Growing up in North Dakota comes with certain experiences and habits that you just don't shake as you get older. From words and phrases you use to food that you'll always love, they become ingrained in you as you spend your life here. If you show any of these 9 signs, you have probably grown up in the Peace Garden State.
1. You tend to default to saying "uff da" when responding to certain things.
"Uff da" is one of those phrases that can be applied to pretty much any situation but seems most often used to comment on weather, sports, after finishing a large meal, well... really, it's used a lot and for anything!
2. You are an expert winter driver who can handle any sort of condition.
Growing up and learning to drive in North Dakota can come with its challenges. Our roads may be mostly straight and level but if you throw in extreme winds, blowing snow, and drifts that seem to swallow up entire roads, you need a bit of experience. Luckily for you, you grew up in these parts and this isn't your first rodeo. You can take it!
3. Which also means you are used to never having any snow days.
Of course, there comes a trade off with everyone knowing how to handle winter weather and travel. While other states may seemingly shut down at the mere thought of an inch of snow, North Dakota could be getting over a foot in a night and still press on. No snow days around here!
4. You're used to borrowing from neighboring states for professional sports teams to root for.
North Dakota doesn't have any major professional sports teams for things like football, basketball, or even hockey. Instead, we tend to root for close by states with teams - usually Minnesota or Wisconsin. Are you a Packers fan or a Vikings fan?
5. But you know exactly which North Dakota college teams you are rooting for, and green will always be your default color.
Whether it's green and yellow or green and white, North Dakotans are all about their great college teams. The NDSU Bison football team have won six of the last seven FCS National championships, after all, and the UND Fighting Hawks hockey team has been in the Frozen Four over twenty times!
6. You'll always choose a caramel roll over a cinnamon roll.
Cinnamon rolls may be good, but a giant, gooey, delicious North Dakota caramel roll will always be your preference. It's what you've grown up to love, and who could resist that much sticky sweetness in one roll? We certainly don't skimp on the topping, either.
7. You are used to being able to see every star in the night sky.
Traveling to a place with a lot of light pollution probably confuses and disappoints you. Looking up into the night sky and only seeing a dark orange glow and maybe one or two stars just isn't the same as gazing up into the prairie sky at night and seeing millions of stars.
8. Hunting, fishing, or both have inevitably been a part of your life at one point (and probably still are).
North Dakotans tend to be very outdoorsy people. Why wouldn't we be with such a huge state full of some of the best hunting and fishing in the country? Whether it's on a frozen lake, out in the boat during summer, up in a deer stand, or walking through the wide open prairie with a bird dog, you'll have probably experienced this at least once in your life in ND.
9. You've at least heard of the Medora Musical and probably have seen it, too.
North Dakota's classic family vacation, that "take the family out at least once" kind of destination, and a place that is advertised from border to border. Even on the opposite side of the state in Fargo you'll see billboards for it. Visiting Medora, seeing the badlands, and experiencing their one-of-a-kind musical is just part of growing up in North Dakota.
What other signs do you think show you've grown up in North Dakota? And if those caramel rolls made you hungry, you'll definitely love checking out these 10 iconic ND foods that are just as good.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Get the latest updates and news
Thank you for subscribing!
