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Funny thing about perspective. Plop me in a city and I couldn't tell you what city I might be in, they're all bland and boring to me. Nothing unique about them. But then, I strongly dislike urban centers. You could not pay me enough to live in any of those places mentioned.
Might you, OP, strongly dislike anything NOT a dense urban center and thus ignore all the things that make those spaces unique? Do you get sick to your stomach with the thought of living in a town of 8,000 people in the middle of Wyoming, that's a 3 hour drive from the closest mall/Sams/Home Depot/national chain shopping?
It's not a bad thing if you don't like other things outside your very limited scope of experience, that's simply human nature. It IS a bad thing to try and virtue signal that you're Better for those views (as you've done). People like myself are not worse than you for living (and loving) where you don't see any value.
Obviously, the OP has never been to any of the hundreds of small towns across the Great Plains, the Midwest or the Southwest, for that matter any small town, that are still much as they were in the 1800's. I guess those don't count as uniquely American. I would argue they ARE America and our major urban centers could be anywhere else on the planet.
I'm sure the same is true of many states, not just Midwestern states. Actually, it would be true of ALL states.
Agreed. Since the thread is about "middle America." I was assuming the OP was focused on the "middle" of the country.
I actually think the concept of "middle America" is archaic these days, now that people in all parts of the country have more opportunities to make their dissenting opinions known across the country.
The Southwest certainly isn’t “Middle America”. Richmond is unlike any city you’d find away from the coasts. Pittsburgh, while the quintessential Rust Belt city, is unlike any other Rust Belt city in terms of transit, wallability and urbanity. The most comparable city is Baltimore.
The Southwest certainly isn’t “Middle America”. Richmond is unlike any city you’d find away from the coasts. Pittsburgh, while the quintessential Rust Belt city, is unlike any other Rust Belt city in terms of transit, wallability and urbanity. The most comparable city is Baltimore.
Actually, lots of walkability and urbanity in Milwaukee, too.
I think it's ironic that you're in New Orleans. I know of a small Midwestern town that has more French Creole culture and real colonial French architecture than New Orleans. St. Genevieve, Missouri, has been recognized by the federal government as having the largest surviving collection of French colonial architecture in the US. (Read that again. A small town in Missouri has more French colonial architecture than New Orleans.) Only last week the federal government declared a section of the town to be a national park so they can preserve many of the town's 300-year-old French colonial buildings, which are older than anything found in New Orleans.
Compared to St. Genevieve, you're living in "Cajun Disneyland." New Orleans is nothing but a phony tourist trap. In its rush to modernize, New Orleans tore down and destroyed much of its colonial French architecture.
Ste. Gen is a unique place (I have relatives there) and I love going there but New Orleans has more of an urban "Frenchiness" to it...unique in its own way. That's why tourists go there. All major cities have eaten their own history but small towns still have a lot of it around.
I don't agree with this is at all. As others have said, America has a lot more flavor. I agree it's too much bland cookie cutter lifestyle across the country, but it's certainly not 9 places that break that norm. And all those cities you named still have parts that are "Middle America-ish."
Miami is unique, but what is so unique about Davie, Plantation, Sunrise, Pompano Beach, etc? San Fran sure, but Fremont? San Jose? No. Lots of cities offer more than you think.
Yet I have to ask, how is "Southern California" not "Middle America?" I agree Los Angeles is super unique, but how is Riverside, San Bern, OC, Ventura, Fresno, Bakersfield, etc different than the places you said aren't unique?
Last edited by Jandrew5; 05-25-2018 at 11:59 AM..
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