It's bittersweet, you know? Leaving college to come home for the summer? Or just leaving your hometown in general. But, there are just a few tell tale signs as to why your hometown will always have that special place in your heart. Even if you claim you have moved on to bigger and better things.

1) The house you grew up in

Whether your family decided to move or not over the years, you still get chills driving by the house where you first learned how to ride your bike, or once hide and seek with your younger brother in. Little things like this make that hometown even more special than before. Can I be a kid again?

2) Your elementary, middle, and high schools

Going there at the time, you probably never thought you'd actually want to drive past them ever again. No, not the middle school memories. But those "prisons" you used to attend made you into the person you are today, surprisingly enough. Remember your first kiss on the playground? Those horrible bus rides back and forth to school?

3) That old diner that has an endless menu

Every time you go home you find yourself pulled back to the diner you went to countless amounts of times growing up. Why? Because somehow no matter where you now live, you find yourself craving something random from there, no matter how many amazing food places fill your new town.

4) You find yourself comparing anything to "well in my hometown there is ..."

Don't lie, we're all guilty of this. Whether or not it is comparing the grocery stores, seasonings, beers, fast food joints, etc.. And leave it to that one friend to say, "I've never heard of that?" Duh, because you're not from my hometown.

5) The specific spots that only "natives" know about

If your hometown is like mine and fills with tourist come summer time, there are always those back roads that lead you to the prettiest spots you discovered randomly four summers ago.

6) Your "state pride" and love for anyone who can vouch for how awesome the town you grew up in is.

"You're from ____ too? No way!" I can personally say that when I find out someone is also from my hometown, I freak out. It's like automatically finding a new best friend. You ramble on and on about how much you miss all the unique things your town has to offer and how you can't wait to go to ____ when you get home.

7) The specific atmosphere that you can't find anywhere else

Whether or not it is a small town vibe, or the hustle and bustle of a big city, the things that go on around you are what makes your hometown, your hometown forever. It can be something as simple as the way the sun rises in the morning or the specific smells those family run restaurants fill the air with. No matter what it may be exactly, you know where I'm coming from.

Now, close your eyes and what is the first thing you see when thinking of your hometown? I'm guessing it's one of the things I listed off above.