10. Noble fir Christmas trees for $20! Or chop your own in the forest for $5.

9. There are so many recycling options, I never enrolled for city curb-side garbage pick up. 

8. Dry county? There’s no such thing. And there’s no rampant, alcohol-fueled crime either.

7. Pseudoephedrine is available by prescription only. (You may only appreciate this if you’ve lived in a community where families are regularly destroyed by methamphetamine.) 

6. Beavers. Are. Awesome. Just stare at this picture of one for two minutes. You will start to giggle. Also, the beaver is on the back (yes, there’s a back) of the state flag. It is the only state flag with a B side. So that might actually count as two awesome things.

5. By law, someone else pumps my gas. And I don’t have to tip them. 

4. The oyster po’ boy at The Schooner in Netarts is better than anything I ever had in New Orleans. 

3. My car’s air conditioning has been broke for probably a year, but I’ve never needed it.

2. Beer. There are 131 brewing facilities operating in 54 Oregon cities (including Pacific City here in Tillamook County.) Portland has more breweries than any other city in the world.

1. Only two local colloquialisms that I’ve heard so far, but they are adorable. “Spendy” (as in expensive) and “rig” in place of car. So when more than the air conditioning gives out, I may need to get myself a spendy rig.