You Know You're From California When...

Culture isn’t just what’s in your blood, it’s your environment, too. Regional traditions, vocabulary, and trends are a big deal, especially in the large state of California. As a CA native, I’m well-versed with the most common customs of the Golden State.

1. Silicon Valley vs. Hollywood. Pick an industry.

2. You went on a Gold Rush field trip in elementary school.

3. Northern California loves the word “hella”, and Southern California despises it.

4. People from other states always assume you live next door to a celebrity (no, not everyone lives near Hollywood)

5. ‘Dude’, ‘stoked’, ‘gnarly’, ‘bro’, ‘sick’, ‘rad’, and other surfer slang has a permanent place in your vocabulary.

6. Disneyland was never as big of a deal as nonCalifornians made it out to be.

7. Flips flops are acceptable year-round (preferably Rainbows).

8. You have a basic understanding of Spanish, even if you never took a formal class.

9. Yoga, eating clean, and other healthy ‘trends’ have been a part of your life since the beginning.

10. Going to college in-state is awesome; California has the best public university systems in the nation!

11. Snow is a pretty foreign concept.

12. Avocados are life.

13. InNOut Burger. That is all.

14. You know what “the 101” means.

15. What is humidity?

16. Yolo County isn’t some weird Drake joke.

17. You say P.E. instead of Gym.

18. You have seriously considered vegetarianism at least one point in your life.

19. Everyone owns a Pizza My heart shirt.

20. It’s called ‘The City’ or ‘SF’, not ‘San Fran’ or ‘Frisco’

21. Anything under 50 degrees is freezing.

Claire Tran is a 17 year-old girl living in sunny Northern California. Somehow, she balances her crazy life of advanced academics in the International Baccalaureate program, yoga classes, volunteer work at the local children's science museum, and her small crochet business. Her true passions are music and marketing, and hopes to one day combine those two into a career!