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We have heard this term bandied about by all different types, political commentators especially nowadays. If it's defined more of a geographical region, where would the starting points be on either coast? I don't think one can say for instance, it starts at the California-Nevada line, or the Pennsylvania-Ohio line. If it's more of a culture, then an inner city in the midwest couldn't be considered Middle America, could it? Or similarly, could rural upstate New York be considered Middle America, even though the very closest part of upstate New York is easily accessible to a beach inside of a day's drive.
Thought many might want to weigh in, and I don't think this topic has been tried in terms of a geographical context vs a cultural context so I hope it's consistent with the spirit of the rules of the forum.
This topic has been done to death at this point, but I’ll give my two cents either way. Middle America is somewhere perfectly in line with the rest of the country in terms of culture, history, accent, climate, architecture and population density. Only a small number of places in the United States fully fit this definition, which is why I personally believe “Middle America” is a mindset more than a location.
Those places by the way I’d consider to be the outlying suburbs of Columbus, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Cincinnati (not the Kentucky side) and Kansas City. Historically however, Middle America used to allude more to small town life in the middle of farmland, and therefor places like Iowa or Kansas were once better examples. But since the post-WWII suburban sprawl, Middle America can now only apply to metro areas consisting of a population between 2 to 5 million residents.
Last edited by Doughboy1918; 07-12-2023 at 10:42 PM..
This topic has been done to death at this point, but I’ll give my two cents. Middle America is somewhere perfectly in line with the rest of the country in terms of culture, history, accent, climate, architecture and population density. Only a small number of places in the United States fully fit this definition, which is why I personally believe “Middle America” is a mindset more than a location.
Those places by the way I’d consider to be the outlying suburbs of Columbus, Indianapolis, Cincinnati (not the Kentucky side), St. Louis and Kansas City.
I don't know why Midwest cities have a monopoly on middle America but to me, it just means average people typically who don't live in the northeast big cities and California. Middle America can stretch from Spokane to Tampa in my eyes.
I don't know why Midwest cities have a monopoly on middle America but to me, it just means average people typically who don't live in the northeast big cities and California. Middle America can stretch from Spokane to Tampa in my eyes.
Re-read my post, I edited it slightly before reading your response. I also explained why only the (Lower) Midwest can replicate the rest of the country, and nowhere else.
Re-read my post, I edited it slightly before reading your response. I also explained why only the (Lower) Midwest can replicate the rest of the country, and nowhere else.
Perhaps it did mean midwestern farmland towns historically, but it's such a broad term to describe such a distinct part of a region that I'm not sure I believe that.
I don’t know why you have such a high bar of 2 million for something like Middle America. I think in general it’s used in the way Annie described.
IMO "Middle America" isn't so much about metro size, it's about working-class to middle-class, moderate to conservative, suburban and rural America. The America that gets overlooked by the news, pop culture, and "coastal elites".
There are places in the LA area (much of the Inland Empire) that I think would count. I assume parts of the NYC area as well (inland NJ?), though I don't know it very well. Meanwhile I'd be hesitant to call places like Highland Park, TX or Clayton, MO "Middle American", except to refer to them as elite enclaves in Middle American surroundings.
IMO "Middle America" isn't so much about metro size, it's about working-class to middle-class, moderate to conservative, suburban and rural America. The America that gets overlooked by the news, pop culture, and "coastal elites".
I also think it's somewhere that has an average climate, somewhere that has historically been seen as accent-neutral, a bellwether for American politics and trends, and that is equidistant from most parts of the country. Because of this, there's nowhere outside the Lower Midwest that can strictly meet the criteria for 'Middle America'. The absolute purest distillation of the term, however, I would argue is either Hamilton, Ohio or Independence, Missouri.
IMO "Middle America" isn't so much about metro size, it's about working-class to middle-class, moderate to conservative, suburban and rural America. The America that gets overlooked by the news, pop culture, and "coastal elites".
There are places in the LA area (much of the Inland Empire) that I think would count. I assume parts of the NYC area as well (inland NJ?), though I don't know it very well. Meanwhile I'd be hesitant to call places like Highland Park, TX or Clayton, MO "Middle American", except to refer to them as elite enclaves in Middle American surroundings.
Also, I don't know why parts of the South gets excluded as well. County music, NASCAR, "y'all", fried chicken, and sweet tea is popular over most of America nowadays that fits the "Middle America" description, plus the South is currently the most populous region of the country. Most southerners under 40 don't have the drawl to the degree that their elders had, thanks to mass media. Mount Airy, NC, the inspiration of Mayberry, is very much a good barometer of that description, and NC in general, outside of a few pockets in the Triangle, Asheville, and Charlotte, is basically what TTBB's description describes. Kentucky and Tennessee are also very "Middle America" states. But what's "Middle America" is relative to where you live. Bakersfield, CA is very pax Americana to an Angelino, but to an Oklahoman, it's not.
Middle Americans are also the type that have never had a passport and use the big elite coastal cities as their vacations the way those same coastal elites treat overseas destinations, drink Budweiser, Coors, or Miller beer, have cars/trucks/SUVs with cloth seats, and of course tend to be a lot more patriotic regarding federal holidays or honoring loved ones.
Also, I don't know why parts of the South gets excluded as well. County music, NASCAR, "y'all", fried chicken, and sweet tea is popular over most of America nowadays that fits the "Middle America" description, plus the South is currently the most populous region of the country. Most southerners under 40 don't have the drawl to the degree that their elders had, thanks to mass media. Mount Airy, NC, the inspiration of Mayberry, is very much a good barometer of that description, and NC in general, outside of a few pockets in the Triangle, Asheville, and Charlotte, is basically what TTBB's description describes. Kentucky and Tennessee are also very "Middle America" states. But what's "Middle America" is relative to where you live. Bakersfield, CA is very pax Americana to an Angelino, but to an Oklahoman, it's not.
Middle Americans are also the type that have never had a passport and use the big elite coastal cities as their vacations the way those same coastal elites treat overseas destinations, drink Budweiser, Coors, or Miller beer, have cars/trucks/SUVs with cloth seats, and of course tend to be a lot more patriotic regarding federal holidays or honoring loved ones.
The two very fast-growing Midwest cities of Columbus and Indianapolis are much better examples of ‘Middle America’ in the 21st century than the southeast in my view.
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