If you’re from here, you know it. Hunterdon County, the quant county hiding on the western border of New Jersey, is something different. If you’re not from here, you’ve probably never even heard of it. Honestly, I think we like it that way. This place is our secret treasure, our diamond in the rough that is this great state. We certainly do things differently around here, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Here are ten things that mean something completely different to people from Hunterdon County, New Jersey.

1. Traffic.

This infamous word is usually brought up around cities or highways- something that Hunterdon County has none of. Instead, our idea of traffic means that someone is stuck behind a tractor in lane too small to pass. It’s a slightly terrifying experience, especially if there’s a line behind you.

2. “I live in the middle of nowhere.”

This is a pretty common phrase, and it is used heavily for those living on the outskirts of a suburb, still a mere half hour from a city. But when we say we live in the middle of nowhere, we mean it. And if you’re living in Kingwood, you’re truly in the middle of nowhere. And if your high school is surrounded by a corn field (Delaware Valley) you definitely fit the bill.

3. The Tea Table.

Maybe to out-of-towners, this sounds like an elegant British restaurant, but to us, it’s one of the most beautiful views in the entire county -- if you can find it, that is. Good luck maneuvering your way down Route 12 and Kingwood to try and find this beautiful spot where the devil himself hangs out.

4. Secrets.

In a normal town, secrets are a thing. Not everyone knows your business, which one of your cousins got married, who failed out of class, and who got in a fight with their mom. But here, secrets are something we only joke about. Everyone knows everything, and no one forgets it.

5. Jimmy’s.

To anyone else, Jimmy’s sounds like the beginning of a phrase. You know, “Jimmy’s dog,” or “Jimmy’s pencil.” But no. Here, Jimmy’s is all you have to say to know. There is only one ice cream place that truly takes the cake (actually, there’s two -- Polar Cub is pretty good, too!) and Jimmy’s is something everyone dreams about on a hot summer day. Good luck finding a place to park (and waiting in that long line).

6. The Mill.

Mills are usually something that remind people of colonial times or a faraway land. But here, they’re everywhere. The most famous mill happens to be the Red Mill and Museum in Clinton, where every October the Haunted Mill comes alive. But there are other mills, too, in Holland Township, Milford, and more. You never know where a mill will pop up -- another Hunterdon County signature!

7. Musicals.

To anyone else, musicals may be quite little numbers that middle schools put on to entertain parents. But in Hunterdon County, musicals are a big deal for every high school. Since Broadway is so close, the pressure is on to have the best production and be nominated for a Rising Star award. And if one school takes a show that another did last year it’s really not pretty.

8. Getting Gas.

It seems that every other state, besides Oregon, has messed up. They actually require residents to step outside their cars, open the tank up, and fill gas all by themselves. But here, we don’t have to get out of our car if it’s 80 degrees outside or 8 degrees (and it very well could be both in the same year). Getting gas is easy in Hunterdon County, and all of New Jersey, for that matter. We just pull up to our favorite place (Wawa, Citgo, QuickChek) and ask the friendly workers to fill it up with regular. Hunterdon County makes this pretty easy for us.

9. Family.

Chances are, if you’re living in a big city, you maybe have one or two of your family members within an hour’s distance. But here, families live together, well, for basically ever. There are even streets named after families who have been there (Anderson, Kappus, anyone?). Families don’t really come and go from this county, and generations make this beautiful place their home. It’s definitely not a rarity to find your best friend’s great grandparents in the high school hall of fame pictures.

10. Home.

Maybe to you, home means the half-acre that your house resides on and your family that’s inside. But to Hunterdon County, home is the five acres of land your house is on, the family inside that house, the neighbors on both sides, and everyone you know. Yes, the homes are beautiful here, and yes the land is spacious.

But what makes Hunterdon County home is the people who inhabit it, the families who have been here for hundreds of years, the teachers that your parents had when they were in high school and you now have, your best friend that you’ve known since first grade. Hunterdon County makes a home better than any place I’ve ever known.

So maybe some days you get sick of this place. You wish a movie theatre wasn’t at least a half hour away, a mall wasn’t an hour away, and you could walk to your friends’ houses.

But at the same time, Hunterdon County gives us something no other place can: love. It gives us a place to get gas without stepping outside, to see our family on the regular, to make lifelong friends from the time you’re three years old. It gives us everything that the good life quires, and I truly believe there is no better place to grow up and reside.

We might be a little different out here in the woods, but maybe, we just happen to do it better.