Midwest (US) vs. Midlands (UK) (salary, quality of life, living)

[Borntoolate85]

While I know a lot about the American Midwest, being the country's most down-to-earth, centric, typical of the US, I feel that the UK has a similar region that has some similar principles known as the midlands. Both have their nations' traditional second cities (Birmingham and Chicago), have a good amount of farming, and are known to be politcally mixed. Use the following categories to compare the two:

Climate
Cities/Towns
Transportation
Natural Scenery
Religion
Cuisine
Sports
Education
Hospitals
Cost of Living
Housing Stock
Arts/Entertainment
Sightseeing
Quality of Life

[Chicago76]

Personally, I don't see a lot of similarities because the scale of both is almost entirely different. Take Chicago v. Birmingham. Economically, Chicago is one of the 7 or 8 most powerful cities on earth. It is much more "plugged in" globally and metro v. metro is much more similar to London than Birmingham (although London is a stretch).

There are a dozen or so very large cities in the Midwest that would be among the largest urban areas anywhere in the UK. Farm production in the Midwest is much more significant. The region is a global farming center. Economically, there are a lot more global companies based in the MW. The sports teams are more relevant in their respective leagues thanks to market size and also salary cap/revenue sharing aspects of most American sports. The US is generally a cheaper place to live because land is so plentiful.

Midland urban areas are smaller but contain greater density due to land scarcity. They're more like Toledo or Dayton OH sized populations in most areas on a more compact footprint. There is a lot more ethnic diversity in the Midlands. At least in certain parts. I'm thinking South Asians and Leicester for example.

There is probably more localized regional flavor/culture across the Midlands than there is in the Midwest. For example, drive from Cleveland all the way to Detroit by way of Toledo and you won't see much difference. Same with Cincinnati v. St. Louis or Indianapolis v. Columbus. Go abt 50 miles from Leicester to Birmingham in the Midlands and the differences are more obvious.

The Midlands to me is a lot more like some of the older post-industrial areas in the NE than the Midwest. I'm thinking areas like Worcester Mass, Providence (maybe), Springfield, Albany, Syracuse, Scranton Wilkes-Barre, Binghamton, etc. The urban area size, general status, topography, and regional differences between those cities is much more in line with the Midlands.

Those cites to me or more like the Midlands UK version of the NE United States.

[Davy-040]

Only category the Midlands (UK) wins is "Religion".