Quirky Things About Your Town?

I started thinking about this last weekend.   Here In metro Denver, it is not unusual to see people park their cars at the side of roads or highways so they can hike up the mountain.  When I first moved here, I kept wondering why there were so many cars abandoned at the side of the road, only to find out it's just convenient parking for hikers. When I lived in Olympia, I was shocked that people would start their cars in the morning and just leave them running while they were in their houses getting ready for work.  In California, I can almost guarantee that if you did this, your car would be gone in .004 seconds.   The quirky thing about your town doesn't have to be car-related, these two examples just came to mind.   What sort of oddities (or odd to you) go on in your town? Kix

The oddest this about where I live is that I live there lol I live in Brant Lake But in the Town Of Horicon ....HOR-I-CON  I told my teenager when we moved here Just cause ya live there don't mean ya gotta be one lol  hehe Estelle

Inquiring minds need to know -- is it that you don't want her to be a HOR or a CON? Kix

Well I hope for neither!   The funny thing is my daughter is so good  she doesn't think my little joke is appropriate, she unlike her mother has couth  I duno how it happened but she is my Angel :)

Well, for starters, I live in Marquette, MI which is located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where it is often called "God's country" because of it's natural beauty and secludedness. Aside from the battle with explaining to people that we are part of Michigan and not Canada or Wisconsin, but when we are describing where something is in our state we use our hands as maps.  LOL  Take your right hand, palm facing you, fingers up and you've got lower Michigan.  (People will seriously tell you that they live in the 'thumb'  LOL) Then, take your left hand, palm facing you, fingers to the right and touch your left pinky to your right middle finger.  And you've got upper Michigan added!  LOL We're a whole different breed up here, but we like it that way.  LOL  (I'm just chuckling thinking of all of you putting your hands together for our 'map'  LOL  Don't believe me?  Go to www.MapQuest.com and search for Michigan...you'll see!  :)

I can vouch for this, having known many a Michigander in my life.  Every one of them holds up their hand and points to whichever part of the state their hometown sits.  I figured they much teach you guys this in kindergarten.   I have friends who grew up in White Pigeon (near the wrist), Detroit, Lansing, Holland, and Benton Harbor. I wonder how we Californians would "mime" our state with a body part?  I guess we could hook our arms in the shape of the Golden State.  In that case, my hometown (Sacramento) is near the crook of the arm.  This might work, but it isn't as charming as the Michigan hand. Kix

Well now, I am from Burton MI which is right next to Flint MI................  We have the 3rd highest crime rate in the country according to some magazine. I don't think it is that bad.  I too use my hand to show people where I live and yes I grew up in the Thumb!!!!!  Quirky thing about Burton...........Just a whole lot of Rednecks. They used to call it Burtuckey!!!!

Cleveland's Jewish population is over 5%.  Who knew?  Not me until a few years ago, and I grew up here but on the opposite side of town from the heavier concentrations of Jewish folks.  And now I live in a neighborhood that's primarily Orthodox Jews..  Side benefit is that I have access to some of the best bagels and schmeer in Ohio Cleveland is home to the Playhouse Square Center, which is the second-largest theater complex in the United States (second only to New York City's Lincoln Center).   Cleveland's Cuyahoga River was so polluted in the late 1960s, that it caught on fire and burned.  We've come a long way since then... We're home to the Cleveland Browns, the Cleveland Indians, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (take that, New York!!!), and the Great Lakes Science Center.  We're also a stone's throw from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Cleveland sports fan are a special breed -  When cars are abandoned on the side of the road here, it's because they are broken down or stolen then abandoned -  That's all that comes to mind for now - look forward to reading other people's quirky facts!! Kellie

Didn't Lake Erie burn, too, or am I remembering incorrectly? Cleveland is also home to a big pile of snow (at least that's what it looked like on NBC News tonight).  Our snow wasn't bad at all, it already melted. Kix

I think it was just the river that burned, but since it runs into Lake Erie I guess that's possible.  All the stories talk about the burning river.  Heck, there's even a local brewery called Burning River.  Life hands you lemons, make lemonade...   We are home to a huge, horkin' pile of snow.  The drift between my house and my neighbor's house was at least a foot deep.  I just plowed through it with my car this morning, and am hoping that the girlfriend's that off work today because of the snow will spend some time cleaning the driveway today.  More likely than not, I'll wind up doing it when I get home - outdoor tasks are usually my responsibility but I can be hopeful...   Glad to know your snow melted - hope it stays away for a few days so you can enjoy being out and about in the world! Kellie