I grew up in Southern California. I've also done a fair share of traveling over the years, and Southern California appears to have instilled a different native region culture into me, my cousins, and my friends that make us almost immediately identifiable as native Southern Californian millennials to nearly everyone I've met both in the United States and abroad. Here are six easy, often overtly identifiable traits of a native, Southern Californian millennial.
1. You likely treat every In-N-Out location like a heavenly domain.
In-N-Out is a Californian staple and even more so a Southern Californian staple. It's the standard fast-food hamburger joint. In-N-Out is where you made plenty of memories in high school or where you stopped to eat after your weekly beach trips.
2. Cropped sweaters are probably part of your (or your feminine sibling's) "winter" wardrobe.
Cropped sweaters are usually impractical, but there usually isn't much cold during the winters to be insulating one's body from anyway.
3. Your wardrobe is also probably comprised of a lot of athleisure clothing.
Young athletes and non-athletes alike can typically be found roaming the streets of Southern California's major cities and suburbs decked out in athletic and athleisure clothing, even if they're not exercising or if it's wintertime. Athletic-wear is popular among Americans nationwide, but Southern Californian millennials take that current obsession to another level.
4. You have a music playlist for driving that's exceptionally longer than those of your friends from other states or countries.
The horrors of Los Angeles traffic usually call for most young adults to compile extra-long driving playlists, which come in handy when there are ten collisions in a row on the freeway.
5. You (or a friend) surfs almost religiously.
You can surf in plenty of other places around the world, but Southern California's surfing culture is prevalent and pervasive. Almost every beach on the Southern Californian coast is teeming with surfers.
Even if you don't surf, you might have a wetsuit stored in the back of your closet just in case you need one for your next drive to the beach -- which is this weekend.
6. Unless you grew up closer to the border, you still struggle to believe fog isn't just smog.
The various industries, communities, and utilities of Southern California contribute to the not-so-picturesque haze that obscures nearly every Southern Californian's view of the sunset. The view of smog is especially memorable for younger Southern Californians that grew up with the thick haze permanently affixed to their photos of the skyline posted across social media.
