When people hear you're from Indiana they ALWAYS say, "Isn't that country?" "How far do you have to walk to get to your closes store?" Despite what you think of Indiana we have a lot more to offer than just corn and miles of land..

1. The beauty

If you have never been to Turkey Run, Indiana Dunes, Eagle Creek or Downtown Indianapolis you are seriously missing out. If you seriously thought we had flat land everywhere you thought wrong my friend. Recently I went to Indiana Dunes for the second year in a row and it is extremely b e a u t i f u l even with the hot sand mountains. If you look close enough you can see Chicago's Skyline also which is pretty cool. ( by the way Indiana Dunes is the picture below)

2. We are the home of the greatest race in the world.

I am not talking about NASCAR, but that is here too... I'm talking about Indy 500 the race that brings thousands of people to witness the fastest race on earth.. Personally I am not a big fan of the race since I live here and have to witness the traffic every year.

3. Basketball fans

Basketball fans in Indiana are as die hard as fans can be.. It might be in your best interest to avoid speaking negatively of anything basketball related, because Hoosiers love their basketball. So much so that 15 of the 16 largest basketball auditoriums in the country belong to high schools in Indiana.

4. Steak n' Shake

I believe Steak n' Shake is cheaper than McDonalds. You can find one on almost every corner you go to.. Their shakes are to die for. Hands down the best place to eat other than Taco Bell of course..

5. The weather

Indiana weather is Bipolar. Wouldn't surprise me if we had snow in July.. Christmas in July, anyone??

6. Indiana has produced worldwide legends.

The man that taught us all how to moonwalk and the thriller dance was reared in Gary, Indiana, but this great state is also called home by other famous celebs. For instance, David Letterman and James Dean were both proud Hoosiers, along with John Mellencamp (who still lives here) and the Subway Guy! And don’t forget Johnny Appleseed I am pretty proud of that one.

7. The massive number of corn mazes make Halloweens tough to beat.

Indiana most likely takes the cake when it comes to the state with the most cornfields per square foot. But they sure know how to put them to good use. You can either walk them during the day to see if you can solve the maze, or go in October and maybe get carried away by the guy from Jeepers Creepers. Your choice, bud.

8. We take holidays a little too seriously here.

Over half a million letters and Christmas wish lists are mailed to Indiana every holiday season. Why? Because Santa is all over the town that’s named after him: Santa Claus, Indiana. It’s home to Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, the coolest little holiday themed amusement park in the world. You can catch a ride on one of the world’s two longest water coasters, Wildebeast and Mammoth, and then hang out with the Easter Bunny all in one day.

9. St. Elmo Steak House out-grills all other steak houses.

People who love to dine in style hit up the world famous St. Elmo Steak House. The food here is so scrumptious that Forbes declared it to be one of the “10 Great Classic Restaurants Well Worth Visiting.” That list was made up of restaurants from all over the planet..

Fun fact: NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” filmed Ron Swanson’s bachelor party at St. Elmo’s

10. This state is more gay friendly than yours.

That small little college city in the south called Bloomington, affectionately known as B-town, has claimed the title of “4th Gayest City in America.” It has the fifth largest gay households per-capita in the nation, showing that a state known for it’s traditional values certainly isn’t afraid of a little love and diversity. Not saying everyone here accepts gays but EVERYWHERE has haters. As T. Swift says, Haters gonna hate but baby I'm just gonna shake it off.

11. Indiana gave you the man who freed slaves.

America’s favorite president of all time was raised in Indiana. We pretty proud of that, as we should be. So proud that they have a wonderful museum all about Abraham Lincoln. Make it a point to check it out when you can.

13. Don't call it a fly-over state.

Hoosiers are friendly people but do not call their state a fly over state. But after reading this list you probably don’t think of the Hoosier state as a place to simply fly over any longer, anyway.