I think all Virginians can agree when we say that sometimes Virginia feels like three different states crammed into one. Here are 40 things anyone who’s from, or grew up, in Virginia can relate to.
1. You’re used to everyone pronouncing each town name differently.
2. Virginia Beach is your version of PCB.
3. You’re either from NoVA, RVA or VA Beach.
4. You have zero faith in the local weather man.
5. Half of your friends’ parents are in the military.
6. Your work and school day is extended by 2 hours because of traffic.
7. Having nothing to do but going to Busch Gardens or Water Country during summer vacay.
8. Your high school graduating class was 500+ people.
9. The main colleges everyone goes to are Virginia Tech, James Madison University and University of Virginia.
10. You know that the “Hampton Roads” aren’t actual roads.
11. You know what Rita’s Italian Ice is.
12. You don’t stop and look skyward when aircraft fly over.
13. We don’t know how to handle snow.
14. High school rivalries are super intense.
15. You had friends at three other high schools, minimum.
16. You could see another 7-11 from the one you were currently at.
17. Wawa. Enough said.
18. You know what it’s like to live in the colonial times.
19. You know that ‘OBX’ isn’t Greek for any fraternity.
20. You know Virginia is a Commonwealth.
21. You can’t just tell someone you’re from Virginia–you have to be specific.
22. You know Virginia is for lovers. (Or at least that’s what they want you to think.)
23. Sheetz is bomb.
24. Everyone is or at some point became really obsessed with hiking.
23. Never trust I-64.
24. You’ve crossed an underwater tunnel at some point.
25. Yorktown Beach isn’t an actual beach. It’s the James River.
26. Growing up, you actually knew something before going to history class.
27. You have to take a picture with the ‘LOVE’ sign at a rest area.
28. The humidity is on steroids.
29. The never ending construction.
30. You have all of Busch Gardens memorized.
31. The high school marching bands are always better than the football team.
32. You pack a day’s worth of supplies before going through the Hampton Roads bridge tunnel.
33. You know all the backroads shortcuts so you never have to deal with the traffic.
34. You can’t drive anywhere at night without deer jumping out at your car.
35. You’re tired of explaining that Norfolk and Suffolk are not pronounced Nor-FOLK or Suf-FOLK.
36. You refer to Newport News as Bad Newz.
37. Food Lion isn’t a grocery store, it’s a social hangout.
38. Prince William County is always the last one to get a snow day.
39. Everytime it rains there’s an accident on 264.
40. When the earthquake happened your first thought was that you were getting bombed.