1. People From Fort Wayne Are Hoosier Hospitable
While Fort Wayne residents are unique to the Midwest in many ways—they lack the accent, for one— when it comes to being incredibly polite and friendly, they’re Midwesterners through and through.
The phrase “Hoosier Hospitality” has even been coined to describe the polite, we’ll-hold-the-door-open-for-you attitude of the people of Indiana. In Fort Wayne you’ll find no shortage of pleases and thank yous, frequent well-wishes, and waiters, waitresses, and bartenders that actually seem interested in serving you.
2. They’re As American As A Bald Eagle Eating An Apple Pie
Like really, super duper all-American. The city has thrice won the National Civic League’s All-America City Award, which honors citizens coming together, volunteering, and creating positive civic changes.
Fort Wayne residents’ ability to band together and solve problems is certainly connected to their blue collar roots: the city has been a hub to quintessentially American companies like General Electric, General Motors and was built on manufacturing—and manufacturing means teamwork.
As will be further explored on the list, their values, food, and culture are all dripping with Norman Rockwell-esque levels of Americana.
3. Fort Wayne Locals Are Schizophrenic Sports Fans
You’d be silly to think that just because someone is from Indiana, their college basketball allegiance is with the Hoosiers. Sure, the namesake for everyone’s favorite sports movie gets a lot of college hoops love, but Ball State, Notre Dame, Purdue and the local squad, IPFW, also have their constituents.
When it comes to pro sports, NBA loyalties are split between the Pacers and Bulls, and in the NFL, the Colts and Bears. Chicago is only a little bit further away than Indianapolis, afterall.
The only thing Fort Wayne people are in agreement on is minor league baseball: you’d better believe they turn out for the hometown TinCaps.
4. Johnny Appleseed Is Their Homeboy
Every town needs a hometown hero, right? Fort Wayne has theirs in everyone’s favorite metallic hat-wearing, apple-spreading folk figure and conservationist.
In case you’re wondering, yes, Johnny Appleseed was a real person. The notoriously kind apple nurseryman, whose real name was John Chapman, died in Fort Wayne in 1845 after introducing apple trees to much of the Midwest.
These days, locals celebrate him as the face of their town and have named pretty much everything after him. Their minor league baseball squad, the TinCaps, is a reference to his legendary hat, and since 1975 Fort Wayne has celebrated the annual Johnny Appleseed Festival in his honor, located at Johnny Appleseed Park, of course.
5. Everyone In Fort Wayne Is Just A Little Bit German
Like any good American city, Fort Wayne is a melting pot, but everyone from Fort Wayne is at least a drop German by association. The city was home to a massive number of German immigrants at the turn of the 20th century, and Fort Wayne has been hugely influenced by German culture.
Nowhere, and at no time, is this more true than at Fort Wayne’s eight-day celebration of all things Deutschland known as Germanfest. Since 1981, Fort Wayne residents have hit Headwaters parks in droves to eat loads of wurst, polka, and bust out the lederhosen. There are also unconfirmed rumors that beer might be involved.
6. People From Fort Wayne Shrug Off Thunderstorms That Would Make You Hide Under Your Bed
Oh, was that the sound of the sky opening up unleashing several plagues upon the Earth? Your friends from Fort Wayne hardly noticed.
Fort Wayne’s humid climate, combined with its proximity to the Great Lakes, means an average of about forty thunderstorms a yearly, with hail, sleet and snow occasionally mixed in. Suffice to say, the people of Fort Wayne have developed a thick skin when it comes to weird weather.
7. Religious Or Not, Everybody Here Is A Churchgoer
Sometimes called the “City of Churches,” Fort Wayne is loaded with imposing, impressive places of worship. In total, the city is home to a whopping 360 churches, lest it be accused of not living up to its name.
So, even if you’re not the Sunday, church-going type (although most in Fort Wayne are), churches are a pretty big part of everyday life for locals—it’s where the community gathers for pretty much everything. Plus, they’re pretty, to boot.
8. When It Comes To Cooking Comfort Food, Fort Wayne Locals Could Give Any Southern Grandma A Run For Her Money
Shigs, Stadium, Henry’s, Powers, Tower, Red Rok, and Ziffles. If you’re not from Fort Wayne, that sentence includes a combination of random names and nonsense words. If you are from Fort Wayne, you’re already salivating.
When it comes to crazy good, rib-sticking, pound-packing eats—in particular, bbq and burgers—people from Fort Wayne will put their city up against pretty much anybody. Fort Wayne folks straight up knows good comfort food when they see it, because they see it in every corner of their city.
9. Fort Wayne Residents Just Might Be The Artsiest People In Indiana
Between the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, their huge number of arts festivals and outdoor installations, the major gallery scene and IPFW School of Fine and Performing Arts, you could make a solid case for the people of Fort Wayne being the artsiest in the state.
It hasn’t always been the case, but over the last few years, an art explosion has occurred downtown, with creative professionals taking advantage of the low cost of living, starting up businesses and living artistic lives. Increasingly, Fort Wayne folks are making their town look closer to Pacific Northwest than the Midwest.
10. For People From Fort Wayne, Christmas Is A Verb, Not A Noun
For most of the country “Christmas” is a noun, but for one month a year, people from Fort Wayne are capable of transcending grammatical correctness and turning the word into a verb.
Fort Wayne people, you see, know no restraint when it comes to lighting up, celebrating and getting good and cheerful. Their city is home to HolidayFest, which includes a Holiday Trolley giving holiday tours around town, a Festival of Gingerbread, a Festival of Trees, a Festival of Trains and we could go on here. Oh, and lights. There are lots and lots of lights.
Did we miss anything? Tell us what you think of Fort Wayne in the comments below! 
