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Originally posted by Granitestater
Northern Wisconsin, northern Michigan, and northern Minnesota have strong Canadian influences in culture, accent, and landscape. It is not even remotely like the agrarian Midwest.
I have to agree here. In Michigan the midwest influence fades north of Grand Rapids, and by the time you're in Cadillac you've definitely entered a place that feels like Canada. It doesn't feel like the midwest (agrarian, farmy) to me.
Perhaps the Great Plains states like Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Indiana, Southern Illinois, and Southern Ohio share commonalities with the Southern US, but the Great Lakes states have zero in common with the South.
Minnesota, Iowa to a lesser extent, Wisconsin, Northern Illinois, Michigan, and Northern Ohio have more in common with the Northeast states like Pennsylvania and Upstate NY than they do with the South or even the Great Plains states.
Indiana is NOT a Great Plains state. It is a Great Lakes State, even if its coastline is the smallest.
Also, the Great Lakes states aren't really that much different from the rest of the Midwest.
I've grown up in the midwest my whole life, but I often get the impression that people don't like it that much. It's not like I have a chip on my shoulder, but it seems like the midwest, overall is maligned more than other regions. We're the "rust belt", boring, with bumpkin-ish people, the land is boring etc...
So why does the Midwest get a bum rap from so many people--or is it just in my head?
mackinac
Plenty of trolls here on CD or even just peeps with an agenda which is usually anti-this or anti-that. For instance a few months ago Chicagoland was under major troll attack by I embarrased to say a New Yorker and for some reason the whole Midwest was dragged in. Last year it was Chicago vs Houston & Chicago vs. Atlanta. Apparently Chicago attracts alot of jealously so it must mean its actually pretty decent!
Great Lake beaches suck, highest elevation is 6 inches above the Great Lakes water level, ice and snow 11 1/2 months out of the year, and 125 degrees with 100% humidity the other 2 weeks. Toothless, fat, smelly, inbred fools are the only ones who like it here; the men are worse. I would suggest everyone stay as far away as possible - like right on the Coasts and never venture into fly-over country because the stereotypes are not real, they are downplaying the badness in the Midwest. We all have to carry bells and ring them while shouting "Unclean, Unclean" whenever we are dragged into the civilized parts of the Country.
The more people actually believe the BS about how nasty and boring the Midwest is, the more they will stay the hell away and keep the high cost of living and stupidity confined to the East and West Coasts and not drag that crap here.
"Unclean... Unclean!!"
I am GLAD our beaches are not closer to huge population centers. I actually LIKE being able to enjoy my day laying on the hot sand and hearing the waves come ashore and NOT hear 1000 other people being themselves. Crammed into a tiny smelly beach where you get 2.5 square feet of sand to call your own for as long as you can stand the stupidity all around you. Yep, everybody else has the right idea, and us poor dumb bastards in the Midwest just don't have a clue what we are missing, and have a giant inferiority complex wishing we could be so enlightened.
Indiana is NOT a Great Plains state. It is a Great Lakes State, even if its coastline is the smallest.
Also, the Great Lakes states aren't really that much different from the rest of the Midwest.
I'm well aware that Indiana isn't a Great Plains state, I included Indiana, Downstate Illinois, and Southern Ohio in my list because they are culturally more similar to the Great Plains and the Southern US. Indiana is technically a Great Lakes state but it sure as hell doesn't act like it IMO. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Chicagoland, NW Indiana, and Michigan are about as similar as you can be, but everything south of the Chicagoland area and south of I-80/90 in Indiana is like another universe to me. Much more conservative and rural than what I'm used to.
I disagree about there not being a big difference between the Great Lakes and Great Plains. To me they're like night and day. Milwaukee has had three socialist mayors in its history, I highly doubt that feat would have ever been possible in cities like Indianapolis or Cincinnati. Madison elected Tammy Baldwin, the first member of congress who was openly gay from the outset and wasn't outed or came out after being elected, I don't think that would be possible in college towns like Lawrence or Lincoln.
Madison elected Tammy Baldwin, the first member of congress who was openly gay from the outset and wasn't outed or came out after being elected, I don't think that would be possible in college towns like Lawrence or Lincoln.
Lawrence, KS is super liberal, and it is not in the Bible Belt. Most people there judge on performance and qualifications over sexual orientation.
I'm well aware that Indiana isn't a Great Plains state, I included Indiana, Downstate Illinois, and Southern Ohio in my list because they are culturally more similar to the Great Plains and the Southern US. Indiana is technically a Great Lakes state but it sure as hell doesn't act like it IMO. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Chicagoland, NW Indiana, and Michigan are about as similar as you can be, but everything south of the Chicagoland area and south of I-80/90 in Indiana is like another universe to me. Much more conservative and rural than what I'm used to.
I disagree about there not being a big difference between the Great Lakes and Great Plains. To me they're like night and day. Milwaukee has had three socialist mayors in its history, I highly doubt that feat would have ever been possible in cities like Indianapolis or Cincinnati. Madison elected Tammy Baldwin, the first member of congress who was openly gay from the outset and wasn't outed or came out after being elected, I don't think that would be possible in college towns like Lawrence or Lincoln.
Indiana more in common with the South? LOL!!!! What are you basing that on exactly? Southern Illinois, Southern Missouri, and Southern Ohio I agree may be Southern influenced, but they are not more similar to the South than the Midwest. At most it's a 50-50 split. Conservative and rural does not equal Great Plains or Southern. There is a huge difference between those two. I-80 and I-90 are not the northern ends of Southern influence, the northern end of that is well to the South. Downstate Illinois is down-to-the-line Midwest outside of Southern Illinois. Far Southern Indiana is the only part of Indiana that may be more Southern than Midwestern.
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Why does the Midwest get such a bum rap?
