Top 15 Signs That You Grew Up In the Pittsburgh Area
Every person thinks their town is the best. While our society might expect everyone’s story line to read the same, we believe that it is uniqueness that really makes someone an interesting character. From quirks to downright weirdness, here are the signs you grew up in the Pittsburgh area. We want you to know that we appreciate all 15 of these quacky things about you!
1. You bleed Black & Gold
You don’t truly understand this statement unless you live near the ‘Burgh. Bleeding black and gold is not just a thing you say, it is a way of life. Watch a Steelers game in freezing temperatures? Yes, because it’s called loyalty. Grow up thinking “Big Ben” is a Steelers football player and not in London? Yes, because no one is as Big as our Ben. Tailgate and give food to strangers? Yes, because at the end of the day, we all bleed the same Steely hues. Because there is no where else in the world we’d rather be than a Steelers game.
2. Sydney Crosby is the sexiest penguin you’ve ever seen.
If you live near Pittsburgh, it’s a time-honored tradition to see a Penguins game and of the signs you grew up in the Pittsburgh area . There is nothing that bonds a father and daughter together more than watching a man’s face get smashed into the glass so hard that he loses his front teeth. And I think its safe to say that every little Pittsburgh girl has imaged that one day she would be married to Sydney Crosby(and hopefully all of this teeth). A penguins game is good for a date and good for the family. And it’s a heck of a lot more fun than the zoo.
3. In a way, our love of stuffed dough brings us together. These advocates of gooey peace are called Perogies.
If you live around Pittsburgh than you eat perogies. If you move away from Pittsburgh, you cry because you miss perogies. Either way, you are always dreaming of these delicious Polish wonders. With a large Polish population that migrated to Pittsburgh in the past, it’s no surprise that every family in the ‘Burgh, no matter where they came from, eat perogies.
4. You were rocking the utilitarian style before it was vogue.
It can be argued that a cities’ aesthetics mirror its inhabitants. In other words, the local people’s styles reflect their personality. Pittsburgh people are strong, hardworking, and they take no bull. The utilitarian style is the everyday style for most in the Steel City. They wear outfits that say “I’m practical and yet I’m beautiful.” So whether or not its in vogue at the moment, Pittsburgh people have a style that stays true to who they are: beautiful and powerful.
5. You have an entire closet dedicated to coats.
With the cold seasons stretching from September to April in Western Pennsylvania, it gives all of the signs you grew up in the Pittsburgh area. From leather to bomber jackets, from pea to car coats, there is never an unfashionable or cold moment for Pittsburgh people. It is as Clinton Kelly always said, “You can always tell a fashionable woman by how many coats she has in her closet.”
6. Drive your tractor to school day is a real thing.
Growing up in a rural area, it always astounded me that people could drive their tractors so far. It was always the last school day before prom and there it was: A parking lot full of people who were tailgating on their tractors instead of cars. Because why not invite your biology teacher to eat bacon with you on the back of your John Deere? One of the huge signs you grew up in the Pittsburgh area.
7. No matter who you ask, the best restaurant is Primanti Bros.
Where else in the country can you get a sandwich with cole slaw, French fries, and meat piled between two Italian slices of bread? Originating right here in Western Pa, Primanti Bros is a beloved staple and everyday favorite of every Pittsburgh person you will ever meet. There are so many wonderful things about Pittsburgh and you can ponder them all while being food-drunk on a Primanti’s sandwich.
8. Country music was lighting up the parties in Western Pennsylvania way before it was lighting up the Nashville skyline.
When you grow up in the rurals of Western Pa, country music is not just a song, it’s an anthem. It tells the story of your life on the farm, the backwoods parties with your special someone, and your fishing trips with your dad. The lyrics paint your lives’ poetry. So why wouldn’t it be the first station you turn on in the ‘Burgh?
9. Due to the large amounts of rural land, you have every hunting season memorized.
Buck, doe, bear, turkey, the list goes on and on. A real Pennsylvanian, especially in the Western areas, know how to hunt. You hunt, you teach your kids to hunt, you tell your grandpa to stop shooting at the FedEx man who isn’t wild game. If you’re in the Pittsburgh area, you have a gun and you have a wall with at least one animal head on it.
10. Lake Erie is where you go to see our version of the “ocean”.
We may not live near the ocean in Western Pa, but we do live near one of the most beautiful Great Lakes. The signs you grew up in the Pittsburgh area is nothing like taking a short trip to Lake Erie and spending the day lakeside with your picnic lunch and your best girlfriends. There’s nothing like taking the people you love for a kayaking trip to Lake Erie and then eat a nice fish dinner at one of the nearby restaurants. It may not be the ocean, but it’s not too shabby for Pennsylvania either.
11. There is always a campground within an hour’s drive.
Everyone in Western Pa has some sort of connection with camping. Maybe you used to go with your parents when you were little or maybe you go with your friends. You can even defy modern society and simply go yourself for some meditation time. As strange as it sounds, sometimes a few days away without a reliably hot shower, stove, and wifi can be just what your system needs to refresh. People around here know that some of the best kept secrets in life are seen around a crackling fire at night, while you gaze at a sky filled with a thousand stars, all reminding you that life is beautiful.
12. We don’t eat sandwiches, we eat hoagies.
This word is only in the vocabulary of certain regions of the U.S. and one of them is Pittsburgh. I remember growing up and having “hoagie day” at school. My family would get coupons for free hoagies in the mail. You could have a sandwich and be boring. But Pittsburgh people couldn’t be further from boring. We take a nice loaf of bread, cut it open, and fill it with meats and vegetables until its seams are bursting. And we don’t say we’re sorry.
13. Everyone you know is either of Irish or Italian decent. (Mangiare, Mangiare)
The early settlers of Western Pennslyvania consisted largely of Irish and Italian settlers. Its no wonder that everywhere you go has large amounts of great food made by generations and generations of Italian and Irish families. Although I can attest that the old tale of the Italian and Irish being at odds may be true….it is also true that no matter where you go, you are sure to meet some colorful and kind people. These people will also be willing to feed you until you have to be rolled home. You’ve been warned by the signs you grew up in the Pittsburgh area.
14. I don’t care who calls it “soda” its not-it’s “pop”.
Sock hops and soda shops may have been a thing of the past, but soda is not something you will find in the signs you grew up in the Pittsburgh area. This carbonated wonder will forever be known as “pop” in the Steel City. We aren’t sure where it came from, but the name pop never left. It is synonymous with our area of the country and we love it.
15. You know that you grew up in one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Wise people know that life doesn’t stay the same, much like the seasons in Western Pa. With the changing of the seasons comes the realization that you can change too. Nature reminds you that you can be better, be more kind, be more unique, reach your dreams. A drive through Western Pennsylvania is surrounded by rolling green hills and trees, where the leaves are rainbows of colors in Autumn. Those of us who live here know that our land is beautiful and so are we.
