People may think of a North Dakotan stereotype to fall somewhere within the realms of the movie Fargo (ya'youbetcha!), but there are some things North Dakotans actually do that any fellow state resident would spot easily anywhere. They may be weird to outsiders, but these 10 things are totally normal to any North Dakotan.
1. Stand outside in a storm to talk about the weather.
Looks like a storm might swirl up its menacing clouds into a tornado? Not a bad idea to stand outside and discuss it! Actually, do we discuss anything else besides the weather?
2. Know of the four seasons: summer, hunting, winter, and flooding.
Summer is hot, then hunting seasons open, winter is cold, and if you live in the Red River valley- as soon as winter is over, waters start a-risin' and it's time to bring out the sandbags.
3. Autostart on every car- The North Dakota winter starter pack necessity.
It's not just an unnecessary luxury on cars here, it's a must in the winter. If you don't have a button on your key fob that can start your car you are going to be cold when you leave anywhere in the winter!
4. Mmm, German and Norwegian food!
Other states would struggle to even pronounce some of these foods, but we love them. Lefse, knoephla soup, even lutefisk, we love it!
5. Lawn mower racing, because why not?
There's an official association for Lawn Mower Racing in North Dakota. Lawn mowers are no joke and rideable ones are a must here for most huge yards, why not see how fast they can go?
6. 40mph winds with a wind chill temperature below zero? You mean a slight breeze?
We are pretty tough when it comes to the cold. As soon as it hits 40 degrees, it's time to break out the shorts and store away the coats.
7. "No, I don't live near Mt. Rushmore."
North Dakotans are all too used to having to explain to outsiders that their state even exists. Mt. Rushmore isn't even in this Dakota!
8. Friendly car hand waves on the lonely roads.
If it's a dirt or county road and you pass someone, even if you don't know who it is, you always give a friendly little wave. A lot of roads out here get kind of lonely, after all.
9. Rush Hour Traffic? What's That?
North Dakotans find regular road congestion completely foreign- it almost never happens. But we do know it in different forms and find it completely normal for a huge tractor to be taking up over half the road, and don't forget deer crossings- which covers pretty much every road in the state, why do we even have signs posted everywhere?
10. Best Ice Fishing in the Country! Yes, it's safe, we promise.
Other people may find it weird that we love to drive trucks with fishing houses in tow onto an iced-over lake, huddle around a hole in the ice and drop a line into that small opening, but we love it. We're not crazy, we swear!
What other weird things do people from North Dakota do? Share with us in the comments!
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