Just what defines a Flatlander

[RailroadJoe]

Why not the best. I'm an American!

[SteveA]

Looks like it's a term used all over the country.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/defin...erm=flatlander

I really like the old "saying", orginally from Vermont when a relatively new resident said,

"I know I'll never be a a native Vermonter, but our children were born here so at least they will be Vermonters"

To which the reply from a "native" was... "If your cat had her kittens in the oven, you wouldn't call them muffins, would you?"

I think the only folks that can make any sort of claim of "native" status would
be the folks that were here when the first europeans showed up. But even that has been challenged.

http://americanhistory.suite101.com/...irst_americans

I'll go with Railroad Joe... I'm an American that currently lives in and loves New Hampshire.

[Slickcraft]

When we lived in southern NH, those from south of the state border were often considered flatlanders. Now in central NH, flatlanders may include those from southern NH and south. I suppose that up in Woodstock flatlanders include may those in central NH and south especially those that once moved here like us.

But I tend to believe that behavior is the real issue. If you are comfortable splitting at least some wood and running a wood stove, hammering at least a few nails, dealing easily with a foot of snow, operating at least a small chain saw efficiently, know which side of the road is the south side so you don't reply "is that the right or left side", you don't stop and gawk if there is a deer or a moose on the side of the road, and so on, then you are on the way to avoiding a flatlander label.

[Argie's Wife]

So this discussion begs the question: "At what point are you an NH Native?"

Here's the answer (and for full disclosure - I did not write this... but find it oh, so true!)


Ready?





For those in New Hampshire - laugh; for those who are no longer in NH - reminisce; and for those of you who are just lucky enough to know someone in NH -- maybe this will help you better understand them.


Your idea of a traffic jam is 10 cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway.

Vacation means going up north to Pittsburg for the weekend.

You measure distance in hours.

You know several people that have hit deer more than once.

You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again.

You use a down comforter in the summer.

You drive at 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching.

You see people wearing hunting clothes at social events or church.

You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

You think of the major food groups as venison, cider, fish, and berries.

You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend/wife knows how to use them. (This one is for Angela!)

There are 7 empty cars running in the parking lot at Cricenti's Market at any given time.

Your Grammie's birthday party was in the town hall and the whole town showed up.

You design your kids Halloween costume to fit over their snowsuit.

Driving is better in winter because all the potholes are filled with snow.

You know at least one person who has hit a moose.

You know all four seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction. (and maybe a 5th -- mud!) (Or -- tourist, foliage, skiing and mud)

It takes you 3 hours to go to the store for milk even when you're in a hurry because you have to stop and talk to everyone in town.

Your uncle mows the town common.

You buy your Christmas presents at the feed and grain store.

You've pulled over to let a flock of wild turkeys (or pheasants) cross the road.

You define summer as three months of bad sledding.

Snow tires come standard on all your cars and trucks.

You can't go barefoot until the snow is gone from the top of Mt. Moosilauke.

You refer to the Patriots as "we".

You can identify a Massachusetts accent.

You keep your potatoes and onions "down cella", and your canned goods on shelves in the "cella-way".

You know what cow-tipping is.

"Down South" to you means Boston.

You consider Manchester exotic.

You can actually pronounce "Kancamagus" and know what it is.

You know what a bubbler is.

Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new machine shed.

You can recognize someone from Massachusetts from their driving.

You drink soda and refer to your dad or grandpa as "Pop".

You ride your ski-doo to meet your friends at a restaurant for dinner, and that's how they get there too!

You can actually pronounce and spell "Winnipesauke".
(Yeeesssss! My fav!)

You know where Contoocook is, and how to pronounce it.

You can visit Berlin, New London, Bethlehem, Lisbon, Lebanon and Dublin all in one afternoon.

You only know three spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup.

You're proud of the only NH President, though he's not remembered for much.

You've visited the homestead of Franklin Pierce, because he's the only President from New Hampshire.

You've seen mosquitoes with landing lights.

The local paper covers major headlines on one page, but requires four pages for local sports.

At least twice a year, your kitchen doubles as a meat processing plant.

Your snow blower gets stuck on the roof.

You think the start of deer season is a national holiday.

You find 0 degrees a little chilly.

You actually understand these jokes, and you just cut, pasted, and forwarded them to all your New Hampshire friends!

[BroadHopper]

My grandfather who is from VT calls 'outsiders', flatlanders. My dad follows suit. I do too. As a true NH native, I was able to live with a 'Tom Sawyer / Huck Finn' mentality. NH was a true 'Live free or die' state until recently.

I think a flatlander are those that move into the state with the hope of bringing the state up to their 'level of ideology and mentality'. They call it progress.

Thank You for letting us be aware of what you think is right and wrong. I am happy the way things were. Now the NH natives have a big mess to fix.

My Guess is to call 'flatlanders', 'Southern Democrats'.

[jmen24]

AW,
YES, that list hits the nail directly on the head and the funny thing is the only thing that is not accurate on that list for me is that it was my grandfather that mowed the town lawns, not my uncle!

The one about mileage in hours is with out a doubt the funniest one up there and is so true. I know its 45 min door to door to my folks place, but have no idea how many miles it is. This one is true NH, no one tells you how far, just how long.

I'll add a few more.

I drive all week and do not pass through a single traffic light. (about 350 miles per week)

You show up to help hay the field on a 90 degree day in July in long pants, boots and a long sleeved shirt.

Your tractor is worth more than your truck.

You have more than one person you can call if you get stuck in anything up to a skidder and none of them own a tow truck.

Going for a hike consists of walking to the back boundary of your property.

The block and tackle stays on the ridge pole all year long, because you will never know when you might need it.

You do not turn down the chance to take home a deer that someone else hit with their car.

You laugh when you are stuck behind someone that slows down for a frost heave and then drives straight into the center of it.

When you pronounce Berlin the emphasis is on the E not the I, we are not in Germany.

I have more but I will leave it at that.

[Lakesrider]

"Flatlander" is basically discriminatory in nature. If your not one of us, you are one of them. Sayings like that should have passed into oblivion by now, but we are a still a bigoted country. You might not think so but when you call someone a "Flatlander" look at the reaction you get. People feel hurt, left out or unwanted. Perfect description of Discrimination still alive and well in our America!

[SAMIAM]

I see it a little differently, Lakesrider. I'm a native but many of my good friends are "flatlanders"........I don't think of it as derogatory at all. I believe most locals think of flatlanders just as people from south of NH such as Mass, NY, Conn and NJ......I've never heard that term to describe someone who moves here from Vermont or Maine.
Anyone who is nice to others seems to blend right in and most people don't even think about it. Just my $.02.

[jmen24]

Originally Posted by SAMIAM

I see it a little differently, Lakesrider. I'm a native but many of my good friends are "flatlanders"........I don't think of it as derogatory at all. I believe most locals think of flatlanders just as people from south of NH such as Mass, NY, Conn and NJ......I've never heard that term to describe someone who moves here from Vermont or Maine.
Anyone who is nice to others seems to blend right in and most people don't even think about it. Just my $.02.

You have hit is right on the head, it is more of a joke. But, you can in fact be from NH and be a flatlander and live north of Concord as well.

I have not known anyone to call someone a flatlander to there face in a way to make them feel bad.

[LIforrelaxin]

So as I read this thread I see many of the great post I thought I would see. But I also see some of the post I knew I would see but hoped I wouldn't. People please don't take this thread the wrong way. I don't mean to entitle the word "Flatlander" to be a discriminatory, or derogatory term. I meant this thread to give it some definition. What kinds of things remind some one of a flatlander. Much the way driving a beat-up old pickup, with a can of skoal, and a cowboy hat, make people think of the term Redneck.

In my mind everyone, even the most native of native NH'ites is capable of pulling a "flatlander" move....

[tis]

Originally Posted by jmen24

You have hit is right on the head, it is more of a joke. But, you can in fact be from NH and be a flatlander and live north of Concord as well.

I have not known anyone to call someone a flatlander to there face in a way to make them feel bad.

This IS an interesting thread. I always wondered what the definition of a flatlander actually was. I think to me it is someone who lives south of us and as Sam said it can be in NH, but I think generally it would be very southern NH, where most of the people were from Mass. originally. And yet, I don't think people from NJ, NY, PA. etc are flatlanders, so it seems mostly to be New England. Or not?? It was always mostly a joke with us, living on the lake we always had lots of friends from south of us. But then there were those other flatlanders that weren't so nice---- .
The one thing I really don't like is those (mentioned by others here) who MOVE here because they like a way it is, and then take over and change it. They act like they know more than we natives do. They spoil our towns.

[CrawfordCentury]

Originally Posted by jmen24

Crawford, you remind me of a buddy of mine that owns a farm in Hill. When we go golfing, he wears overalls, a flannel shirt, spiked golf sandals with wool socks and a straw hat. But he talks with the same style that you type with, thanks.

Sounds like an interesting fella.

Not a golfer myself. To wit, up until a few years back, I thought a Mulligan was Gilligan's younger brother. Or else a kind of stew.

From what little I've gleaned of golf, I'm led to believe that both of my reckonings are incorrect.

No straw hat, neither. The ladies tell me it's a crime against humanity to be coveren up my luxuriant wavey amber locks.

[Argie's Wife]

Originally Posted by Lakesrider

"Flatlander" is basically discriminatory in nature. If your not one of us, you are one of them. Sayings like that should have passed into oblivion by now, but we are a still a bigoted country. You might not think so but when you call someone a "Flatlander" look at the reaction you get. People feel hurt, left out or unwanted. Perfect description of Discrimination still alive and well in our America!

I wouldn't go so far as to call it discrimination and don't see Flatlander Rights being violated or a Flatlander Pride march going on...

...I see it as the intent of the word...

Any word can become offensive - if you let it - and use it as a weapon - either by the intent in which you use it or a special meaning you give it.


I had my oldest Argelet drop a little verbal bomb on me the other day. I think he was trying a new word just to see the effect it would have. I told him that he couldn't shock me and his words had no power over me but that he could expect to get in trouble for using it at school, if he wished to find that out on his own. Funny how that just took the wind outta his sails...

[LadyJane]

I lived for several years in a beautiful little town in the northwest hills of Ct. I loved it ! But my family had not lived there for several generations, streets were not named after my ancestors, I was not part of the history of the town....so I was a "flatlander". I always felt a little "out of the loop"....like I didn't truly belong. You're right....it is basically a descriminatory label.

[jmen24]

Here is a quick list of things that may make you a flatlander.

Your garbage bags constantly get attacked by animals and you have no idea how to fix the problem.

You pay someone else to take your garbage to the dump. (does not include a dumpster)

You will not allow you dog to go to the bathroom on your own property, but have no problem walking it down the street to go on your neighbors.

You slow down for a frost heave and then make no effort to steer away from the worst part of it.

You worry about what other folks think of your yard and therefore make it completely unusable for you and your family.

You have called the cops on someone you do not know for doing something you should not care about.

You move into an area that has been the same way for 50 years or more and complain about the things that are wrong with it.

You have to call a friend to borrow a truck for the weekend.

Your hammer, screw drivers and power tools are all as clean as the day you bought them, 6 years ago.

You get your car washed right after a snow storm when the weather is predicted to warm up.

When you lose power in the winter, you actually have food that is in your frig, spoil by just leaving it in there. Or, you go to the grocery store the day before the storm and buy more than 1 gallon of milk in case you lose power.

If you actually took the time to read the above lines to see if any apply, you might be a flatlander.

[TOAD]

Flatlanders don't know how to play a banjo! It's a dead giveaway.

[Lakesrider]

Sorry I should have said when used in the context of describing someone in say a patronizing way....

Such as "Oh he doesn't belong here. He is a Flatlander...
My point is instead of saying oh he is new in town...it is oh he is a Flatlander.

Just tips my boat the wrong way to describe anyone as different.....

I did not mean to preach.

[CrawfordCentury]

Originally Posted by jmen24

AW,

When you pronounce Berlin the emphasis is on the E not the I, we are not in Germany.

I'm old school. Pronounce it like the capital of Germany - the way it was originally before we entered WWI.

They were gonna change the name of the city after we got involved in the fight. But then they realized they'd have to print up all new letter head, invest in new signage, etc. Pretty spendy when the beancounters went into green visor mode and tallied things up. So some inventive soul suggested they put the emphasis on the other syllable to differentiate NH's Berlin from the Hun.

Honest to golly, that's a true story. Don't know what kinda bee the folks in Milan have in their bonnets.

[jmen24]

I have one more.

When you are out hunting and you get a big deer. When you buddy asks you how far you have to drag back to the truck you reply, "About three blocks."

I actually own a video that the man says this exact phrase.

Crawford, you remind me of a buddy of mine that owns a farm in Hill. When we go golfing, he wears overalls, a flannel shirt, spiked golf sandals with wool socks and a straw hat. But he talks with the same style that you type with, thanks.

[jmen24]

Originally Posted by Argie's Wife

You can actually pronounce and spell "Winnipesauke".
(Yeeesssss! My fav!)

Alright AW, no else picked up on it so I will have to. Here is your sign.

It is a good thing you said you did not write this.

[RI Swamp Yankee]

Originally Posted by Argie's Wife

....
You drink soda and refer to your dad or grandpa as "Pop".

Not Soda - Tonic is what you drink.