IA Neighbor Similarities? (Des Moines, Sioux City, Waterloo: rent, work, art)

[metro223]

Of the 6 states bordering Iowa - which do we have the most in common with??

I'm going to go out on a whim and say Nebraska, granted they stretch out into the vast Great Plains ... however, much of the state is cultivated prairie land just like Iowa, and for the most part they seem to have a similar culture and terrain - The cities and sports are similar too.

I dismissed South Dakota because it's more wide open great plains with bison and the badlands and such.

Illinois is probably 2nd closest IMO, however I think Chicago and the fact that it is a Great Lakes state make it quite a bit different, also it goes much further South bordering KY.

Wisconsin and MN are also Great Lakes states and the culture has a different feel to it imo.

MO is quite a bit more hilly and has the ozarks, and most of the state has more of a southern influence.

Okie, well I guess that sums up my opinion, what do you guys think? Disagree with me or agree?

[DMRyan]

I think Iowa most resembles Illinois without Chicagoland. It's tough calling them a true Great Lakes state since only a tiny fraction of the state is on the Great Lakes. Subtract out Chicagoland and you have a state that resembles a place much like Iowa until you get to the more southern influence of Southern Illinois.

Western Nebraska is more tied to the Great Plains/Intermountain West than it is midwest. I defintely agree with your top 2 picks though.

[metro223]

Yup one of the two. So would you vote for IL? Or feel they tie?

[Plains10]

Rural Iowa and Illinois have some similarities. Both areas are relatively flat with a few exceptions. The climate of both areas is also similar. Corn and soybeans dominate the landscape during the growing season with relatively few trees. Southern Illinois is more forested and has a little less agriculture compared with the core of the Midwest.

[Ervserver]

I vote Illinois, the farm scene mirrors Iowa

[El Rhino]

I'm going to go with Illinois as well (besides Chicago....and East St. Louis, of course). Similar landscape, similar culture, similar industries and so-on. Bloomington probably has a lot in common with Des Moines, so does Peoria and Waterloo and of course the different sides of the Quad Cities.

Nebraska, I don't know. If Nebraska ended right outside of Lincoln, I would say it's very similar but Western Nebraska probably has more in common with Oklahoma, Kansas and the Texas Panhandle than Iowa.

[metro223]

Well we all agree it's not South Dakota.

[WoodwardGirl]

Originally Posted by metro223

Well we all agree it's not South Dakota.

Did anyone from Sioux City weigh in, though?

I just wonder if it's a little regional. I don't think of Iowa as being like Wisconsin and Minnesota, necessarily, but I am in a lot of organizations whose members tend to be mostly Iowans, Minnesotans and Wisconsinites. The orgs aren't restricted to that region, it just seemed to work out that way. But it's probably because I'm up toward the northeast a bit. Am I making any sense at all? Too many things going on today... shouldn't try to think and chew gum at the same time, obviously...

[LPerkins33]

IA and IL look alike, but IllANNOYIANS act like they are much better than us(for the most part). Minnesotans are very similar to Iowans in personality.

[cevec]

Hadn't really occurred to me, but I think I have to agree on that -- IA being more like IL, but Iowans more like Minnesotans. Probably just because so many people in IL are from the Chicago area, which isn't like IA at all. For some reason people from the Twin Cities don't seem to have as much of a hang up about it.

I still vote IL for the question that was asked, though. Latitude makes a big difference.