13 Legitimate Signs That You Grew Up In Connecticut

1. You despise taxes. You have come to understand that nothing is free and you are the most cynical person in the room when it comes to taxes. Some people mistake this for being frugal or use it to try and guess which party you belong to. But taxes have nothing to do with politics for you. At this point it's like a personal vendetta.



2. You don't trust politicians. Even as a kid you heard stories of what some corrupt guy in Hartford was in trouble for. Anyone who claims they can make big changes, manage the budget or generally improve the state makes you uneasy. Growing up in this state has contributed greatly to making you a realist and a generally no b.s. constituent.



3. You tell people where you live based on the nearest large city. It's a hard habit to break, and unfortunately Connecticut is one of the most forgotten states in the country. Telling people what town you grew up in is useless because they have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, so instead you say something like "I'm a 30 minute train ride from New York." Even folks who move away keep this up, because it actually seems to work.

4. You prefer trees over any other scenery. Plains, fields and mountains are great for a holiday escape but you're never more relaxed than when you're amongst the trees. You probably love forest trails and dream of having a big back yard with a forest of your very own. After all, it's beauty and privacy wrapped in to one.



5. You are always looking for the back way. You hate taking the highway and you hate traffic, so you've made it your life mission to find the backway everywhere. You tackle every opportunity to travel the winding backroads and nobody can stop you.



6. You don't like Connecticut. This is a pretty quiet state, so you can only feel strongly about it if you have strong ties to it. Anyone who dislikes the state is probably a resident. We currently have the highest rate of migration, mostly due to the cost of living, and even the older residents are getting tired. But it's a love hate relationship really, because this place will always be home.

7. You appreciate the magic of the beach. You grew up in Connecticut on the still waters of the Long Island Sound, so you never took it for granted as just a place to surf or boogie board. You know that the beach is about lighthouses, sandcastles, horseshoe crabs and hanging out with family.



8. You know that Connecticut is nothing like the movies. Plenty of movies have been filmed here and you laugh at how much Hollywood folks romanticize life in our small state. Mystic Pizza, Gilmore Girls and Stepford Wives have sent plenty of tourists here to poke around, but we're actually a pretty normal up to date state.

9. You're an ice cream snob. You've been eating homemade, hand churned, farm fresh ice cream since you were a kid and you're not going to stop now. You're willing to make long drives for truly delicious seasonal flavors, and while frozen yogurt is great for convenience, you know in your heart it will never top going to the farm.



10. You can't get enough of thin crust pizza. A New Haven specialty, you're not impressed by cheese stuffed crust and other abominations. You skip the gimmicks and go straight to the crispy brick oven creations. You also know that Connecticut pizza is better than New York's, no matter what anyone else thinks.



11. You know what a package store is. Bonus points if you've ever gone on a "packy run." For those of you who don't know, this means going to pick up alcohol. But the phrase and the stores it came from are dying out, so if you know this one and still use it you're a super resident.

12. You are obsessed with autumn. While some folks can't wait for the holidays and other states plan spring celebrations, we are all about the fall. You plan trips to see the foliage, you pick your own apples and you buy gallons of cider. But the cherry on top is the apple cider donuts.



13. You enjoy the paranormal. Autumns is also when you can enjoy haunted attractions but you get that all year round since you live in the most haunted state in the country. You grew up hearing about local things that were haunted and even if you didn't believe it you still used the stories to scare other kids. As a true Nutmegger, you're not afraid of ghosts.