Fun Facts: Discuss.

Since my good friend Jen decided to post a list of "You Know You're From Oklahoma When...", I decided to post my own (and by my own, I mean, one that pertains to me, and not that I created it, which I so wish I had, but totally didn't).

For the most part, I grew up in Northern Virginia. I had no idea any of this was unique until I moved away for 15 years, and someone sent me this list. So here it is.

You Know You're From Northern Virginia When...

1. Speed limits are just suggestions
2. You take a major highway to get anywhere (95, 66,28, etc)
3. You have at least 2 friends who have no idea what their parents do because its "top secret" government work
4. When people ask where you're from, you tell them DC because its easier to explain
5. You've never told someone you're from Virginia without putting "northern" in front of it
6. You dread going to the DMV for anything
7. Its not actually tailgating unless your bumper is touching the car in front of you.
8. A yellow light means at least 5 more cars car get through.
9. A red light means 2 more can.
10. It takes you 30 minutes to drive 10 miles
11. Your local news is national news
12. You drive at least 30 miles a day to get to work
13. You do your Christmas shopping online b/c the shopping malls are like parking lots
14. Despite the fact that Virginia fought for the south in the Civil War, you are NOT, under ANY circumstances, a "southerner"
15. You know that each high school in the region had it's own corresponding McDonald's.
16. The cars in the local high school's student parking lot are woth 3x those in the teacher parking lot.
17. You are amazed when you go out of town and the people at McDonalds speak english
18. You can cross 4 lanes of traffic in under 30 seconds
19. There are at least 3 malls within 20 minutes of your house
20. You or someone in your family has a Smart Tag
21. You remember the Air and Space museum fondly from school fieldtrips to DC
22. When traveling, you have your choice of 3 airports
23. An inch of snow and you miss 3 days of work
24. All the potholes just add a little excitement to your driving experience
25. When you were driving on the beltway at 2:13am on a Tuesday there was still traffic
26. Crown Victoria = undercover cop
27. A slow driver is someone who isn't going at least 10mph over the speed limit
28. Subway is a fast food place. The transportation system is known as Metro, and only Metro
29. You've taken a wrong turn somewhere late at night and ended up in a bad part of DC
30. They just tore down the old farm house across the street and put 12 new houses in its place
31. Two words: rush hour
32. For the cost of your house, you could own a small town in Iowa
33. Helicopters, F-15s, and airplanes flying above your neighborhood is a normal occurence.
34. If you stay on the same road long enough, it will eventually have 3 new names.
35. You had over 500 students in your high school graduating class.
36. If your high school is over a year old, it is overcrowded.
37.You are friends with people from at least two other high schools.
38. You have to dial the area code to call your neighbor.
39. You live five minutes from at least two schools but yours is 30 minutes away.
40. You know at least three alternative routes to avoid sitting at a stop light.


My question is this: do any of these things sound just like where you live too? How many are really universal, and how much is unique to Northern Virginia? (and there I've done it! added that adjective before the state name! it's habit, I tell you!)