How to know you're a region rat

Fifty ways to know if you are a Region Rat (Northwest Indiana)

This list is characteristic of the Northwest region of Indiana, Chicago, and Chicago suburbs. Northwest Indiana is actually quite different than the rest of the state. To understand this list, a reference key will be at the bottom and the number on this list will correspond to that number on the key.

50 If anyone asks where you are from that is not from da region you tell them Chicago.
49 You are pale as a ghost from the lack of sun.
48 Oil tanks are more common than trees in your neighborhood.
47 You don't know anything about farming...at least not legal farming.
46 When you need to run out to the store you go to Jewel.
45 You call the interstate the "Tollroad"
44 You know what good pizza tastes like, and its not Papa John's.
43 Running red lights is normal!
42 Midway's not an island, its an airport.
41 You know the night sky is not black, its orange!
40 You know roads are just a place for trains to park across.
39 Only a true region rat can tell which town they are in at any given time.
38 You love Kohl's (store).
37 You measure distance in minutes instead of miles.
36 You understand what "Lake-Effect" is.
35 You don't pronounce the 's' in Illinois and you get aggravated when people do.
34 "What's a sheriff?"
33 School isn't cancelled unless there is at least 20 feet of snow on the ground.
32 You know more about what's going on in Illinois than Indiana.
31 You don't drink soda, you drink pop.
30 You don't consider pigs as being a domestic pet.
29 Your favorite holiday movie is "A Christmas Story."
28 You can see downtown Chicago from your neighborhood, yet it takes an hour to get there!
27 You think bridges were invented to cross railroad tracks, not rivers.
26 You like White Castle.
25 Your bumper is rusted from road salt.
24 You know that country music sucks.
23 Sometimes you forget that Indiana HAS a football team (Colts?)
22 You don't "Cruise the strip."
21 You are skilled at lane changing and know that "All five lanes on I-80 were MEANT to be used!"
20 You can appreciate the humor of Mancow.
19 You know that beaches exist in places other than Florida and California.
18 You always keep at least $5 in change in your car for tolls.
17 You think all amusement parks are called "Great America"
16 You know that not all passenger trains are powered by steam.
15 You're neighborhood IS a proposed third airport.
14 You know better than to light a match within 5 miles of the Little Calumet River .
13 What the hell is Hardee's?
12 You're not really a "Hoosier"
11 Even though you go to school three hours away, you still cant help but watch WGN news on cable each night.
10 You have motion-sensor lights on your garage and house, but don't lock the doors on either of them!
9 You leave your car running in the parking lot at the store.
8 You end sentences with unnecessary prepositions ("Where is my coat at?" or "I want to go with!")
7 You forget we even have a county fair.
6 Who needs a county fair anyway when there is August Fest?
5 There is only one LAKE, everything else is a pond.
4 Everyone else at the gas station is from Illinois.
3 The "northern lights" are the flames from Amoco's refinery.
2 You think anything south of US-30 is "Southern Indiana"
1 588-2300-EMPIIIIIIIRE or 773-202-Lunaaaaaaaaa

Reference Key (aka: what does this malarkey mean?)


36: That means, ultimately, wind, snow, and contrition.
33: School is never canceled!
32: Sometimes I get confused and think my mayor is really "Dickie" Daley.
29: "A Christmas Story" is, aside from the best Christmas movie ever, a regional gem. The movie is set in post WWII Northwest Indiana and was filmed in Hammond, Indiana.
28: You can see Chicago's Loop from Michigan City, Indiana!
25: "da Region" is infamous for abundant salt usage during the severe weather.
22: Strip cruising is, as far as I know, only being done in LaPorte and that's it.
20: Mancow is a Chicago disk jockey... he's not for the faint at heart either.
13: More like, "Where the Hell is Hardee's?"
6:Clarification: August Fest refers to Oktoberfest which is held somewhere from late August to Labor day.
5: I believe Lake Michigan Speaks for itself.
2: This is not only thought but believed
1: 588-2300-empire is the phone number for the famed Chicago Empire carpet store. Depending on where you live, remember to dial area code 312 first.