Although you may often be referred to by out of staters as "the armpit of America" (out of jealousy, I might add), you are so much more than that. You are probably one of the only states where the beach and the city are equally accessible. That's right, how many other people can actually be on the beach one day and decide to take a 1-2 hour trip to New York City or Philadelphia the next? Not that many. Although they constantly bash the Jersey Shore for its stereotypes (Disclaimer: the majority of the cast of The Jersey Shore is actually from Staten Island or other parts of New York), people come from far and wide to use your beaches for the summer (all 300 miles of them!). And I can't say I blame them, your beaches are home to some of the world's largest boardwalks and prettiest sunsets.

You are also home to some of the best food in the country, I mean you aren't called the garden state for nothing. Diners that are open 24/7 are an anomaly anywhere else, and so are disco fries (tragic). If you ask an out of stater about taylor ham they'll either look at you with a look of confusion or pure disgust. Unfortunately, they have never experienced a taylor ham, egg, and cheese on a bagel of any variety with salt, pepper, and ketchup. You can even add a hash brown if you want, it's amazing. Which brings me to my next point: pizza and bagels. Everyone, especially college students at out of state schools, knows that nothing compares to New Jersey pizza and bagels. It saddens me to see people order a bagel from Dunkin' Donuts, knowing that it will be a glorified slice of bread with a hole in it and a couple of poppy-seeds sprinkled on top. What's even better is when people think deep dish counts as pizza. Sorry, that's a casserole. In New Jersey, pizza is made with thin crust and a perfect ratio of cheese to sauce. Oh, and did I mention that some slices are so big that they need to plates to hold them? Annnnd they're the size of an infant! Top that, New York. One final point about New Jersey food: Wawa. Enough said.

You are also the state with the most proud inhabitants. Despite the looks of dismay that we get upon answering the "so, where are you from?" question, we will continue to answer with pride. Sure, we pronounce "water" and "coffee" a little weird, see a 65 mile per hour speed limit as 80, and will for sure flip you off and lay on the horn if you dare cut us off on the parkway, but that's what makes us New Jerseyans. And all of those out of staters should respect that pride because without it, they would have lost the ability to use our beautiful beaches after the devastation that was Hurricane Sandy. Instead, the people of New Jersey worked together to fully restore those beaches that mean so much to them and their families, even when it seemed impossible. Clearly, when people say "Jersey Strong" they mean it.

I just wish people would stop criticizing you and calling you "Joisey" (seriously, stop trying to make it a thing, it's not a thing) long enough to actually see all that you have to offer. But who really cares about their opinion anyway? Any of the 9 million happy, proud people who already call New Jersey home can vouch for you any day. Back to those out of staters who refer to you as the "armpit of America", I bet you wish your armpit looked this good.

P.S.: the Jersey Turnpike is in fact an actual highway used by people to get from place to place, and is not in fact a provocative dance move performed in clubs (thanks again, Jersey Shore cast)