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To people living in the hot megalapolis cities on the coasts who generally detest the central United States, I'm curious, for you where does Flyover Country begin and end? Is it at the western most edge of New York City all the way up to the Inland Empire? What defines Flyover Country to you?
Pretty much anywhere that is mostly farmland or feedlots. Places where nature is still intact or there are cities or towns (that aren't just strip malls and sprawl) I wouldn't consider flyover country.
When people use this term they usually are talking about places between the Appalachians and the Rockies. So really its just another way to take a cheap shot at the South and the Midwest. I have always said that what those elitist call "flyover country" is the real America. You know the part of America where your food is grown and your stuff is made.
When people use this term they usually are talking about places between the Appalachians and the Rockies. So really its just another way to take a cheap shot at the South and the Midwest. I have always said that what those elitist call "flyover country" is the real America. You know the part of America where your food is grown and your stuff is made.
I'd agree, I know it's a pretty loose term, but there are a lot of really important, strategic, and historical cities located in what I've come to know as Flyover Country. Namely Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, Detroit, Dallas, and Minneapolis. But maybe it's with the exception of those cities, since all the coastal areas are part of a Megalopolis now, even the Gulf Coast stretches from Corpus Christi to Tampa and downwards along the coastline.
There is no "flyover" country. It's just what arrogant coast dwellers who don't actually get out much call the majority of the country.
Ironic, because the coasts couldn't feasibly exist without the contributions of places like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee etc. The sheer volume of production from those cities for many decades is really amazing. All are way friendlier than coastal cities anyway, and without the pretense of supposing oneself more cosmopolitan than others.
I'm not claiming people don't really say "flyover country" -- most assuredly some do -- but I find that people in the middle of the U.S. complain about people saying it way more than people on the coasts actually do say it. I've lived most of my life in New York -- the city and the suburbs -- and honestly, I'm not sure I've ever heard anyone say it in casual conversation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by danielj72
I have always said that what those elitist call "flyover country" is the real America.
To people living in the hot megalapolis cities on the coasts who generally detest the central United States, I'm curious, for you where does Flyover Country begin and end? Is it at the western most edge of New York City all the way up to the Inland Empire? What defines Flyover Country to you?
To me, it's the area between the Mississippi River and the front range of the Rockies, not including the Louisiana Gulf Coast or the Texas Triangle (Dallas/Houston/San Antonio/Austin).
While there are some interesting things and places to see in this area, I don't think its too much of an over-generalization to say its the least exciting part of the United States.
Quintessential "Flyover" cities would include Amarillo (and other small north and west Texas metro areas), OKC, Tulsa, Little Rock, Shreveport, Wichita, Kansas City, Omaha, and Des Moines.
I'm not claiming people don't really say "flyover country" -- most assuredly some do -- but I find that people in the middle of the U.S. complain about people saying it way more than people on the coasts actually do say it. I've lived most of my life in New York -- the city and the suburbs -- and honestly, I'm not sure I've ever heard anyone say it in casual conversation.
It's all the real America.
This is true. I've rarely heard anyone here use the term unless they are in the entertainment business -- in which case it refers to places basically that are not LA or NYC. But ordinary New Yorkers don't use the term in my experience.
And I hate reverse snobbery. NYC,SF, LA are just as "real America" as anyplace between the coasts. Vastly different, of course, but also quintessentially American. I hate those insecure folks in "flyover country" who can't appreciate where they are without putting down New Yorkers or Angelenos or DC folks as snobs or elitists, when they're demonstrating that they're the snobs and elitists. Wheat fields, small towns, and Friday night football are not better than the way we live. Or worse. Or more authentic. They're just different.
Can't we all just get along?
Last edited by citylove101; 03-17-2016 at 10:23 AM..
To me, it's the area between the Mississippi River and the front range of the Rockies, not including the Louisiana Gulf Coast or the Texas Triangle (Dallas/Houston/San Antonio/Austin).
While there are some interesting things and places to see in this area, I don't think its too much of an over-generalization to say its the least exciting part of the United States.
Quintessential "Flyover" cities would include Amarillo (and other small north and west Texas metro areas), OKC, Tulsa, Little Rock, Shreveport, Wichita, Kansas City, Omaha, and Des Moines.
That seems like a pretty fair generalization, basically most of the Great Plains.
the 91 freeway in California, and the Hudson River in New York
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