My husband and I are staying in North Carolina this week and it’s been a bit of a culture-shock, in the best way possible. My husband was born in Nevada but pretty much grew up in Utah. I was born in Utah, lived in Northern California for 5 years and then moved back to Utah when I was 16. So neither of us have much experience with the South, or with the East coast. And it’s been a great adventure to be sure! I thought I’d write some of my observations from what we’ve seen on our travels:

You Might Be in The South:

• You might be in the South if your local Walmart is graced with stately columns- in addition to many of the homes.
• You might be in the South if a giant chicken mailbox isn’t actually out of place.
• You might be in the South if every other house you pass has a screened-in porch.
• You might be in the South if people start conversations with you- in ALL the places, doesn’t matter where.
• You might be in the South if your local city hall is stately and regal with lots of brick!
• You might be in the South if you’re judged by your lack of consumption of fried chicken.
• You might be in the South if you can easily find grits, cajun rice, and iced tea.
• You might be in the South if you get weird looks when asking for root beer, but there’s a whole menu dedicated to sweet tea.
• You might be in the South if there’s a Waffle House in every city.
• You might be in the South if you pass a church on every corner.
• You might be in the South if you see a “Thank you Jesus” sign in the front yard of most homes.
• You might be in the South if you see Hardee’s instead of Carl’s Jr.
• You might be in the South if there are 2 complete bookcases dedicated to bibles at Barnes and Noble.
• You might be in the South if there’s not a mountain in sight.
• You might be in the South if you’re surrounded by dense, luscious forest everywhere you look.
• You might be in the South if you see beautiful pink-flowered Magnolia trees every other block.
• You might be in the South if you are surrounded by some of the friendliest people you’ve never met before.

It’s different out here, but it sure is beautiful and friendly.

If you’ve lived in the South, do you think the above statements are true? If you’re from the South, but you’ve visited the Northwest coast, what differences did you see? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!