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Disagree on references to "most" and "2/3rds" of Iowa . . . . being comparable to the Dakotas and big chunks of Nebraska and Kansas. No way, no how. Then, so is much of Illinois and Indiana.
I've attached a map of the area I'm saying is relatively homogenous. If you don't think the areas inside this map are more alike than they're like the areas outside of it, you probably haven't spent much time there. It excepts the parts of the Dakotas and Minnesota that people tend to associate with those areas, but they still account for very large percentages of those states' land area, and in the case of the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa, the bulk of the population.
It's all row crop grain farming, level to gently rolling topography, lower (but not empty) rural population density, 4 season climates, conservative politics, moderate religious flavors, and northern European ancestry.
It's all row crop grain farming, level to gently rolling topography, lower (but not empty) rural population density, 4 season climates, conservative politics, moderate religious flavors, and northern European ancestry.
They may look the same, but there are cultural differences. Southern and western Minnesota is more similar to the rest of Minnesota culturally than it is to Kansas and Missouri.
They may look the same, but there are cultural differences. Southern and western Minnesota is more similar to the rest of Minnesota culturally than it is to Kansas and Missouri.
I'd argue that. Southern and western Minnesota is very conservative, and the whole economy is geared around large scale row crop agriculture. Those two pieces alone account for a large amount of cultural alignment. It's not the north woods, and it ain't Minneapolis.
I'd argue that. Southern and western Minnesota is very conservative, and the whole economy is geared around large scale row crop agriculture. Those two pieces alone account for a large amount of cultural alignment. It's not the north woods, and it ain't Minneapolis.
But it's still Minnesota. The people are really not much different from other Minnesotans. Fargo is basically Minnesota with heavy upper Midwestern accents. The people I personally know from western Minnesota who live in the southeast part of the state are really no different culturally. Most of my family is from the Mankato area and they are very Minnesotan. My grandmother from that area has one of the thickest Minnesotan accents you'll ever hear.
But it's still Minnesota. The people are really not much different from other Minnesotans. Fargo is basically Minnesota with heavy upper Midwestern accents. The people I personally know from western Minnesota who live in the southeast part of the state are really no different culturally. Most of my family is from the Mankato area and they are very Minnesotan. My grandmother from that area has one of the thickest Minnesotan accents you'll ever hear.
In my opinion, the qualities you're describing aren't as Minnesota specific as you think they are.
But it's still Minnesota. The people are really not much different from other Minnesotans. Fargo is basically Minnesota with heavy upper Midwestern accents. The people I personally know from western Minnesota who live in the southeast part of the state are really no different culturally. Most of my family is from the Mankato area and they are very Minnesotan. My grandmother from that area has one of the thickest Minnesotan accents you'll ever hear.
The majority of the rural areas of the Midwest along and north of I-80 are generally more prosperous than areas south of I-80.
I would definitely agree, with the main exception being rural Kansas seems to be a lot better off than rural Missouri, and both are south of 80.
In rural Kansas, it depends on the county as some are worse than others. Also, there has been massive declines in population over time there due to farm and ranch consolidation, so it looks worse/more abandoned than what the actual incomes are.
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