If you grew up in Colorado, you not only had the best childhood ever, but you know more distinct truths about the Centennial State than those who transplanted later in life. Need an example? Here are 15 things you’ll only understand if you grew up in or near the mountains:

  1. First and foremost, if you grew up along the Front Range, you deciphered west as being toward the mountains…

Flickr/Ashbridge Studios

  1. …and east as being away from the mountains.

Flickr/Mark Ordonez North was toward Fort Collins; south toward Colorado Springs.

  1. Whether you grew up in or near the mountains, you knew you always had epic skiing…

Flickr/Owen Richard

  1. …snowboarding…

Flickr/Zach Dischner

  1. …hiking…

Flickr/Tyler Hitchcock

  1. …fishing, and every other outdoor excursion right at your fingertips!

Flickr/Bugeater (Just a heads up: Fishing in the colorful Rocky Mountains will literally ruin you for life.)

  1. Speaking of skiing and snowboarding, if you received good grades at school, you would often be rewarded with a complimentary day pass to one of Colorado’s popular resorts!

Flickr/Greg Younger While the rest of America’s children were cashing in on their free personal-pan pizza, Colorado kids were shredding up Winter Park.

  1. Sorry, mountain kids; even in the worst of winter conditions, you probably still had to go to school…

Flickr/Hanoian

  1. …while all the Western Slope, Front Range, and Eastern Plains kids enjoyed a snow day.

Flickr/Jason Swihart I’m an Eastern Plains native, so this factoid got me like ¯_(ツ)_/¯.

  1. You Southerners think your humidity is bad? Try having zero humidity and dry EVERYTHING 24/7/365.

Flickr/Tired From My Trip..Slow To Every season is BRUTAL for Coloradans skin, hair, sinuses, and lips.

  1. Only in Colorado can you experience all four seasons in just one day.

Rural Running Redhead You tell ’em, Drew Carey!

  1. If you were born in Colorado, your parents took you camping before you could walk…

Flickr/joãokẽdal

  1. …and your class took an Eco Week trip before you graduated elementary school.

Flickr/jamiemw I hope your trip went better than mine… the girls in my cabin argued the ENTIRE time, which also had me like ¯_(ツ)_/¯.

  1. Finally, if you grew up in or near the mountains of Colorado, you grew up experiencing the most glorious sunrises…

Flickr/AJ Schroetlin

  1. …and spectacular sunsets in the WORLD.

Flickr/reid.neureiter The pictures say it all!

For even more laughs, check out these 11 Things Other People Hate About Colorado… But We Love.

Flickr/Ashbridge Studios

Flickr/Mark Ordonez

North was toward Fort Collins; south toward Colorado Springs.

Flickr/Owen Richard

Flickr/Zach Dischner

Flickr/Tyler Hitchcock

Flickr/Bugeater

(Just a heads up: Fishing in the colorful Rocky Mountains will literally ruin you for life.)

Flickr/Greg Younger

While the rest of America’s children were cashing in on their free personal-pan pizza, Colorado kids were shredding up Winter Park.

Flickr/Hanoian

Flickr/Jason Swihart

I’m an Eastern Plains native, so this factoid got me like ¯_(ツ)_/¯.

Flickr/Tired From My Trip..Slow To

Every season is BRUTAL for Coloradans skin, hair, sinuses, and lips.

Rural Running Redhead

You tell ’em, Drew Carey!

Flickr/joãokẽdal

Flickr/jamiemw

I hope your trip went better than mine… the girls in my cabin argued the ENTIRE time, which also had me like ¯_(ツ)_/¯.

Flickr/AJ Schroetlin

Flickr/reid.neureiter

The pictures say it all!

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