20 Signs You Grew Up In Southern California

Ah, Southern California, conjuring images of sunshine, palm trees, glamour, and movie stars around the globe. SoCal is a special place with a unique culture and it’s always easy to spot a true native from the flocking tourists. Here are 20 signs you grew up in Southern California.

1. Water falling from the sky signifies anarchy and the end of the world.

The instant it starts to rain, everyone forgets how to drive and no one dares leave their house. People would rather continue to live in a drought than be confronted with rain.

2. You would never dream of jaywalking because you live in the one place where cops actually give jaywalking tickets.

Despite all the privileges pedestrians are given in California, SoCal is the one place where officers will write jaywalking tickets.

3. You know In-n-Out’s secret menu by heart and pity those without In-n-Out.

In-n-Out is the iconic staple fast food of California. Life without In-n-Out is unimaginable to a true Southern Californian, yet most of the country lives without it.

4. You have never used the word “Cali” to refer to California and laugh at tourists who use the world.

Using “Cali” is a dead give away of a tourist because no one in California will ever call California, “Cali”.

5. Half your friends are out-of-work actors waiting for their big break.

Wanna-be stars flock to SoCal and it’s never difficult to find someone dreaming of abandoning their career to pursue show business. You probably don’t know any successful actors, but you definitely know actors.

6. You’re always looking to catch your school in a commercial or movie.

Even if only for a second, it’s always fun to catch places you know on TV. You hate the actual filming part, which is often a huge inconvenience, but later you can brag to all your friends about knowing the filming location very well.

7. Your non-Californian friends think you drive too aggressively, but you know it’s the only way to get where you need to be.

No one understands that time is money like a SoCal native. Some people drive like there’s nowhere to go, but never you. The people of Southern California know how to get from point A to point B using whatever means necessary.

8. You prepare for a 30-minute drive to go two miles.

You also use the phrase “depending on traffic” entirely too much. It’s impossible to correctly guess travel time in SoCal because so much depends on the unpredictable traffic.

9. Everyone wants to know how many celebrities you know and you are always prepared with a story of meeting Tom Cruise.

People don’t understand that SoCal is much more than Hollywood and movie studios, and therefore everyone expects you to have met at least one major celebrity. But even if you don’t know anyone famous, you like to tell about that time you saw someone that resembled Angelina Jolie.

10. You go to Disneyland on a weekly basis and don’t think any of it.

Some people save for years and take months to plan their Disneyland vacation but you’ve been there so often (SoCal resident pass!) it isn’t even special anymore.

11. You think every restaurant must have a vegetarian or vegan menu.

You’ve gone vegan for at least a week and if you aren’t a vegan, you at least know one. Finding vegan food in a SoCal restaurant usually isn’t too difficult, but the moment you leave SoCal it’s nearly impossible.

12. Earthquake drills are as common as fire drills.

You might not have blizzards or tornadoes or hurricanes or storms, but earthquakes are real. You have spent hours over the course of your life hiding under a table in preparation for earthquakes and you don’t think anything of them when they finally come.                                                                        

13. You know at least one person whose house has been destroyed by a forest fire.

Forest fires are one of only a few natural disasters that plague California. SoCal has traded in rain storms for forest fires.

14. You will argue about the superiority of Southern California to Northern California for hours.

You also believe California should be split into two states.

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15. You use “the” to refer to highways. The 5, the 405.

You spend almost as much time talking about how to get somewhere as you do to get somewhere, and one of the most highly valued skills is navigation.

16. You think you speak Spanish, even if you don’t.

You took four years of Spanish in high school and hear Spanish so much, so you must be fluent.

17. Everyone assumes you are from Los Angeles. And by Los Angeles, they mean Hollywood.

It doesn’t matter what city you are actually from, everyone outside of SoCal thinks you live in Los Angeles. They also think Hollywood and the entire movie industry is in Los Angeles.

18. You think flip-flops are the greatest footwear and suitable for any occasion.

The majority of your shoes are flip-flops and when you have to dress nicely, you reluctantly resort to sandals.

19. The only acceptable temperature range is 65-80 degrees. Anything else and you don’t leave your house.

You are extremely picky about your weather and others laugh at your definitions of freezing and burning hot.

20. You’re all about organic, fresh produce and only shop at farmers’ markets, Whole Foods, or Trader Joe’s.

You are as picky about your food as you are your weather. You are always willing to try new health foods regardless of taste and you firmly believe everything must be all organic and non-GMO.

Can you think of any more signs you grew up in Southern California? Share in the comments below!

*This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

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