21 Ways to Tell Seattle Transplants and Locals Apart

According to census data, 61% of the people living in Seattle weren't actually born here, which means more than half of the population is just screwing things up for the rest of us by making traffic worse and... um, ensuring we have one of the fastest growing economies in the country (?!). Okay, so maybe transplants aren't all bad, but they are a little different, so we came up with 21 ways to tell 'em apart from Seattle locals...

Transplants: Came here to work for Amazon.
Locals: Wish you’d actually moved to the Amazon.

Transplants: Are Sounders fans.
Locals: Were sounders fans. When they played at Memorial Stadium and sold out the Kingdome to watch Pelé.

Wikimedia/Joe Mabel

Transplants: Think Ballard is a trendy, hip neighborhood.
Locals: Refuse to go to Ballard. Except maybe to buy lutefisk.

Transplants: Complain about the constant rain.
Locals: Don’t notice it’s raining.

Transplants: Own umbrellas.
Locals: Own polar fleece. Possibly with a hood.

Transplants: Use the left lane to pass.
Locals: Use it to go 50. In a Prius.

Transplants: Think of Steve Largent as a senator.
Locals: Say Steve Largent is probably the only Republican they’d ever vote for. Until Russell Wilson runs.

Wikimedia/Cacophony

Transplants: Refer to our major North-South freeway as “The 5.”
Locals: Will only use those words in a sentence if it finishes “-ing white guys.”

Transplants: Probably don’t get the joke above.
Locals: Wish John Keister’s new show was as good as Almost Live!

Transplants: Wear parkas when the temperature hits 60.
Locals: Bust out the shorts and flip flops when the temperature hits 60, but also still wear polar fleece.

Transplants: Are shocked we don’t have any Wal-Marts.
Locals: Are shocked anyone actually shops at Wal-Mart.

Chona Kasinger/Thrillist

Transplants: Try to pay at Dick’s with a credit card.
Locals: Can tell you that the cost of a Deluxe, fries, and a chocolate shake is $6.85, $7.50 with tax. And they carry exact change.

Transplants: Think Seattle is pretty cool, but the weather sucks.
Locals: Think Seattle used to be pretty cool, but the weather’s really not that bad.

Transplants: Love how many Starbucks there are here.
Locals: Secretly love how many Starbucks there are here.

Transplants: Know Sir Mix-a-Lot as the guy who did "Baby Got Back."
Locals: Smile every time they turn left at 23rd and Union.

Flickr/Magnus Larsson

Transplants: Expect Seattle to look like it does in the movies.
Locals: Know that was actually Vancouver, where transplants are welcome to move by the way.

Transplants:Do make traffic worse (especially if they drive like this).
Locals: Blame Californians every time a bridge goes up.

Transplants: Aren’t really Sonics fans.
Locals: Really hate the Thunder.

Transplants: Have no idea how to pronounce Pee-ewalup… um, Pewallop… Puyallup?
Locals: Can totally pronounce it, but who cares? It’s not like we’re ever going there.

Chona Kasinger/Thrillist

Transplants: Can’t wait to shop at Pike Place Market.
Locals: Only go to Pike Place Market when people from out-of-town visit.

Transplants: Hopefully find lists like this funny.
Locals: Will invariably accuse the author of this list of not being from Seattle in the comments section.

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