10 Misconceptions the World Has About Wisconsin

1. Milwaukee and Wisconsin are actually pronounced how they are written.

If you’re making the “L” sound when saying the name of our biggest city or sounding a little too British when pronouncing the name of our state, expect blank stares.

2. Wisconsinites can’t make fun of themselves.

Charlie Beren’s Manitowoc Minute videos may be short, but they make us laugh for a lot longer than the title implies. Also, they prove that we are not just obsessed with ripping Chicago; we can make fun of our accents and funny habits, too.

3. Beer that good must be sold everywhere.

It can be found at cookouts and in fridges across the country, and according to the Brewers Association, it comes from the 16th top-producing craft brewery in the US. Yet to get it out of Wisconsin, loyal friends and brave shop owners from Minnesota and Illinois have to carry it over state lines because you can only legally buy it in the state that gave the US great beer in the first place. That only seems fair, though; if the whole country could buy Spotted Cow or the other beers produced by New Glarus Brewing Company, there might not be enough left for us!

4. Only the Packers fill stadiums.

This may not be the first league that comes to mind when thinking about Wisconsin sports, but the Northwoods League baseball teams play such exciting ball that they have impressively loyal fanbases in each of the nine Wisconsin cities they call home. It’s okay that you’ve never heard of the Madison Mallards or Eau Claire Express, though; Wisconsin’s other professional baseball team is also used to getting no respect!

5. Nothing worth talking about ever happens in Wisconsin.

Talk about news worth calling home about: come winter, you can see a legitimate apocalypse if you are brave enough to venture out of your home, local bar, or, God forbid, Lambeau Field during a Packers game. The grocery stores will be empty. Shovels will be left abandoned in the snow banks in front of homes, and suddenly there will be no traffic on the streets. Forget trying to contact friends or family to share the news — they will ignore any calls and texts faster than you can ask, “zombie?”

6. All cheese curds are fried.

If you think the world of cheese curds is limited to fried grease, you’re sadly mistaken. Don’t get me wrong, done properly, fried cheese curds can be absolutely delicious. But if you’ve never had a cheese curd that squeaks, we have a problem.

7. Wisconsin is a flyover state.

Every year in July, Oshkosh’s Wittman Regional Airport becomes the world’s busiest airport during the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture. The festival experiences all the activity of O’Hare with just as many landings and takeoffs in half the time, and it even spares you the heckling from airport security for your Packers gear.

8. The Bucks are never going anywhere.

Two words: Greek Freak. Not only is he giving Milwaukee a name around the world by attracting record levels of fans and attention — not to mention crowds of adoring Greek admirers in every city he visits — but he is also committed to the city and taking the Bucks organization to places it hasn’t gone since 1971.

9. We all know the ins and outs of farm life.

Just because we love eating cheese doesn’t mean we all have close relationships with the cows that produce it. The dairy state is home to many residents that would feel just as out of place on a farm as your slickest New York City slicker. However, we would definitely be way less obnoxious about the smell, because you know — we’re actually nice!

10. Wisconsinites only think about the Packers.

Even though the Sunday night newscast always begins and ends with Packers news, Wisconsin news channels report on the big events happening in the world, too. We just have our list of priorities straight and know what we want to think about right before we go to bed.