A cooler shows up to an Alabama cookout stocked with a national-brand jug of tea, no ice, and a fistful of sugar packets on the side. Nobody says a word. They just reach past it for the gallon somebody already brewed, sitting cold on the table. These are the sweet tea rules that give out-of-staters…
More than 810,000 Minnesotans claim Norwegian ancestry, more than any other state in the country. That number shapes more than a family tree. It’s why so many Minnesota kids grow up saying “uff da” before they even know what it means. These are the signs of a Minnesota upbringing, no matter where you live now….
Anyone who’s moved states hauls a routine or two along. New neighbors and coworkers are quick to catch those of Wisconsinites. Here’s what gives Wisconsinites away the second they cross the state line. Note: This is general information. Alcohol and hunting rules vary by state and are subject to change. 1. Naming Roads by Letter…
South Carolina residents will confidently correct a tourist’s pronunciation of a hometown road, then turn around and butcher the name of a town two counties over. Nobody’s immune. The state is full of names that look like one thing on a road sign and sound like something else entirely once a local says them out…
New Jersey packs more people into a square mile than any other state, and somehow also splits them across 564 separate town governments. Two neighborhoods a mile apart can run on completely different trash days, tax bills, and rulebooks. These are the things that confuse everyone who moves to New Jersey. Note: This is general…
St. Louis pizza runs on a cheese blend engineered in 1947. It doesn’t behave like any other pizza cheese in the country. Missouri has a whole list of such quirks that lifelong residents have to explain to out-of-staters. These are the things Missourians are tired of explaining to everyone who moves in. 1. Missouri’s Lettered…
The Kentucky Derby is over in about two minutes. Outside Kentucky, Americans talk like the state’s whole calendar revolves around those two minutes for a solid week every spring. It doesn’t. These are the Kentucky traditions outsiders assume live and die with Derby week. 1. Mint Juleps Outsiders treat mint juleps like a costume prop,…
A Lehigh Valley club in Pennsylvania has followed the same unusual dinner table rule since 1934. Locals in small Pennsylvania towns grow up knowing rules like it, and newcomers rarely hear the reason until they ask. These are the small-town Pennsylvania traditions that out-of-staters rarely understand. 1. Belsnickel Comes Calling Belsnickel is a Pennsylvania Dutch…
Austin set a goal back in 2009 to divert 90 percent of its trash from landfills and incinerators. Giving things away instead of tossing them is doing a good share of that work. Here are some freecycling options in Austin that don’t require climbing into a dumpster. 1. Freecycle Austin Freecycle Austin runs one of…
Missouri ties with Tennessee for bordering more states than any other state in the country, eight apiece, and that geography makes leaving feel deceptively close. It rarely feels that close once the moving truck pulls away. These are the things Missourians miss most about their home state after they’ve packed up and moved. 1. Toasted…
