lodge outside of Clinton is the largest testicle festival in the world. (We have an offbeat sense of humor here, too!)

4. Some of us still leave our doors unlocked.

There are many small, trusting communities scattered across the state with neighbors who look out for one another.

5. We have a few strange names for animals.

In Montana, yellow-bellied marmots are called "rock chucks" and antelopes are "speed goats."

6. We can actually use the excuse “there was an elk in the road” to explain why we are late.

And we won't be lying.

7. We plug in our cars, and not because they’re electric.

Sometimes it gets so cold at night that we use block heaters to keep our engines warm enough to start in the morning.

8. We eat pasties.

But we pronounce them PASS-ties. They are delicious meat pies that made their way to Butte from Cornwall, England in the 1800s. Yum!

9. We take the rodeo scene very seriously.

Every year Miles City hosts the Bucking Horse Sale, which debuts some of the world’s best bucking horse stock.

10. We love our bakeries. A lot.

Some states are proud of their coffee; some claim to have the best wine. In Montana, we’ll bake you a mean pastry with flour made from wheat milled from one of our many wheat fields. And it will be absolutely delicious.

So, fellow Montanans: what do you think of our list? What are some other weird things people from Montana do? Let us know your quirkiest quirks in the comments below! And to be clear: these weird quirks are just part of what makes the Treasure State so special -- so great, in fact, that living here will ruin you for life.