I got this in an email. Normally stuff like this just dies in my inbox... but this had some interesting factoids. Especially to a native Sandy Eggan like myself.
You know you're an old-timer from San Diego when...
1. You can correctly pronounce Tierrasanta, La Jolla, Rancho Penasquitos, San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, Jamul, Jacumba and El Cajon - and know where they are.
2. There are four distinct seasons: Summer, Not Quite Summer, Almost Summer, and "Oh, hey look, it's Summer again."
3. Your high school had a surf team.
4. Insane Diego and Chulajuana are real towns. So are San Yskidrow, Venereal Beach, and International City.
5. Your house is worth more than some small countries.
6. You know what IB, MB, OB, and PB stand for.
7. Every street name is either in Spanish or Spanish related, and you're surprised when other areas don't have this.
8. You can determine the accuracy of someone's "I'm ghetto" claim by knowing their high school. For example: El Camino High School or Crawford High.
9. You see weather forecasts for four different climate zones in the same county – and aren't remotely surprised.
10. You've gone to Mt. Helix in July and know you still need a jacket (60 degrees is COLD!).
11. You remember going to "The Cross" on Mt. Helix for Easter services.
12. You've tailgated at Qualcomm Stadium, and for bonus points, also tailgated when it was Jack Murphy Stadium. [Extra bonus points for Balboa Park/Chargers and/or Westgate Park/AAA Padres!]
13. You know that "Charge!" doesn't refer to a credit card.
14. You remember going downtown via Federal Blvd. before Hwy 94 was built.
15. You remember when Hwy 94 was two lanes in each direction and Bonita Road was one lane in each direction.
16. You've been on a field trip to see an Imax movie at the Rueben H. Fleet Space Center.
17. You still call it the Del Mar Fair. [They call it something else?]
18. You say "I'm going to the track!" and people know what you are talking about.
19. You say "I'm going to the park!" and people know what you mean.
20. You remember when Lemon Grove, La Mesa, Spring Valley and El Cajon were "out in the sticks."
21. You remember the El Cortez as the city’s tallest building.
22. You understand what "May-gray" and "June-gloom" means.
23. A famous skateboarder/surfer lives in your town.
24. There's "North County," "South County," and "East County" but no "Central County."
25. You know what it means when a girl in a short skirt is walking on El Cajon Blvd.
26. You know what "the merge" is, and you'll plan your entire day around not being on it during rush hour.
27. You know the difference between Clairmont Mesa, Kearny Mesa and Mira Mesa.
28. You've stayed home from school or work, because "It's raining!"
29. You've gone to Sea World on a warm day and sat in the first few rows at the Shamu show to get cooled off.
30. You've been delayed at the border checkpoints at Tijuana and/or Tecate.
31. Your house doesn't have or need air conditioning – unless you live in East County.
32. No matter what the weather is, there is always someone walking around in a t-shirt, shorts and flip flops.
33. You've been to the desert, the mountains, and the beach all in one day.
34. You know that Santee and Lakeside are where the 'cowboys' live.
35. You know why Hillcrest is known as 'The Swish Alps.'
36. You hate tourists and their bad driving (but you don't know how to drive in the rain).
37. You've gone to the Zoo just to hang out.
38. You know someone who doesn't own long pants.
39. You know what a 'Santa Ana’ is, and you know it has nothing to do with the city of Santa Ana.
40. You know what 'real Mexican food' tastes like.
41. You remember when 'Mission Valley' was cow pastures, carrot farms, and dairies (oh...to have bought some of that land then!). Ditto with Coronado.
42. You remember when Lemon Grove had "the cows."
43. You remember when Chula Vista was a small town and all that was east of it was miles of Otay Ranch before Otay Lakes.
44. You remember the Big Sky, College, Harbor and South Bay drive-ins.
45. You remember when real sport teams played at the Sports Arena.
46. Escondido was a long way off and there wasn't anything in between.
47. There wasn't an I-805, I-8, I-15 or I-5. You went on Highway 80, Highway 395 and the Pacific Coast Highway (especially to get to Disneyland).
48. National City stunk.
49. The Navy and the tuna fleet were THE big employers.
50. Getting to Coronado [or away] was a boat ride or a long trip in the car.