Northern Michigan is unlike any other place. Rolling dunes, lots of cherries, quaint towns, and beautiful sandy beaches all make Up North a wonderful place to be. Located in the pinky of the Mitten is a town called Traverse City, MI. Maybe you’ve heard of it? Does Cherry Capital of the World ring a bell? Traverse City has been featured in many magazines for “The Nations Best Kept Secret”, “Best Small Town in America”, and “Best Beach Town in the US” just to name a few.Tourism is a huge part of the economy, and when the summer hits, all of the hotels on the parkway show “no vacancy”, and the festival rush moves on in. Living there gives you a different perspective on the city though. Here are a few signs that show you’re a Traverse City native.

1. When someone asks you where you’re from and their reaction is “My family vacations up there all the time!”
2. You know the word Fudgie isn’t a dessert.
3. And that word is feared.
4. You wear a street sign on your hoodies and t-shirts, but M22 means a whole lot more than just a road to you.
5. If you don’t have an M22 sticker of some sort on your car/laptop/forehead are you even from NoMich?
6. The city is run by Trojans, Titans, and Gladiators. And the rivalries are forever.
7. Thirlby Field is where Friday nights are spent in the fall.
8. In middle school, football games were social events and you would walk around Thirlby about a hundred times talking with your friends and scoping out your crush.
9. When Bardons was closing you almost had a mental break down. It’s still there guys, don’t worry.
10. Moomers ice cream is amazing and usually worth the wait in the line out the door. Just make sure the wind is blowing the right way. It is located next to a lot of cows you know.
11. The mall and downtown were the hangout spots before you got your driver’s license.
12. You know West End is where the party’s at and Clinch is more family oriented.
13. You’ve probably been on a date to Pirates Cove. Or at least a birthday party.
14. Driving by the bays never gets old.
15. Cherry festival traffic is the worst.
16. You must tweet/Facebook/MySpace how bad the traffic is and tell everyone how long it took for you to get to work.
17. You’ve rode the Zipper at the Midway because that’s what all the cool kids did. And hopefully lived to tell the tale.
18. You will never turn left onto the Parkway in the Summer.
19. You have come to terms with the fact that summer is most of June, July, and August. The rest is winter.
20. High 70's is perfect weather.
21. If you go to Pyramid Point and don’t post a photo were you actually at Pyramid point? No. You weren’t.
22. You know how to drive in 30 inches of snow with 0 visibility because school wasn’t closed that day.
23. You also know what it’s like to have school closed for a week because of all of the snow, no electricity, and being in a state of emergency,
24. You know the “Snow Day” ritual by heart.
25. Thinking about the Hickory hills tow rope still gives you nightmares.
26. You or a close friend has broken something at Crystal Mountain, Holiday, or Hickory skiing/snowboarding in the winter.
27. JP’s Mess was your go to breakfast meal until it sadly closed, now J&S Hamburg is the 24 hour spot.
28. You know SUP doesn’t just mean “What’s Up?”
29. You have a relative you always send “Cherry Republic” stuff, too.
30. There’s “famous” Traverse City families that everyone knows. “No way you’re a (insert last name here)?!”
31. You still question why our Pro Baseball team is called the “Beach Bums”, but shrug it off and go watch the great American pastime anyway.
32. Cheddar Ale soup from North Peak. Enough said.
33. ALL OF THE FOOD GUYS.
34. We’ve all been scared at the Old State Hospital Grounds.
35. And climbed that Hippy Tree that’s supposedly a portal to hell.
36. You've "illegally" jumped off the Pier. Oops.
37. And you've jumped into the Boardman River off of that TART trail bridge once or twice. Sorry mom.
38. For Prom/Homecoming you go to the Open Space to take photos.
39. It would suck if two schools had it on the same night because it gets crowded down there.
40. Dons Drive in shakes are life changing.
41. *gets friend request* “hey, it says they're from TC, I’ve probably seen them before!” *accepts*
42. You’re used to being close to the water at all times.
43. You got your boater’s safety license in 6^th grade so you could drive a jetski with your mom.
44. Hiking, fishing, boating, floating, being outside is how you spend your summer.
45. Opening day of deer season means low attendance at work and at school.
46. You and your friends' "meeting spot" was/is the parking lot of your high school.
47. You are more than proud to be from one of Michigan's best cities