Growing up in a small town, leaving said small town, and then having to explain where you're from to curious people you encounter for the rest of your life is exhausting.
Sure, people are mostly familiar with the 50 states, but when someone asks "Where are you from?" they usually want specifics like towns, noteworthy landmarks nearby, etc.
Trying to explain geography to someone completely unfamiliar with an area is tough, and finally, Twitter users have found a way to accurately illustrate the frustration associated with describing your place of origin.
Behold: The hometown meme.
The meme is simple. First, you pose the dreaded question: "Where are you from?" Then, answer with the appropriate state, and watch as you fall into the inevitable hometown trap.
After unsuccessfully explaining where you grew up, you give into the pressure. In a desperate attempt to end the conversation, you wind up saying you live near the most well known town/landmark in your state and are related to a famous resident.
Take Connecticut, for example. Not everyone knows where Wallingford is, so sometimes you just have to lie and say you grew up a hop, skip, and jump away from good old Yale University.
“Where are you from?”
“Connecticut”
“Where in Connecticut”
“Wallingford”
“Oh okay where’s that by?”
“Meriden, Cheshire, Durham,etc.”
“Umm where?”
“New Haven. I live in New Haven. Right next to Yale.” https://t.co/LPNTOHTDel— lola julia (@lolajulia5) May 29, 2018
Did you grow up in a rarely discussed town in Chicago? No, you did not. You grew up in Millennium Park. Actually, you ARE The Bean.
“Where you from?”
“Illinois”
“Where in Illinois?”
“Crystal Lake”
“Ohh ok what’s that by?”
“Huntley, Algonquin, McHenry, etc”
“Um where?”
“Chicago.... I’m from Chicago. I live in Millennium Park. I am the bean.” https://t.co/C3vz8mbSy8— rain (@ryan_sinacore) May 26, 2018
Oh you're from Texas? Definitely Dallas, though I'm sure Austin might work, too. Or Houston. Where? Where Beyoncé's from. Oh! Yes!
“Where you from?”
“TX”
“Where in TX?”
“Frisco”
“Ohh, what it near?”
“McKinney, Plano, etc.”
“Huh?”
“Dallas... I’m from Dallas,TX”— jaylin?™️ (@JayyWavve) October 11, 2017
“Where you from?”
“TX”
“Where in TX?”
“Denton”
“Ohh, what it near?”
“UNT, Lewisville, McKinney, etc”
“Huh?”
“Dallas... I’m from Dallas. I live at Fair Park on the fair grounds. I am Big Tex.” https://t.co/K0a7ml48Jf— NICK (@nickhines12) May 23, 2018
In New York there is obviously only one place to live and that's Manhattan.
“Where are you from?”
“New York”
“Where in New York”
“Copiague”
“Where is it by”
“Massapequa, Lindenhurst , farmingdale ?”
“Huh??”
“Manhattan I live in manhattan, I preform on broadway every night have martinis with Barbara streidsand and live in The Statue of Liberty https://t.co/Hd1IGDZGRl— cass? (@boricuanegritaa) May 27, 2018
“Where are you from?”
“NY”
“Where in NY?”
“Massapequa, Long Island”
“What’s it near???”
“Jones Beach....Fire Island”
“Huhh?”
“Manhattan, I’m from NYC baby. My father is Billy Joel, we live under the red steps in Time Square and I have a subway rat as a pet.” https://t.co/mczT3oshKd— Alanna Levine (@24Levine) May 27, 2018
Ohio? Must be Cleveland.
"Where you from"
"Ohio"
"What part?"
"Willoughby"
"What's it by?"
"Eastlake, Mentor, Willoughby Hills"
"Huh?"
"Cleveland. I literally live inside the Cavs Stadium and I exclusively drink from Lake Erie. My piss is flammable" https://t.co/sCZTshqPBJ— ?Madeline Franz? (@MadelineEFranz) March 1, 2018
Virginia? Oh sure, you live by the White House.
“where you from”
“northern virginia”
“what part?”
“gainesville”
“what’s it by?”
“manassas, bristow, haymarket”
“huh?”
“DC, i’m from DC. i live right by the white house” https://t.co/YhvfdbJsNl— kayla gabrielle (@kaylacoleman16) February 28, 2018
How fun it must have been to grow up in Florida in the parking lot of Disney World.
“Where you from?”
“Florida.”
“What part of Florida?”
“Merritt Island.”
“What’s it by?”
“Cocoa Beach, Cape Canaveral, NASA?”
“Huh?”
“Orlando, I’m from Disney.” https://t.co/6bro7B7R8Y— JΛKE (@JacobJenkins116) February 24, 2018
Though the meme is taking over Twitter timelines at the moment, it's not new. In fact, it surged in popularity several other times, including earlier this year in February.
“Where you from?”
“California”
“What part of California?”
“The East Bay”
“What’s it by?”
“Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Berkeley, Oakland”
“Huh?”
“San Francisco. I live on the Golden Gate Bridge.” https://t.co/LuBgz0TC60— emma. ♐️ (@emmagiomi) March 1, 2018
If Twitter has taught us anything it's that state-related memes are very relatable, and we all need to start looking at maps.
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