Despite its awful weather patterns (or rather lack of a pattern - it's pretty much just a mess all of the time), the great state of Ohio has its charms. It's home to Cedar Point, 8 U.S. presidents, and various Halls of Fame honoring things from rock and roll to professional football. This state has plenty of things to talk about, whether you're complaining or bragging. Here are 9 things that you will most likely see if you live in or travel to the Buckeye State.
1. Corn fields
If you are even the slightest bit outside of a large city in Ohio, you will probably pass at least one cornfield. Depending on the time of year you might not notice it, but when those stalks are up it really makes you realize that you're surrounded by corn and the only way to get out of it is to go somewhere else.
2. Cows
If you're not passing a corn field, you're probably passing a field of cows. You pass so many cows while driving it's likely that you either make a game out of it or know some old wives' tale about them - perhaps that they all lay down when it's about to rain (thanks mom).
3. Buckeye themed foods
Those little chocolate covered peanut butter balls are an Ohio favorite year round, but the love for one of our state symbols has seemed to grow beyond just a candy. If there's a way for a food (probably a dessert) to be buckeye flavored or even just shaped like the nut, it's going to happen. You'll either see it at a party or see the recipe plastered somewhere. You won't hear me complain about this one, I'm definitely on the buckeye bandwagon!
4. Ohio State EVERYTHING
Speaking of buckeyes, Ohio has a lot of love for its biggest and arguably most popular university. Pretty much anything you could think of you can find in Ohio State style.
5. Construction on the roads
Thanks to the weather there is always a pothole that needs filled or a road that needs repaved. I guess we should be thankful that our roads are being fixed and made safer, but why does it have to be year-round?
6. Crew necks
I didn't realize this until an out-of-stater at school pointed it out, but apparently people in Ohio wear a lot of crew necks. From our t shirts to our pullovers, the majority of our apparel is in this style. Now that I think about it, all of my high school t shirts are crew necks, and all the shirts I've seen from other schools are as well. College gives a few more options, but we still mainly buy crew necks because it's pretty much all we know!
7. Discount Drug Mart
This chain store can be found only in Ohio, and if you live here you've either been to one or at the very least seen their commercials at some point in your life. It's no wonder it's such a popular store - Discount Drug Mart saves you the runaround!
8. The 2016 Cavaliers Championship T Shirt
It was a HUGE deal in Ohio when the Cleveland Cavaliers won the 2016 NBA Championship. Lebron James, an Ohio native, promised for years to bring a championship to his home team, and he finally helped deliver us one. Ohians are incredibly proud of our Cavs, so much so that the commemorative t shirts that sold after the championship are something that one can't leave the house without seeing. I'm dead serious. If I go anywhere where there's going to be a crowd of people, I will almost certainly see at least one person wearing this shirt.
9. Competing sports merchandise
In football and baseball there are major league teams in both Cleveland and Cincinnati. This results in apparel for both teams all over Ohio - but never in the same place. Any given store will have Browns OR Bengals gear, or Indians OR Reds stuff, but not usually both. If they do have both, they're usually right next to each other just to make things awkward.
