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Compare and Contrast the Rural Midwest and the Rural Southeast, culturally, and economically, and politically, etc, whatever you can come up with.
I assume they both have large rural areas. They both probably have that good ole farmboy work ethic and such. I think they have many things in common, and probably a few quirks that separate them.
They are big into college sports right? The big ten to the midwest, and the SEC to the southeast.
People in the rural Southeast are much more vocal about their religion and wear it on their sleeves, so to speak, whereas people in the rural Midwest are also deeply religious much of the time but tend to be less vocal about it. There are religious billboards all across the Southeast that you see much less of in the rural Midwest, but the people still largely vote conservatively and are pro-life, pro-marriage between one man and one woman, etc. While there are Southern Baptist churches seemingly on every corner in the rural Southeast, the rural Midwest has more mainstream denominations such as Lutheran, Methodist, and Roman Catholic.
There are very, very few blacks living in the rural Midwest, because blacks have never traditionally farmed or lived in rural areas in these states. The vast majority of blacks in the Midwest live in the larger cities because they migrated there during the Great Migration to find factory work. The rural Southeast has many blacks, and many small towns in the Southeast are majority black, while you would be hard pressed to find one black familiy in many small towns in the Midwest, particularly the Upper Midwest.
I think there are a lot of similarities between the two regions, such as strong family ties, deep religious convictions, and social activities often centered around church functions.
Both areas are big on college sports, particularly football, but each region has its own distinct rivalries, such as Ohio State vs. Michigan in the Midwest and Auburn vs. Alabama in the Southeast.
People in the rural Southeast are much more vocal about their religion and wear it on their sleeves, so to speak, whereas people in the rural Midwest are also deeply religious much of the time but tend to be less vocal about it. There are religious billboards all across the Southeast that you see much less of in the rural Midwest, but the people still largely vote conservatively and are pro-life, pro-marriage between one man and one woman, etc. While there are Southern Baptist churches seemingly on every corner in the rural Southeast, the rural Midwest has more mainstream denominations such as Lutheran, Methodist, and Roman Catholic.
There are very, very few blacks living in the rural Midwest, because blacks have never traditionally farmed or lived in rural areas in these states. The vast majority of blacks in the Midwest live in the larger cities because they migrated there during the Great Migration to find factory work. The rural Southeast has many blacks, and many small towns in the Southeast are majority black, while you would be hard pressed to find one black familiy in many small towns in the Midwest, particularly the Upper Midwest.
I think there are a lot of similarities between the two regions, such as strong family ties, deep religious convictions, and social activities often centered around church functions.
Both areas are big on college sports, particularly football, but each region has its own distinct rivalries, such as Ohio State vs. Michigan in the Midwest and Auburn vs. Alabama in the Southeast.
To elaborate, that applies to the lower midwest and much of the great plains more than the upper midwest, extending into eastern Iowa. That area has a long history of being much more tolerant and "live and let live". People are religious, but normally you have far fewer deeply religious people, or those who are outspoken on gay marriage, etc. You have far more "blue" rural counties in the upper midwest, eastern Iowa, eastern Minn, most of Wisconsin and Michigan and northern Illinois than the areas to the south or west that are still called the midwest.
To elaborate, that applies to the lower midwest and much of the great plains more than the upper midwest, extending into eastern Iowa. That area has a long history of being much more tolerant and "live and let live". People are religious, but normally you have far fewer deeply religious people, or those who are outspoken on gay marriage, etc. You have far more "blue" rural counties in the upper midwest, eastern Iowa, eastern Minn, most of Wisconsin and Michigan and northern Illinois than the areas to the south or west that are still called the midwest.
Actually no, I've lived in rural areas in NW Ohio and SE Michigan my entire life and rural people here are extremely conservative and religious. In the small town where I live in Michigan and the small town where I grew up in Ohio, as well as most small towns in this region, most people vote Republican based on social issues and have some church affiliation. If you look at a political map of Michigan or Ohio, you will see that they are both blue in the large, urban areas only, for the most part and they both have conservative Republican governors and state legislatures.
Also, the people of Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan all voted by a large margin for constitutional bans on gay marriage in recent years, and Ohio has been systematically closing many of its abortion clinics. Effective today, actually, in Toledo, Ohio, a city of almost 300,000 people, the last abortion clinic was ordered by the state to close based on not meeting stringent state regulations on abortion.
Last edited by canudigit; 06-17-2014 at 08:07 PM..
Actually no, I've lived in rural areas in NW Ohio and SE Michigan my entire life and rural people here are extremely conservative and religious. In the small town where I live in Michigan and the small town where I grew up in Ohio, as well as most small towns in this region, most people vote Republican based on social issues and have some church affiliation. If you look at a political map of Michigan or Ohio, you will see that they are both blue in the large, urban areas only, for the most part and they both have conservative Republican governors and state legislatures.
Also, the people of Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan all voted by a large margin for constitutional bans on gay marriage in recent years, and Ohio has been systematically closing many of its abortion clinics. Effective today, actually, in Toledo, Ohio, a city of almost 300,000 people, the last abortion clinic was ordered by the state to close based on not meeting stringent state regulations on abortion.
Rural western Michigan can be very "religious" with a strong Dutch Reformed influence too.
Michigan is also interesting in that you can find rural/small towns with decent to even high Black percentages. Towns like Sumpter, Baldwin, Vandalia, Cassopolis, Covert, Buchanan and at least a handful of others.
Rural western Michigan can be very "religious" with a strong Dutch Reformed influence too.
Michigan is also interesting in that you can find rural/small towns with decent to even high Black percentages. Towns like Sumpter, Baldwin, Vandalia, Cassopolis, Covert, Buchanan and at least a handful of others.
Interesting, I didn't know that. That is definitely not the case where I live, though, for whatever reason. In our small town of about 4,000 people I can think of exactly one black family, and they are moving to be closer to work. Ditto the other small towns in this area.
Interesting, I didn't know that. That is definitely not the case where I live, though, for whatever reason. In our small town of about 4,000 people I can think of exactly one black family, and they are moving to be closer to work. Ditto the other small towns in this area.
Ironically, Sumpter Township is in Wayne County and is about 12-13% Black. Van Buren Township which surrounds Belleville, has a decent percentage too. I believe that a couple of towns in Washtenaw County also have sizable Black percentages. Some of those other communities were Underground Railroad towns.
Actually no, I've lived in rural areas in NW Ohio and SE Michigan my entire life and rural people here are extremely conservative and religious. In the small town where I live in Michigan and the small town where I grew up in Ohio, as well as most small towns in this region, most people vote Republican based on social issues and have some church affiliation. If you look at a political map of Michigan or Ohio, you will see that they are both blue in the large, urban areas only, for the most part and they both have conservative Republican governors and state legislatures.
Also, the people of Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan all voted by a large margin for constitutional bans on gay marriage in recent years, and Ohio has been systematically closing many of its abortion clinics. Effective today, actually, in Toledo, Ohio, a city of almost 300,000 people, the last abortion clinic was ordered by the state to close based on not meeting stringent state regulations on abortion.
I'm not sure why you're at this again, we've already explained to you on another recent thread (and you said you had NO experience in the Bible Belt for comparison) the differences between "Midwestern religious" and deep Southern religious - it's vast. I know, having grown up in the woods of NE Wisconsin, and having gone to Catholic school for 8 years, father distributes communion/lectures, etc., and having spent a good enough amount of time in the South over the years to suss out the differences.
...and chunks of WI & MN's northwoods. The only rural areas in the south that are blue are dominated by black voters (there are no rural areas like this in the Midwest, outside maybe a few MI exceptions mentioned above).
Please refrain from these comparisons where you only understand one side of the argument, as they're simply not helpful. You'll never see me commenting on a Delaware forum or a topic about boy bands for this very reason.
When it comes down to it, any stereotypes about rural people from the Midwest are going to be false to some extent. This is because the Midwest changes dramatically as you go north. The counties closest to the Ohio river are generally fairly similar to the Upper South in terms of politics, religion, and even accent. But as you travel north, the southern influence weakens, and the politics generally moderate. By the time you hit the upper Midwest it's more like a slightly more moderate version of rural New England than anything. Indeed, Minnesota and Wisconsin generally have rural areas which are more left-leaning than the suburbs.
When it comes down to it, any stereotypes about rural people from the Midwest are going to be false to some extent. This is because the Midwest changes dramatically as you go north. The counties closest to the Ohio river are generally fairly similar to the Upper South in terms of politics, religion, and even accent. But as you travel north, the southern influence weakens, and the politics generally moderate. By the time you hit the upper Midwest it's more like a slightly more moderate version of rural New England than anything. Indeed, Minnesota and Wisconsin generally have rural areas which are more left-leaning than the suburbs.
This person knows what's up
I've already repped you "too much," apparently. Here's another thumbs-up
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