As a Western New Yorker, I know there are many things that are personal to us and our little culture. The following are things that typical Western New Yorkers tend to see/experience on a daily basis.
You're Probably from Western New York If...
You have spent your entire life growing up next to farms. There are probably more cows than people in your hometown, if it's anything like mine. You know everybody on a first name basis, and everyone knows you. There's no leaving the house without running into someone you went to high school with, so always be prepared.
You can name every person you went to high school with. In my graduating class, there were only 129 students. Because of this, I knew everyone in my graduating class and everyone knew me. Most of the people who I went to high school with I had known for a good portion of my life.
There is snow for at least 5 months out of the year. I think we all can agree that Western New Yorkers experience a lot of the worst that winter has to offer. It typically begins snowing, or at least the first snowfall occurs, in November and continues to snow until early April. Occasionally we are granted with a beautiful day that only New York can offer, but these days are scarce.
No one has heard of your hometown. I hate when people ask me where I'm from. When I respond with "Dansville, NY," no one ever knows what I'm talking about. I normally have to refer to Rochester, which is an hour away from Dansville, for people to have a general idea of where my hometown is located. A lot of Western New York is filled with small towns in the middle of nowhere with strange names that no one has ever heard of. It's a part of the culture.
Your town is full of "hicks" and "hillbillies." One of the more negative aspects of living in this region of New York is the fact that many people who reside in our small towns are small-minded and backward thinking. They tend to be racist and sexist due to their upbringing and personal beliefs. Of course, this is not to say that all people in Western New York behave in this manner, but some do. While driving through Western New York, one might happen to see several "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN" signs in residents' lawns. It is frustrating to be surrounded by this type of behavior when you are a liberal Democrat, but I guess that's what makes hometowns special. This also means that there was a least one girl in your school who wore a camouflage dress to prom. Never forget!
Everyone enjoys hunting. Again, this is where I have to say I do not agree with the typical Western New Yorker mindset. Everywhere you go, you'll see antlers hung up on the wall or a picture of someone holding up a dead animal on social media. I never understood the attraction.
Western New York has a very special way of forcing people to love it. Whether you want to or not, you always find yourself coming home to the peace of the rural countryside. We who were born and raised in Western New York are a special kind of breed.
