1. New Englanders Handle Winter Better Than You
No one in the world handles snow better than New Englanders. And we should, we sure do get a ton of it (and I mean a ton). But we’re no nonsense about it. We bulldoze that stuff and keep it moving…snow days are for suckers.
2. A New England Lobster Roll And Clam Chowder Taste Like Home
“Lobstah” rolls and clam “chowdah” are the foods of New England. Um, hello! It’s called New England Clam Chowdah (get outta here, Manhattan chowder…you poser). And a lobstah roll is just without a doubt the most incredible thing you’ll ever taste. No one does lobster rolls like New England. That’s simply a fact.
3. You Know What A Leaf Peeper Is…And Wish You Didn’t
Come Autumn in New England, we all inevitably have to deal with the “leaf peepers.” Leaf peepers are the tourists (aka New Yorkers….) who come to New England every Fall to see our leaves. Don’t get me wrong, we have some incredible Autumn scenery so we can see why they flock to us in ridiculous numbers.
That being said, they drive really slow, don’t pay attention to where they’re going, and they make the lines absurdly longer at all of our local restaurants and shops. Basically, as much as we love Autumn, we dread leaf peeper season.
4. Tom Brady Is Your God
Tom Brady is New England’s God. Everyone might as well bow down and say a prayer to Brady every day, football season or not.
And—for those of you reading this who are Giants fans—I’m sorry…it’s just a fact that Brady is New England’s No. 1 pride and joy.
5. And New England Sports Are Your Religion
There is nothing in the world quite like New England sports rivalries. The way we follow our teams is comparable to how one follows a religion. Everything—I mean everything—is about which side of the rivalry you’re on.
Patriots vs. Giants…Yankees vs. Red Sox. Regardless of which side you choose, there’s nothing like the New England sports rivalries anywhere else in the country.
6. Winter Means Family Ski Vacations
If you’re from Vermont, Maine, or New Hampshire, you’re at the mountain from the minute ski season begins to the minute it ends. And all summer you’re just counting the minutes until it’s ski season again.
For the rest of New England not fortunate enough to live in one of those states, we’re still close enough so that our families have inevitably dragged us up to some tiny cabin in the woods at least once in our lives so that we can sip hot cocoa at ski lodges for seven days while our more adventurous friends and siblings hit the slopes.
7. When Outsiders Bash Dunkin’ Donuts, New Englander’s Feel Personally Offended
To those people who are not from New England, D&D is just your every-day, run of the mill coffee place that’s nothing to freak out about. But, in New England, D&D is a way of life and we’re baffled by anyone who disagrees.
First off, D&D’s are literally everywhere. If you’re driving in a New England town and you miss a Dunkin Donuts, do not fret, you will inevitably pass another one in 0.5 seconds.
Sometimes we pretend to be classy and head to Starbucks, but—at the end of the day—we always come crawling back to D&D, ashamed at ourselves that we even thought about Starbucks Blonde Roast for a second. You’ll always be our No. 1, Dunkin Donuts, don’t you worry!
8. Everyone In New England Has Gone On The Field Trip To Old Sturbridge Village
Every New Englander child has inevitably made the trip to Old Sturbridge Village at some point during their elementary school career. Sturbridge Village is where actors dress up and act like they’re living in colonial times. It’s a totally quintessential New England experience: basically, if you grew up here, you learned how to use a spinning wheel and make your own butter thanks to this lovely school trip.
9. Folks In New England Feel A Sense Of Ownership Over Ben And Jerry’s Ice Cream
Even if you haven’t actually been to the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Vermont, you inevitably feel a sense of pride whenever people talk about how incredibly delicious Ben and Jerry’s ice cream is.
We are super excited whenever they come out with a new flavor (“Americone Dream”….), and super sad whenever they discontinue an old one (Still haven’t gotten over the death of “Makin’ Whoopie Pie”)
10. New Englanders Can Visit Five Different States In A Single Afternoon
Speaking of how close we are to one another, the best part about New England is that you can drive two hours in any direction and be in a new state. It’s possible to be in every New England state all in one day. That’s what makes our region so special. As unique as we all are, when it comes down to it we’re all New Englanders first and foremost.
Feature Image Source: Flickr user greyloch 
