Does Chicago "feel" Midwestern? (Lincoln, Washington: beaches, getaway, park)

[BigLake]

Chicago is Midwestern at its core, with global ties (business, insurance, culture, immigration, etc.).

[CCrest182]

Yes, but it's also different from most of the Midwest. The midwest, outside of Chicago, is largely conservative, listens to country music, and spends summer nights out in the corn field drinking Busch beers on the tailgate of a Dodge Ram. You don't really get that vibe; definitely in the city of Chicago, or even the suburbs for that matter. But, in terms of midwestern friendliness, accents, loving Midwestern institutions (Big 10 sports/colleges, Culver's, Menards), and perhaps most of all.... loving BEER (although, typically not Busch Light. More a Miller Lite / craft brew kind of town).... yes, there are definitely Midwestern characteristics encountered here.

[Veritas Vincit]

Originally Posted by CCrest182

Yes, but it's also different from most of the Midwest. The midwest, outside of Chicago, is largely conservative, listens to country music, and spends summer nights out in the corn field drinking Busch beers on the tailgate of a Dodge Ram. You don't really get that vibe; definitely in the city of Chicago, or even the suburbs for that matter. But, in terms of midwestern friendliness, accents, loving Midwestern institutions (Big 10 sports/colleges, Culver's, Menards), and perhaps most of all.... loving BEER (although, typically not Busch Light. More a Miller Lite / craft brew kind of town).... yes, there are definitely Midwestern characteristics encountered here.

Do you really think what you describe as the Midwest "outside Chicago" really captures the vibe of metropolitan areas like Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Minneapolis or St.Louis?


What you describe there is 'country living' and other than perhaps changing the brand of beer and the type of crop that sounds like it could just as well be the case in rural upstate New York, rural Tennessee, rural Idaho or rural Kansas.



Chicago isn't the only city in the Midwest, not even the only major metro area.

[Losfrisco]

Originally Posted by Veritas Vincit

Do you really think what you describe as the Midwest "outside Chicago" really captures the vibe of metropolitan areas like Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Minneapolis or St.Louis?


What you describe there is 'country living' and other than perhaps changing the brand of beer and the type of crop that sounds like it could just as well be the case in rural upstate New York, rural Tennessee, rural Idaho or rural Kansas.



Chicago isn't the only city in the Midwest, not even the only major metro area.

Thank you for pointing this out.

Not only other major metro areas, but other world class cities like Detroit with competitive Olympic bids.

In 1950, the upper midwest was pretty much just as urban and powerful as the northeast, and it wasn't just Chicago though they led the way.

[ggplicks]

Originally Posted by Losfrisco

Thank you for pointing this out.

Not only other major metro areas, but other world class cities like Detroit with competitive Olympic bids.

In 1950, the upper midwest was pretty much just as urban and powerful as the northeast, and it wasn't just Chicago though they led the way.

calling Detroit a world class city is crazy lmao.

[DaBears02]

Originally Posted by CCrest182

Yes, but it's also different from most of the Midwest. The midwest, outside of Chicago, is largely conservative, listens to country music, and spends summer nights out in the corn field drinking Busch beers on the tailgate of a Dodge Ram. You don't really get that vibe; definitely in the city of Chicago, or even the suburbs for that matter. But, in terms of midwestern friendliness, accents, loving Midwestern institutions (Big 10 sports/colleges, Culver's, Menards), and perhaps most of all.... loving BEER (although, typically not Busch Light. More a Miller Lite / craft brew kind of town).... yes, there are definitely Midwestern characteristics encountered here.

This is wildly inaccurate. There are plenty of other major midwestern cities where this isn’t the norm. Also this sounds more like rural life rather than specifically midwestern (well other than the corn fields)

[jmgg]

Originally Posted by CCrest182

Yes, but it's also different from most of the Midwest. The midwest, outside of Chicago, is largely conservative, listens to country music, and spends summer nights out in the corn field drinking Busch beers on the tailgate of a Dodge Ram. You don't really get that vibe; definitely in the city of Chicago, or even the suburbs for that matter. But, in terms of midwestern friendliness, accents, loving Midwestern institutions (Big 10 sports/colleges, Culver's, Menards), and perhaps most of all.... loving BEER (although, typically not Busch Light. More a Miller Lite / craft brew kind of town).... yes, there are definitely Midwestern characteristics encountered here.

This over-the-top stereotype is coming from a person living in Chicago who has little to no connection outside of the city other than probably flying to some other large cities. Places he can relate to.

People living outside of cities like New York and Chicago are definitely different from the majority of Americana, of that we're in agreement.

[Treeman1]

I've never understood this vague notion of "midwestern friendliness". People are people no matter where you are, and there's always been a variety of good, bad, and everything in between, regardless of being a city in the coast, midwest, south, southwest, urban, suburban, exurban, rural, etc.

[Master Jay]

Treeman1, you just inspired me to play, "People are people" by Depeche Mode......

What a great song!

[wanderer34]

Chicago IS the definition of the Midwest!!!!! Nothing East Coast about it! From the accent, to the Big Ten, to the way they make pizza, and even not adding ketchup to it's hot dog (which is weird for a former NYer and a former Philadelphian like myself), this shouldn't even be an argument!