1. Driving A Tractor To School Is A Rite Of Passage
Way better than Senior Skip Day, don’t you think? Visit a few high schools in southern Indiana, and you won’t have to look far for students with a crazy story to tell about “Drive Your Tractor to School” Day.
Yes, there is in fact a special day designated for it.
2. “Hoosiers” Is Basically Holy Video Scripture
It wouldn’t be surprising for any basketball fan in Southern Indiana to prostrate himself (or herself) on the floor at the mention of the greatest sports flick of all time. Admit it: you’re hearing the epic soundtrack right now.
Just about every basketball team all over Indiana watches the movie at the beginning of every season. Do they quote the film word for word? Yes. Would they die of shock if you’ve never seen the film? Most definitely.
3. Running Something Over With The Car Isn’t Surprising Anymore
This isn’t an animal cruelty issue. Southern Indianans love deer and squirrels as much as anyone else. But the fact is, given all the open space and fields they traverse by vehicle all the time, it’s pretty inevitable, and something they’ve gotten used to.
“Oops, looks like we hit a deer. All right, let’s get it off the road and back in the car. We’re late to the basketball game!” Pretty standard.
4. Needing Both A Fan and Heater In Every Room
It’s not that Indiana natives down south can’t make up their minds. Quite the opposite, actually. They’re just well prepared for anything.
Indiana doesn’t know how to make up its mind with the weather. One day, it’ll be summer; the next day, a blizzard. So the people are more than willing to sacrifice space in their living rooms and bedrooms and clear clutter to prepare for the topsy-turvy weather. It’s just the name of the game for every Indiana native.
5. If You’re From Warren County, You Don’t Know What a Traffic Light Is
No, it’s not some sort of Midwestern ignorance. There simply aren’t any in Warren County. But it makes no difference to the people, because they don’t need them. They’ve developed built-in night vision. They see everything. And it makes sense, with so much open space, long roads, endless fields, and that small-town feel of the airy open country?
Imagine the level of sensory explosion when they visit downtown Chicago. Which, as you’ll recall, is really just Northern Indiana anyway.
6. Laughing When An Outsider Describes Their Idea Of A “Small Town”
Sure, you might come from a “small town.” Like, 5,000 people? Sure, that’s small. But you’ll just get laughed at in Jonesville, Indiana. The term “small town” doesn’t even cut it when talking about Jonesville — with a teensy population of 170, covering an area only slightly larger than an NFL stadium.
So don’t even bother to brag about how small your town is. These people aren’t buying it.
7. If A Food Isn’t Worth Celebrating, It’s Not Worth Eating
In most of southern Indiana, residents are pretty sure food is the center of the galaxy. And they aren’t afraid to show their devotion. They express their love with Brookston’s Apple Popcorn Festival, Mitchell’s Persimmon Festival, Starlight’s Strawberry Festival, Vevay’s Swiss Wine Festival, and several more all over the state.
8. Northern Indiana Is Really Chicago
For Southern Indianans the line between Indiana, The Windy City and Michigan is a little blurred. Heck, there’s even a little town up there in northern Indiana called “Michigan City!” Confusing, right? Southern Indiana natives have a hard time looking up north knowing that the tiny little part of the state serves as merely the “crossroads” between Illinois and Michigan. They think it might as well be both Illinois and Michigan.
These southern Indiana residents can get confused real easy. For them, traveling up north could be like crossing a couple borders all by itself.
9. No One Goes Near The Purple Head Bridge. No One.
This infamous bridge located in Vincennes, IN, has been a hotspot for supernatural and paranormal activity for years. Seriously, the kind of readings the Ghostbusters would giggle with glee over.
You won’t find locals getting anywhere near it, though. If they ever had to, you’d see some crazy camera-shaking ghost stuff going on and they’d scream bloody murder and tell you all about the history of the bridge and the spirits seen at night in hushed whispers.
10. Knowing The Truth When Outsiders Say There’s “Nothing To Do” In Southern Indiana
Cow tipping? Of course it’s a thing. And if you haven’t done it, you’ve never truly lived. Building a corn maze? Talk about nurturing the soul.
Southern Indianans do get irritated when they hear people say there’s nothing to do there, and they hear that a lot. But they know the truth. After all, how could anyone say that Indiana’s boring? You’re on your toes with the hot-cold revolving weather, and that haunted bridge can make any cheesy horror movie a true screamer! So they let the haters hate, because they know they’d never want to live anywhere else.
Did we miss anything? Tell us what you think is unique about Southern Indiana in the comments below!
