Maryland is a unique state. It is the birthplace of the National Anthem and the home of Old Bay and the best crabs. If you're from Maryland, you understand the special things about our state, from our flag to the fact that jousting is the state sport. So, in honor of my home state, here is a list of 19 things that are just so Maryland.

1. Our state flag is the best flag.

So majestic. So recognizable. So Maryland.

2. You have the state flag everywhere.

That means having it on all and any clothes. And on decorations on your wall, hanging in front of your house, and on a bumper sticker on the back of your car.

3. Maryland crabs are the best crabs, and crabs from anywhere else just aren't as good.

"Crab cakes and football, that's what Maryland does."

4. Pizza is best when it's square.

Ledo's Pizza started in College Park, MD, and it's one of the best pizza places in the state.

5. The DMV stands for DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

It refers to the DC metropolitan area, not the Department of Motor Vehicles.

6. Ravens or Redskins?

Will you side with Baltimore or DC on this one?

7. Nats or O's?

Are you feeling more Birdland or Bryce Harper?

8. You can't sing the national anthem without screaming "O!"

Yes, that's why Michael Phelps, a proud Marylander, laughed during the national anthem. His friends shouted the "O!"

9. Ocean City is simultaneously one of the worst and best places to go.

Fun for families, and fun if you want to lose your dignity for a weekend.

10. Old Bay is bae.

Perfect for crabs, chicken, fries, chips...

11. The Bay Bridge is terrifying but pretty cool at the same time.

Five miles long and the gateway to the Eastern Shore.

12. The state sport is jousting.

Don't worry, lacrosse is still important. It's the state team sport.

13. Singing Good Morning Baltimore whenever you drive into Baltimore, regardless of the time of day.

It's something you just have to do.

14. The mountains are cool, and so is the ocean.

We have both, so it's no wonder Maryland is called America in Miniature.

15. Experiencing all four seasons distinctively.

Yet for some reason, people still lose it when it snows.

16. The traffic sucks.

495 and 270. Need I say more?

17. Not being claimed by the north or the south.

The northerners think we're southern, and the southerners call us yankees. We'll just accept our fate as the awkward middle child and claim the mid-atlantic as our region.

18. We have cities and the country.

From Baltimore to the farmland on the eastern shore, we have it all.

19. Pronouncing it "Merlin" and not "Maryland".

Furthermore, you don't pronounce the "t" in "Baltimore".