I've lived in the same place for the entirety of my 17 years on this earth, and to put it plainly, I've loved it. But as I've grown up and especially since I entered high school, all I've heard is people complaining about it. They say there's nothing to do and the people aren't fun and the weather is awful and blah blah blah blah blah.

Well, for those of you who live in good ole Erie, Pennsylvania, I want you to listen up. Erie is really not as bad as you're all making it out to be.

We get all four seasons

Sure, the winters here are a little bit extreme, but you have to admit that it's pretty cool to say that Erie is the snowiest city in America in 2013 and 2014. Plus, children don't have to watch Christmas movies and never know what actual snow is! But in all seriousness, I'm forever grateful for Erie for letting me experience every season. I loved going through the transitions of seeing the leaves fall to the ground being covered in a white blanket to seeing flowers bud to seeing the grass radiating a bright green, and I loved seeing the process happen every single year. Now, I always feel bad when my relatives from Florida come visit and say they've never seen snow. They're truly missing out.

We have a drive-in movie theater in the next town over

With most of my friends living there, it was no surprise that I soon became addicted to going to the drive-in. It's something that's so old that not a lot of towns have it, and we should all feel really lucky that we have one within a short drive. The drive-in is a great way to not pay tons of money to see the latest releases, and it's a wonderful family bonding experience.

We have an amusement park...AND an indoor water park

Not only do we have Waldameer right off of Presque Isle, we have Splash Lagoon too. We have a place to go in the winter and in the summer. I don't think people realize that not every city in the United States has an amusement park, but since we do, people take it for granted. So many people complain about Waldameer being "boring," but you know what? You would complain if it wasn't there.

Speaking of Presque Isle...

The true name of the peninsula in Lake Erie is "Presque Isle State Park," because believe it or not, it is a state park. In fact, we get the same amount of tourists a year as Yellowstone National Park, which is four million. Presque Isle really is beautiful though, from the lighthouses to the beaches to the woods. Just recently, I took a trip down to Presque Isle and took a segway tour around it and let me tell you, I never really knew how breathtaking it all was until I witnessed it all.

We're the only waterfront in all of Pennsylvania

Sure, there are lakes here and there and everywhere, but Pennsylvania's main and most well known lake is Lake Erie. We're the only water port in PA and we have the only beaches in the entire state. They may not be ocean beaches, but I've still always loved our little homey land of sand. Plus, fun fact, I went on a summer camp last year with kids from all over the state, and they would say that they had to go to an entirely different city to go to a beach and they had to stay there because it was so far. It's pretty nice to wake up one day and just think "ya know what, I feel like going to the beach today," and just go. Oh, and we were voted the number one freshwater beaches in all of the United States. Just saying.

Overall...

No matter what anyone says, Erie really isn't that bad. With anywhere someone lives for their entire life, they're gonna get sick of it, but that doesn't mean Erie isn't a great place. My entire family is here, so it can't be that awful, right? So, if you're from my little hometown, don't take it for granted, because no matter what you think, you're going to miss it if and when you leave. And hey, if you're not from Erie or you've never heard of it, why not pay us a visit? We have lots to offer for anyone who's looking for somewhere unique to adventure at.