Fly Over Country? (Chicago, Oregon, Manhattan: home, live in, richest)

[brinegar312]

Chicago - Having lived on the east and west coast's, I have generally understood the term fly-over-country to define everything between I-5 and Chicago and then Chicago and I-95.
Hopefully some of you are midwest and can tell me what is considered fly-over and what isn't around the places outside the MINP/MIL/CHI/IND/CLE cities. I think we could all agree that the Dakota's and Wyoming and Montana and Nebraska would all be fly-over, but what else is? Thanks.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Most Midwesterners do not appreciate the term "fly over country". The Midwest is full of beautiful landscapes as well as big cities.

I'm afraid that some may take offense to this post, just to warn you.

[brinegar312]

Thanks for the warning, but I am sure I am not the 1st transplant to ask this question. I don't find this to be offensive at all. I lived in Oregon once upon a time and I know CA and SEA saw most of that state as fly-over, although I didn't take offense to it.

Originally Posted by STLCardsBlues1989

Most Midwesterners do not appreciate the term "fly over country". The Midwest is full of beautiful landscapes as well as big cities.

I'm afraid that some may take offense to this post, just to warn you.

[ogre]

Just dropping in because I happened to see the title on the front page menu. StCB gives you fair and accurate warning. Truth be told, if you're asking this seriously, say, out of curiousity, you might get more of an idea by posting this question in forums for states on the east and west coasts. At those forums you are more likely to encounter people who use the term, or have heard it used with some frequency. If you've lived in Chicago for your whole life, or long enough that it feels like home, be warned that you might get pretty disgusted by the condescending nature of some responses you might get at coastal-states forums. As StCB points out, "flyover country" is a derogatory term that implies that this is a region you simply fly over because there's nothing there worth stopping to see. I live in the Northeast myself (though did at one point live in Ohio for a number of years), and I get pretty disgusted at times by the attitude that leads to this term.

That said, how ya doin' StCB? I see your posts a lot over at General U.S. You always seem to have some astute and level-headed observations to offer. Take care, and I'm sure I'll see you around General.

[ogre]

Um, well, the other part of this is that I don't think the question has any precise answer. As you pointed out yourself by saying that some would consider Oregon to be "flyover" territory. The way the term is usually used, it generally means sort of like "out there in the middle of the country." What states exactly this applies to all depends on the perception of the individual. I don't think there is any precise answer. One more reason that perhaps this question does not need to be pursued in this forum. The question really has no exact answer, and you ask it at the risk of offending other users. Even if you aren't bothered by some Californians' or Seattleites' put-downs of OR, some people do take offense at having their home region disparaged by the use of terms like this, and understandably so.

[Lookout Kid]

"Flyover Country" is dismissive, and offensive to anyone who doesn't live in Los Angeles or Manhattan.

[edsg25]

We don't subscribe to the notion of "flyover country" in the great midwest and the great city of Chicago.

However, we do see LA-NY or SF-DC passages as definitely being "fringe-to-fringe flights"

[At1WithNature]

The coastal elitists consider everything in the Midwest to be flyover country including chicago. i would tend to agree with them. The East coast has the richest history in the nation. The western part of the nation has hollywood and excitement with vegas and what not. The South has warm weather and citizens who are tact, nostalgic, and polite. The midwest is generally seen as boring flat land with incredibly cold snowy weather filled with farmers and generally nothing to do there. And that is fairly true when you consider chicago is a business city first and foremost. Of course many will disagree with this assertion in the chicago forum and that is just fine.

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

"Flyover Country" is dismissive, and offensive to anyone who doesn't live in Los Angeles or Manhattan.

Yep. It isn't a term you really hear outside of LA and Manhattan, and even there it isn't used all that much. I wouldn't use it in Chicago unless you want people to think you're a d**k.

[Mister Mappy]

So, then you're a cultural elitist?

"Flyover country" is a rude, dismissive statement.