There’s no place quite like New York, and there’s certainly nothing like our amazing residents! No matter what region of the Empire State you were raised in, there are definitive ways of telling whether or not someone you’ve encountered is from New York. Interested in spotting one of us? Then check out this list below.
- You prefer to take your vacations by the water.
Adirondack Watershed Institute/Flickr If “I love New York” wasn’t already our famous slogan, the Empire State could easily replace it with “water, water everywhere”. Growing up with breathtaking bodies of water all over New York, we tend to prefer spending our down time along the relaxing waterfront.
- Your blood boils when anyone assumes that you live in New York City.
Kevin Jarrett/Flickr Anyone who has grown up or lives outside of the Big Apple knows how terrible it feels when an out-of-towner assumes that you’re from New York City. This is possibly the quickest way to make a New Yorker see red.
- You assume that everywhere you go will have waterfalls.
Philip Cohen/Flickr Traveling out of state and learning the hard way that not everywhere you go will have an abundance of waterfalls is hard to deal with. Growing up in New York if often feels like you can find a waterfall on every corner, just one of the many luxuries we have of living here!
- You feel utterly frustrated when out-of-towners don’t seem to understand just how big of a state New York is.
Maximilian Kapitonoff/Flickr There’s nothing quite like trying to get someone who doesn’t live in New York to wrap their mind around how large our state is. Not all of our residents are a hop and a skip away from famous destinations like Niagara Falls or New York City. Venturing to regions outside of our own could take up to 5 hours and feel like an entire world away!
- You appreciate all four seasons, even if you complain about some of them once they actually arrive.
Adirondack Watershed Institute/Flickr Not every state in our country has the pleasure of experiencing all four seasons, but New York sure does!
- You always take the long way home because our scenic drives are the best.
Brandon Atkinson/Flickr With so many gorgeous country roads and scenic drives to be enjoyed in New York, you’ll almost always take the long way home.
- You prefer swimming in natural pools of water rather than man-made ones that you could easily find in a backyard.
stillwellmike/Flickr When you have glorious swimming spots like these, who needs a local public pool to go cool off in?
- You have truly amazing taste in food.
IndyDina with Mr. Wonderful/Flickr There are so many unique and delicious dishes that are native to New York, so growing up here shapes you into having an amazing palate. From tasty spiedies to garbage plates and more classic dishes like our pizza, bagels and wings, your taste buds have been served the finest of meals.
- And you know that small town eateries will always be better than big name restaurants.
HashtagAirBuds/TripAdvisor We grow up feasting on homemade meals from our favorite Mom & Pop locations, so you’ll always find us choosing these local wonders over chain restaurants.
- The mountains are calling, always.
stillwellmike/Flickr For most of us, there isn’t a moment throughout the day where we aren’t dreaming of our mountains or running up to them.
- You know better than to underestimate a deer.
Reilly Hamilton/Flickr They may be majestic creatures that are beautiful to observe from a distance, but if you happen to see one of these guys out on the road? Well, run or suffer the consequences of having these guys destroy your car.
- Not being phased by the prediction of major snow storms headed our way.
Dan M Lee Photography/Flickr If you’ve grown up in New York, no matter where you find yourself in life you won’t be easily shook up when you’re told a major snow storm is rolling into town. This is especially true for our tough residents who have grown up in Western New York and have come to survive major lake-effect storms that hit our hometowns with mass amounts of cold weather and snow.
- You assume that you’ll wake up on Christmas to a winter wonderland.
yayalola/TripAdvisor When you live in New York you get spoiled by waking up on Christmas to a snow-filled wonderland almost every single year. So when you happen to find yourself celebrating the holiday outside of the Empire State, it can be a bit shocking to wake up and look out your window to see scenery that resembles springtime.
- You always have an extra layer on hand, because you’re use to dealing with New York’s unpredictable weather.
Robert Sheie Even in the middle of winter you can almost always find New Yorkers equipped with an extra hoodie or spare change of clothes! You never know if you’re going to go from winter to summer weather in a matter of 24 hours.
- You always end up coming home.
Mary Witzig/Flickr Those of our residents who end up moving out of state will almost always end up back in New York at some point or another. Leaving the Empire State is guaranteed to show you what you’ve taken for granted while living here, there’s just nothing else like home.
How many of these are true for you?
Adirondack Watershed Institute/Flickr
If “I love New York” wasn’t already our famous slogan, the Empire State could easily replace it with “water, water everywhere”. Growing up with breathtaking bodies of water all over New York, we tend to prefer spending our down time along the relaxing waterfront.
Kevin Jarrett/Flickr
Anyone who has grown up or lives outside of the Big Apple knows how terrible it feels when an out-of-towner assumes that you’re from New York City. This is possibly the quickest way to make a New Yorker see red.
Philip Cohen/Flickr
Traveling out of state and learning the hard way that not everywhere you go will have an abundance of waterfalls is hard to deal with. Growing up in New York if often feels like you can find a waterfall on every corner, just one of the many luxuries we have of living here!
Maximilian Kapitonoff/Flickr
There’s nothing quite like trying to get someone who doesn’t live in New York to wrap their mind around how large our state is. Not all of our residents are a hop and a skip away from famous destinations like Niagara Falls or New York City. Venturing to regions outside of our own could take up to 5 hours and feel like an entire world away!
Not every state in our country has the pleasure of experiencing all four seasons, but New York sure does!
Brandon Atkinson/Flickr
With so many gorgeous country roads and scenic drives to be enjoyed in New York, you’ll almost always take the long way home.
stillwellmike/Flickr
When you have glorious swimming spots like these, who needs a local public pool to go cool off in?
IndyDina with Mr. Wonderful/Flickr
There are so many unique and delicious dishes that are native to New York, so growing up here shapes you into having an amazing palate. From tasty spiedies to garbage plates and more classic dishes like our pizza, bagels and wings, your taste buds have been served the finest of meals.
HashtagAirBuds/TripAdvisor
We grow up feasting on homemade meals from our favorite Mom & Pop locations, so you’ll always find us choosing these local wonders over chain restaurants.
For most of us, there isn’t a moment throughout the day where we aren’t dreaming of our mountains or running up to them.
Reilly Hamilton/Flickr
They may be majestic creatures that are beautiful to observe from a distance, but if you happen to see one of these guys out on the road? Well, run or suffer the consequences of having these guys destroy your car.
Dan M Lee Photography/Flickr
If you’ve grown up in New York, no matter where you find yourself in life you won’t be easily shook up when you’re told a major snow storm is rolling into town. This is especially true for our tough residents who have grown up in Western New York and have come to survive major lake-effect storms that hit our hometowns with mass amounts of cold weather and snow.
yayalola/TripAdvisor
When you live in New York you get spoiled by waking up on Christmas to a snow-filled wonderland almost every single year. So when you happen to find yourself celebrating the holiday outside of the Empire State, it can be a bit shocking to wake up and look out your window to see scenery that resembles springtime.
Robert Sheie
Even in the middle of winter you can almost always find New Yorkers equipped with an extra hoodie or spare change of clothes! You never know if you’re going to go from winter to summer weather in a matter of 24 hours.
Mary Witzig/Flickr
Those of our residents who end up moving out of state will almost always end up back in New York at some point or another. Leaving the Empire State is guaranteed to show you what you’ve taken for granted while living here, there’s just nothing else like home.
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