Ah, Palatine. No, not Palestine, the state in the Middle-east. A northwest suburb of Chicago, with just about 70,000 people living in it, including me- until I left for college this past year. I have lived in three houses in Palatine, all within a 5 minute radius of each other. These eight things are for sure signs you grew up in the ever-famous, "P-town."

1. Pirates vs. Vikings, there is no in-between.

If you are from Palatine, you either went to one of two high schools. Palatine High School, on the north side of the railroad tracks, or Fremd High School, on the south side of the tracks. The two schools both have about 2,500 students each. If you went to Sundling for junior high, there was a good chance some of your friends were going to Palatine, and some of your friends were going to Fremd. The rivalry is pretty intense, both schools very passionate about their sports teams. If you go to a Palatine vs. Fremd football game, you may even be lucky enough to see the infamous streakers that frequent these games. I wouldn't say I'm bias, but if I had to state my allegiance, I'd proudly say, "Once a Pirate, always a Pirate."

2. Deer Park

You know that if you were a teenager in this town, your weekends were spent at the infamous shopping mall, Deer Park. Not even in Palatine, this was the hot-spot to go in junior high, the closest thing Palatine had to "somewhere cool." "Mom, can you drop some of my friends and I at Deer Park?" There you could go to Century 16 movie theater, Noodles & Co., American Eagle, the Apple Store. The options were endless for bored kids in junior high. Many a first date has been had here, as well as many dollars spent. My friends and I even used to play hide-and-seek there. Our lives were so thrilling!

3. Street Fest and the Carnival

The cool things to do every Fourth of July weekend and Labor Day weekend were to go to the Carnival, aka "Hometown Fest," and Street Fest. At the carnival, you could go for a ride on the Zipper, play a ton of fun games, spend a ton of money in the food tents, enjoy some fireworks and go relax and jam out at the band stand. At Street Fest, you could enjoy some lovely corn on the cob from the Palatine Jaycee's, jam along to some Beatles' cover bands, and complain that is isn't as fun as the carnival. However, we cannot forget the time Smash Mouth came to Street Fest, now that was BIG deal!

4. Sledding at Palatine Hill or the Riemer Reservoir

If you were a kid and it was winter, you best bet you would be sledding at either of these two hot spots. If you went to Palatine Hills to sled, you would walk up the giant steep hill, and maybe if you and your friends were feeling adventurous, you would go on an adventure in the forest, or like me, continuously slip down the hill because you wore the wrong shoes. If you went to the Riemer Reservoir, you had a plethora of hills to chose from, and the best part is that from the highest point, you could see the Willis (cough cough Sears) Tower!

5. Spunky Dunkers

Spunkys, Spunks. The love everyone from Palatine has for this place is overflowing. A great place to go with your dad for a morning coffee and donut, and a nice spot to go when you are craving something sweet with friends at 2 in the morning, Spunky's is there for you. Home of amazing donuts, (don't even ask us about Dunkin') this place has filled the hearts and stomachs of Palatine for generations.

6. Downtown Palatine

If you are looking for somewhere good to eat, look no further than downtown Palatine. This small little section of Palatine is home to our train station (Starbuck's included,) Durty Nellie's, Emmett's Brewery, Lamplighter's, and the Tap House Grill. This spot is very popular in the 21 and over crowd, because it is a fun atmosphere with cool night life. The food is delicious and the company is great. Not only is it great for food, downtown is awesome for a relaxing night to just walk around and hang out. Looking for a fun night out with friends or a cute date spot? Look no further than downtown P-town.

7. Our fabulous local food joint

If you are looking for a good burger, hot dog or beef, we have got you covered. We have many local food places that are absolutely awesome. From Brand't and their burgers, Photo's Hot Dogs, Kosta's Gyros, to Tore and Luke's, you will not be disappointed. We can also never forget Hot Dog Richie's, a Palatine favorite of me and my family's that just closed down this past year. I will never forget their wonderful food and the many rounds of Galaga I played there with my dad. R.I.P., Hot Dog Richie's.

8. Our many aquatic facilities

The nice thing about Palatine is that if it is a summer day and you are dying of heat, we have many different pools you can choose from. We have Birchwood and it's awesome diving boards and water slides, Eagle, the ever-famous Family Aquatic Center or the FAQ, with its super-cool froggy slide. It is guaranteed when at the aquatic center you will no-doubt see someone you know. These pools were staples growing up, for action-packed summer days with friends, or for summer-camp adventures, the pools were there for you. We cannot forget my favorite, Willow Wood, which unfortunately closed a few summers ago. This pool was basically in my backyard, and I have awesome memories of going to it when I was a kid.

Whether you went to Fremd or Palatine, or if you've lived in Palatine for a long time or a short while, it is an amazing place to grow up. Even though you probably complained there was nothing to do ever, if you're like me, as you got older you learned to cherish this place. I am so appreciative of Palatine after coming home from college, and I can't wait for the many memories I will make here now and the years to come. It is an awesome hometown filled with many memories and fabulous people.