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My number one choice is Madison.
My number two choice is Des Moines.
In general I prefer Midwest cities over Great Plains cities any day of the week!!!
My number one choice is Madison.
My number two choice is Des Moines.
In general I prefer Midwest cities over Great Plains cities any day of the week!!!
The line of separation from the Midwest into the Great Plains confuses me. Where do you draw it? Cities like Omaha and Des Moines aren't very similar in culture or scenery to cities like Grand Rapids, MI or Dayton, OH.. at least to me. (I'm so hung up on this lately. )
The line of separation from the Midwest into the Great Plains confuses me. Where do you draw it? Cities like Omaha and Des Moines aren't comparable to Grand Rapids, MI or Dayton, OH to me. (I'm so hung up on this lately. )
Generally, I consider the Great Plains states to be the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas with an extension a little further east into Iowa, western MN and northwest MO. The Midwest core I would defiine as the cornbelt. This includes most of Iowa, southern MN, southern WI, northern and central IL, and northern and central IN. The Great Lakes would dictate the eastern portion of the Midwest with such cities as Detroit, Cleveland, Toledo, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Muskegon, South Bend, Fort Wayne, Chicago, and Milwaukee.
Generally, I consider the Great Plains states to be the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas with an extension a little further east into Iowa, western MN and northwest MO. The Midwest core I would defiine as the cornbelt. This includes most of Iowa, southern MN, southern WI, northern and central IL, and northern and central IN. The Great Lakes would dictate the eastern portion of the Midwest with such cities as Detroit, Cleveland, Toledo, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Muskegon, South Bend, Fort Wayne, Chicago, and Milwaukee.
I guess I consider the Great Plains to be the arid rainshadow of the rockies, which doesn't get started until out in Western Nebraska. Otherwise Central and Eastern Nebraska and Western and Central Iowa have the same natural vegetation - and that is tallgrass prairie. (Now mostly farmland.)
I'm going nowhere with this. I'm just trying to prove and identify a difference between the Great Lakes states and the states west of that - but before the Great Plains. (That's my thesis )
I guess I consider the Great Plains to be the arid rainshadow of the rockies, which doesn't get started until out in Western Nebraska. Otherwise Central and Eastern Nebraska and Western and Central Iowa have the same natural vegetation - and that is tallgrass prairie. (Now mostly farmland.)
I'm going nowhere with this. I'm just trying to prove and identify a difference between the Great Lakes states and the states west of that - but before the Great Plains. (That's my thesis )
The main difference between the Great Plains and the Midwest is climate, landscape, and political attitudes. The Great Plains is a lot drier and warmer overall compared with the Midwest during most seasons. Wheat is the dominant crop in the Great Plains, and much of the corn has to be irrigated in order to grow well. Population density in most of the rural areas in the Great Plains is much lower compared with the Midwest. Many counties in the Great Plains are classified as "frontier" because they have seven or fewer people per square mile. The Great Plains generally has more issues with water supply due to the decline of the Ogallala Aquifer in several areas. This has been a concern over portions of Kansas and Texas.
The Midwest is the huge corn and soybean belt in terms of agriculture. The rainfall is more than adequate during the growing season to support those type of crops without having to use irrigation like their neighbors further west. The Midwest generally has much higher levels of humidity during the summer compared with the Great Plains. Part of this is due to the fact that the corn evapotranspires during the growing season. (Corn adds to the humidity values).
In terms of political attitudes the two regions could not be more different. The Great Plains votes typically Republican, and the rural areas tend to be extremely conservative, and not quite as open to change. The rural Midwest is more mixed with more of an equal balance between Republican and Democratic politicians. The bigger cities in the Great Lakes tend to vote more heavily Democratic mainly due to the historically strong presence of unions of all types. (This is especially true in cities like Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago).
I picked Wichita Kansas with Oklahoma running a close second.
Even though the weather in any of those areas is not that good,I'd pick those places because of the people.
The main difference between the Great Plains and the Midwest is climate, landscape, and political attitudes. The Great Plains is a lot drier and warmer overall compared with the Midwest during most seasons. Wheat is the dominant crop in the Great Plains, and much of the corn has to be irrigated in order to grow well. Population density in most of the rural areas in the Great Plains is much lower compared with the Midwest. Many counties in the Great Plains are classified as "frontier" because they have seven or fewer people per square mile. The Great Plains generally has more issues with water supply due to the decline of the Ogallala Aquifer in several areas. This has been a concern over portions of Kansas and Texas.
The Midwest is the huge corn and soybean belt in terms of agriculture. The rainfall is more than adequate during the growing season to support those type of crops without having to use irrigation like their neighbors further west. The Midwest generally has much higher levels of humidity during the summer compared with the Great Plains. Part of this is due to the fact that the corn evapotranspires during the growing season. (Corn adds to the humidity values).
In terms of political attitudes the two regions could not be more different. The Great Plains votes typically Republican, and the rural areas tend to be extremely conservative, and not quite as open to change. The rural Midwest is more mixed with more of an equal balance between Republican and Democratic politicians. The bigger cities in the Great Lakes tend to vote more heavily Democratic mainly due to the historically strong presence of unions of all types. (This is especially true in cities like Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago).
Thank you for this explanation. I did know about the Ogallala aquifer being used up too quickly. It would be fine if it wasn't used at such a fast rate because it will replenish itself, people just aren't allowing it to do so. Are there things being done to preserve the aquifer as well as revitalize it? I guess it makes sense that the area was once considered the 'Great American Desert.'
Actually, dawnxman, Madison, Wisconsin is larger than Des Moines, Iowa. Des Moines has 195K and Madison 230K.
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'tis true, but Des Moines is a larger metro area than Madison.
Off the top of my head, here's how the cities would rank for metro population:
Indy
OKC
Omaha
Des Moines
Wichita
Madison
Sioux Falls
Des Moines excluded, like many others I'd pick Madison. I've only heard good things about it and I kind of like the Northern culture. Omaha would go second, I know it's a decent place that offers a lot of things. Indy would probably be third, followed by OKC, Sioux Falls and Wichita.
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