When you have lived your whole life in West Virginia, you realize that there are two main groups: The people with so much West Virginia pride that you'd think they bleed blue and gold and the people who cannot wait to get out and move far, far away. But, love it or hate it, there are things that annoy every West Virginian.

1. When you tell people you're from West Virginia and they say something like "Oh, I've been to Richmond before"

I am 99.99% sure that when you're in middle school, you learn there are 50 states. What do they think the 50 states are? If, in their mind, West Virginia is western Virginia, what are they making up? Where is this new state and can I visit it?

2. People who assume that just because you're a West Virginian, you love country music

I, for one, do not like country music. I listen to it when I am with family because of course, they like it, but in my free time, I enjoy a good heavy metal song or the nice alternative beat. Country — not so much. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I hate it or anything, but I don't love it the way I am "supposed" to.

3. Jokes about being hillbillies

Don't get me wrong, I went to high school with the typical hillbilly — rubs snuff, wears boots, and you can hardly understand what they say — but we ARE NOT all like that. For example, I went on a mission trip last year and a comment was made about being 16, barefoot, and pregnant. A girl (who was, of course, joking, but still) made a comment along the lines of "Well, we do have people from West Virginia here." Yes, she was kidding, and yes, it was all in good fun, but there really are people who think that everyone in West Virginia is like that.

4. Jokes about us marrying our cousins

Trust me, I am close with my family — so close to the point that we go on family vacations every year (30+ a year). But after a week, I am ready to strangle them. As a matter of fact, I don't know a soul that has married their cousin, so I have no clue where that stereotype came from.

5. That we are all uneducated, fat, and/or do drugs

Like EVERY OTHER STATE, we, of course, have people like that in our state. But we aren't all like that. I have met people from different states and their intelligence doesn't come close to that of some of my closest friends from West Virginia. We also aren't all fat; we have our occasional chunky person, but literally every state has overweight people. It's not an uncommon thing. And West Virginia does have its drug issues, there is no denying that. But there are other states who are just as bad, so people putting so much blame on West Virginia for drug problems is completely unnecessary.

One last thing to say — "LET'S GO, MOUNTAINEERS!"