19 Signs You're Most Definitely From the Good-Old Midwest

First of all, we come from a place that has very distinct seasons, and we celebrate Fall with the best of them. Fall means everything pumpkin, trick-or-treating in our neighborhood, apple picking, hay rides, etc.

It was important growing up to learn manners, and your parents and grandparents absolutely made sure you had them. To this day, you probably still hold doors open for people, say please and thanks, and respect your elders. Good on you.

Look, snow days were a big deal, and most likely, your school district only granted them in extreme conditions. If it was just some flurries, your school bus would still come barreling down the street to take you to school. I always crossed my fingers for the extreme windchill, because that meant no snow but also no school.

There will always be those outliers who still think it's soda in the Midwest, but trust me when I say it's definitely pop.

I will never forget my first tornado drill in first grade when we actually had a tornado warning and had to get under our desks. Not my favorite day of school.

We ate a whole lot of casseroles in our house — and I know many people call them hot dish. Tuna noodle, chicken noodle, broccoli cheese, tater tot casserole, etc. They were all delicious.

Basically 50 degrees meant Summer, which obviously meant shorts weather. When I moved to Florida for college, I was amazed at how many Floridians were still wearing coats when the weather was above 70. Blew my freakin' mind.

There wasn't a whole lot to do in the Midwest, but bonfires were always a good idea. We even had school-sanctioned bonfires monitored by the fire department so the whole town could get in on it. They were a very big deal.

Our entire town shut down on Friday nights for football games. I know football is big in places like Texas and elsewhere in the South, but it was also a huge deal in the Midwest. Once again, mostly because of the lack of other things to do.

Have I mentioned that there's not a lot to do in the Midwest? I spent a lot of time at Walmart with my friends, partially because our Walmart was open 24 hours. Holla!

The beauty of the Midwest is that you can just drive. You can get in your car and go and not have to worry about traffic or the cost of gas or getting too lost.

It may or may not have been you who lived on the farm, but you definitely had friends who did.

Whether or not you were a regular churchgoer, you definitely went at least for Christmas, probably because your grandma insisted.

State fairs and even county fairs are very important to Midwesterners. We even had a day off school for the county fair where I come from. This was a great place to go with your friends to see the animals, ride the rides, and show off your artwork that was on display and hope that you won a first-place ribbon.

I firmly believe that I don't have an accent at all, but my New York friends and California friends like to say that I do. Maybe it's the inflection when I say things like, "No way!" or how I can't properly say "oil," but I don't really know.

You sweep with a broom and you also sweep with a vacuum. You use a vacuum to sweep the floor before supper. End of story.

I have dreams about Bob Evans's sunshine skillet that I can't get anywhere in New York. And don't even get me started on Steak 'n Shake's chicken fingers. I once drove miles out of the way in Tennessee to get to a Steak 'n Shake. It was worth it.

You might have shown animals at the fair in 4-H or you might have been like me and just did sewing, cooking, writing, and photography projects, but most likely you were in 4-H for at least one Summer. (I did five, no big deal.)

As much as I love New York and want to stay here forever, I'm still so glad that I grew up in the Midwest that I can still go back and visit. It's a great escape from the hustle and bustle of everywhere else in this country.