North Carolina

I am very proud to be a North Carolinian! I found this list online and although some do not apply directly to me, the majority of them make me swell with pride. Yes, North Carolina is a Southern state and I wouldn't change it for the world! Enjoy the reading and laugh as I did. NC natives know all about it.

You know you're from NC if:

1. You've gotten used to the smell of cow manure on a car trip to Raleigh.

2. Saying "y'all" isn't just a cute expression; it actually means something.

3. There are big Labrador retrievers in the back of every truck.

4. You give directions using KFC and Waffle House as landmarks.

5. You still see Dale Earnhardt tributes on cars.

6. You can't imagine life without Bojangles' sweet tea.

7. Your annual church fundraiser always deals with BBQ and potato salad.

8. You have a sunburn from May to October.

9. Your 'heavy winter clothing' consists of some turtleneck sweaters, a fuzzy jacket, and your daddy's boots.

10. Your family has fried chicken once a week.

11. You can tell the difference between cotton fields and tobacco fields while driving.

12. One of your neighbors has a confederate flag hanging on their front porch.

13. Those "damn Yankees" are taking over your school/church/workplace/neighborhood...

14. You've been "properly raised", and Yankees love it when they hear you say "ma'am" and "sir".

15. You get your carbs from biscuits, rolls, pancakes, and grits.

16. You know the difference between a "redneck" and a "hick".

17. You own at least one t-shirt from Bert's Surf Shop, AB Surf Shop, or The Sanitary Fishmarket.

18. No matter what those people in Ohio say, we are still "first in flight".

19. The Coca-Cola 600 is as big as the Super Bowl.

20. You prefer Chick-fil-A to KFC.

21. You know pastry is a chicken stew, not a dessert item.

22. Every time you visit someone you’re offered something to eat and a glass of tea.

23. Your granddaddy always wore overalls and your grandma always wore an apron.

24. In summer, you have home-grown tomatoes with every meal.

25 When it rains and the creek rises, everyone gathers to see how high it rose.

26. You know that to chunk the ball means to throw it.

27. You've had a burger "all the way" - chili and slaw on it.

28. You can recognize a copperhead and your heart drops when you see one.

29. You have at least one relative that grows collards.

30. You know Krispy Kreme makes the best doughnut.

31. You have an opinion about UNC. You went there and loved it, or you hate everyone who did.

32. You know the difference between eastern BBQ and western BBQ (see number 85).

33. You would rather eat at Bojangles than McDonald's.

34. You have actually uttered the phrase "It's too hot to go to the pool".

35. You faithfully drink Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sundrop or Cheerwine everyday of your life.

36. You have your own secret BBQ sauce.

37. You or your neighbors have more hunting dogs than you have family members.

38. You know Pepsi originated in New Bern, Cheerwine in Salisbury, and Sundrop in Gastonia.

39. You know Coke tastes better in the little bottles and that peanuts make Coke taste even better.

40. Your folks have taken trips to the mountains to look at leaves.

41. Your school took a field trip to the State Fair in Raleigh.

42. You would elect Richard Petty or Ric Flair for governor if either ever ran.

43. You watched as Dale Earnhardt was the only man who ever lived who could go 200 mph, spin somebody out, call them a you-know-what, and win the race, all in the last lap.

44. You skipped school or work to go to Dale Earnhardt’s memorial service.

45. A toboggan to you means a knit cap, not a sled.

46. You sold Krispy Kreme doughnuts for a school or church fundraiser before those glazed doughnuts went global.

47. When you're traveling out of state, people ask if you're from Mayberry.

48. You remember watching the ACC Tournament on television at school.

49. The local newspaper covers state, national and international news in one page, but sports requires six pages.

50. Most men in town consider the first day of deer season a national holiday.

51. Fifty degrees Fahrenheit is “a little chilly."

52. You have no problem spelling or pronouncing “Conetoe", “Topsail", or “Beaufort."

53. You know it’s pronounced APPALACHIAN and not “App-a-lay-shun."

54. Your school classes were canceled because of cold.

55. Your school classes were canceled because of a chance of snow.

56. Your school classes were canceled because of heat.

57. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waitin’ to pass a tractor on the highway.

58. Your school classes were canceled because of a hurricane.

59. Your school classes were canceled because of hunting season.

60. Your school classes were canceled because of a livestock show.

61. You’ve ridden the school bus for an hour...each way.

62. You know more about ACC basketball than professional basketball.

63. You know the Carolina League is the greatest baseball league in the country.

63. You know that "Carolina" refers to UNC-Chapel Hill, while "State" refers to NC State.

64. You think South Carolina was dead weight well shed.

65. You know tea is served sweet unless you specifically ask for unsweetened.

66. You’ve ever had to switch from “Heat" to “A/C" in the same day.

67. You think ethanol makes your truck run a lot better.

68. Stores don’t have bags...they have sacks and are called Piggly Wigglys.

69. You see people wearing bib overalls at funerals.

70. You see a car running in the parking lot at the store with no one in it, no matter what time of the year.

71. Most of the festivals around the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, tobacco, or seafood: Seafood Festival (Morehead), Mullet festival (Swansboro)...

72. Priming was your first job...and you know what it means.

73. Your idea of a really great tenderloin is when the meat is twice as big as the bun and comes with cole slaw on top.

74. You say cattywampus, yunto, ill-ass and ah-ite.

75. You know the difference between a deer dog, a bear dog and a coon dog by the way they bark.

76. You put security lights on your house and your garage and leave both of them unlocked.

77. Your four seasons are almost summer, summer, still summer, and highway construction.

78. You can tell if another North Carolinian is from Eastern or Western North Carolina as soon as he opens his mouth.

79. You can spell words such as Ocracoke, Fuquay-Varina and Chocowinity.

80. When asked how your trip to any foreign, exotic place was you say, “It was different."

81. Hyde County is considered a foreign or exotic place.

82. In the Piedmont, you see all the grown-ups go out and play in the snow.

83. Schools and churches hold barbecue fundraisers with banana puddin’ as the dessert.

84. After church you either stay for the barbeque lunch or the pig pickin'.

85. You know that barbeque is a food, not an occasion, and it applies to pork, not hamburgers or hotdogs. You also know that the best of any version, whether chopped or pulled, vinegar or tomato, can be found somewhere in NC.

86. You know what a "pig pickin" is and you can't wait to go.

87. You consider being a “Pork Queen" an honor.

88. You carry jumper cables in your car.

89. You know what “cow tipping" is.

90. You've driven with "Carolina Hurricanes" flags on your car because WE WON THE STANLEY CUP!!

91. You dip.

92. You've seen One Tree Hill and/or Dawson's Creek being filmed in Wilmington.

93. Pop refers a lot of things, not including soda.

94. You learned ALL about The Lost Colony in 4th grade...(and you know where Blackbeard's treasure really is ; )

95. You listen to beach music and you can shag.

96. You can pay the mechanic who worked on your truck with a quart of moonshine in return.

97. Your school was declared a "Tobacco Free Zone", but there are tobacco fields right outside.

98. You constantly see signs for tractor pulls and turkey shoots while driving through eastern NC.

99. You mash buttons and eat creamed potatoes.

100. You show this to some Carolina friends ‘cuz ya know it’s true, darlin'!