If you tell people you’re from Hunterdon County, New Jersey, you’ll probably be given a blank stare and maybe an “Oh, okay,” as a nice gesture, because no one seems to know where it is. There’s not much to do, you have to drive everywhere, and the population is divided into two sections: hicks and everyone else. So, here are some things that anyone from HC will know:
1. “Traffic” isn’t actually traffic.
It’s more like two cars stuck behind a tractor for five miles on County Road 519.
2. Wanting to walk somewhere?
That doesn’t exist. Any type of civilization is at least a 20-minute drive.
3. Nothing is a secret.
You go to a high school with 1,000 students, so gossip spreads like wildfire within five minutes of it actually happening. Half of the time, other people know your secrets before you even do.
4. Thinking you’re going to your friend's house around the block?
Nope! That’s also a 10-minute drive, and if you’re going through Kingwood, you’ll be there in about 30 minutes. So sit back and enjoy the view of nonstop fields.
5. Everyone gets lost coming to your house.
When your friends from college come to visit, expect to receive numerous calls asking if they’re going in the right direction and telling you that your town looks like a scene from "The Walking Dead." If they have AT&T, good luck trying to get a call or message to go through because apparently, the only cell towers around here are Verizon.
6. You’re not able to hide from anyone who saw your awkward phase.
Hoping that you'll be able to meet new people in high school that didn't see you hit puberty? That's probably not possible because you most likely know a majority of the people from each district by the time you're in middle school.
7. Each town has a different stereotype.
Judging people based on what district they’re from is basically like "The Hunger Games." Oh, you’re from Holland? Not anymore. While living in Hunterdon County, you quickly realize that all the towns get new names and stereotypes. I won’t go into detail, but I think you know where I’m going with this.
8. People “hang out” in the most bizarre places.
Going to Wawa or going to a rodeo? Being hungry between the hours of 8 p.m. and midnight means you have yet another chance to see the local high school hicks or wannabe farmers hanging out in the parking lot in the back of their pickup trucks.
9. Speaking of pickup trucks...
They’re basically what a majority of the high school population drove to school. Adding a Confederate flag on the back really was the icing on the cake.
10. Hunterdon County sounds like a foreign country to other people.
People that don’t live in the area automatically assume you live on a farm. And people that visit think they’re in another state.
11. There's only a scenic route.
While driving through the small towns in rural Hunterdon, there is only one route, which is the scenic route.
When you go to visit your friends in other areas, it’s like culture shock because you can’t believe people actually live in populated areas other than your own. But when you go home to HC, you appreciate it more and more.
