10 Signs You Grew Up In Alaska

The Last Frontier is one unique place to call home. It's also strangely baffling to people from Outside. For those of us who've moved south, here's a reminder of what makes the Great Land so great.

1. You can correctly pronounce Valdez, Knik, Juneau, and Kotzebue.

And you know that Chicken, Deadhorse, King Salmon, and Buffalo Soapstone are all legit names for a community.

2. You get irrationally angry when people ask you if Alaska is an island or part of Mexico, Canada, or Russia.

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Have they simply never looked at a map before?

3. You've had to explain repeatedly that you're an American citizen.

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We've all had that boss who asks to see your green card. Or that one co-worker who compliments you on picking up English so quickly.

4. You sideeye people who use the term 'continuous states'.

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The word is contiguous. Or you could act like a local and just call it the Lower 48.

5. You're sick and tired of being asked about Sarah Palin and her accent.

Get with it, the rest of America. She's so five years ago.

6. Driving over permafrost grooves and potholes is strangely comforting.

Or it would be, if you weren't busy screaming at the tourist in the RV going down New Seward at 25 MPH.

7. You get overly excited whenever you hear that the Lights are out.

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But they never mean those Lights. Ever.

8. National brand commercials fill you with sadness.

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Seriously why is everything so far away? We didn't even have Olive Garden until 2011.

9. All you ever wanted to do was get the hell out of Alaska.

NYC, L.A., Detroit, you weren't picky. You just wanted out.

10. But in the end, there's no place you'd rather call home.

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It's not the size of the city that matters, it's the size of the mountains in the background.