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Not that I am protesting but what makes Des Moines better than the cities listed below them. I would think Des Moines would be more along the levels of Wichita and Little Rock but I am curious as to your logic.
Des Moines is so far beyond Wichita and Little Rock it's hardly worth arguing! They're all roughly the same size, but Des Moines is easily a tier above, level with Omaha and Madison. It beats Tulsa and OKC for me because of how gigantically socially conservative Oklahoma is. Omaha and Kansas City are a personal preference. I like all three cities, but Des Moines has the best combination of location+economy+politics.
This summer I am considering taking a trip around the Midwest starting in Indy up to the Sleeping Bear Dunes, over to the Apostle Islands, down to the Twin Cities, west to the Black Hills, across the Kansas Konza into KC to visit family and then back to Indy again.
One thing about the Midwest is that many travel-worthy spot are far apart, so if you hate driving for long amounts of time, it can be difficult. But still I think there are many worth while places to visit. I need to return back to Chicago during all this traveling, such an amazing city.
Last edited by thefallensrvnge; 11-16-2012 at 11:23 PM..
I'm a solid demographic nerd and visit most sizable metros across the country at least every 2-3 years and I had to look up the populations of these cities after you said that and you are right (sorry I doubted you haha).
Interesting. Des Monies is far more progressive, active and just feels like a larger city to me then Little Rock and especially Wichita.
When I think "flyover country" I think the Great Plains: vast distances and small cities where locals chose McBurbs instead of valuing their cities. Parking lots are a dominant feature of downtown and great walkable neighborhoods are few and far between. They certainly haven't invested in much in re-urbanizing as they have in suburbanizing and it shows. Downtowns are almost a Disneylandzation of urban living: they're a lone showpiece and then there's nothing else. OKC, outside of a downtown cluster of bars and restaurants is full of ugly. I'm a believer that the general local culture of a city is reflected in the physical environment and the Great Plains by and large live up to the "flyover" label because they want to: pride in ignorance and zealous restraint explains why these cities are so flat despite their population sizes. They're full of people who don't know how to live, but merely exist.
Bright spots seem to pale in comparison to population size: Fargo has a few urban coffee shops, one for each third of the population, and plenty of generic bars. Omaha has a three story gay club downtown, which I wouldn't have guessed, but very little is walkable outside of Downtown save the Benson neighborhood. Little Rock has a streetcar. Indy is basically the easternmost outpost in an extension of the plains and shares more in common there than with the Great Lakes or river cities in the region. They'd make for an interesting stop on the way to somewhere else, but they lack livability. Outside of the middle of the country you get cities like Minneapolis and Denver which let you know that without a doubt you're no longer in flyover country.
These cities and many others that aren't mentioned are considered fly over cities by popular media and a large amount of the countries population and that's why these cities are perfect for enjoying a good quality of life.
I've lived in Chicago, Seattle metro, Denver, Helena Montana and Miami but I was raised in the St. Louis Mo area.
Living in a non descript seemingly faceless city is perfect for those that value a quality of life that is not dependent upon the number of nightclubs, the latest in bistro offerings and the shallowness of the " see and be seen crowd that does nothing more than raise the cost of living in the trendy big city your residing in at the time.
I would say east Texas, new mexico, The great Plain states (Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota)
Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Most of Nevada (except for Reno and las Vegas), Anything west of Minneapolis, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Oklahoma are usually considered "Fly Over Country". I can agree with most of this because these areas are pretty desolate but it really depends on the person.
One can easily find just as much amusement in NYC as one could find in the Yellowstone national park or as much fun in the Rockies as in Hollywood. It really depends on the person.
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