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I really like the midwest as well. You can't just compare Chicago and NYC. Sure, they are the two biggest cities in the regions people are comparing, but not EVERYONE wants to live in a large city.
There are other cities that cater to certain people as well. I used to live in Milwaukee and loved it. It obviously isn't as busy as NYC and doesn't have everything that NYC does, but not everyone needs/wants all of that. The lakefront was beautiful, the bars were surprisingly very nice, there are tons of festivals(including Summerfest, the biggest music festival in the country), it has one of the largest park systems in the country, and is just a very friendly place. However, its not for everyone. Some people prefer a city like that while other prefer NYC, DC, or Chicago. It's just personal preference.
If the race of a governor is an indicator of liberalism, this country is hardly liberal. Since Reconstruction, there have been 3 black governors in the U.S. 2 have been elected (Wilder in Virgina, Patrick in Massachusetts) and 1 was appointed (Patterson in New York).
Of the 4 black senators, 3 have been elected (Brooke in Massachusetts, Mosley-Braun in Illinois, and Obama in Illinois) and 1 was appointed (Burris in Illinois, ugh).
I guess with an Austrian born governor, and no black senators or governors in it's history, California must be filled with crypto-nazis
In all seriousness though people who aren't familiar with the midwest might be surprised that it's not run by some tight hardcore conservative machine. A lot of places (not all of courses)- like Iowa - has more of a live and let live attitude than people think. Mr. Air America Al Franken is going to represent (in all likelihood) the state of Minnesota in the U.S. senate. And the only thing zanier than Arnold Schwarzenegger as a governor is his Predator co-star Jesse Ventura as governor - who was a libertarian leaning independent, but very liberal in social issues that didn't have huge financial implications.
Ok, that was a bit off on a tangent there I suppose.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CubsGiantsIndiansfan2008
Why do people on these forums (cough,cough, Dementor, cough, cough, constantlly rag on the Midwest as a boring, unclutured, conservative place with no culture of its own.
The Midwest has some amazing culture centers like the Twin Cities, Madison, Milwaukee, Ann Arbor, St. Louis, Columbus, Kansas City, Cincy, Cleveland, Indy, Bloomington, Larwence, heck even Detroit (and many more) that have just as much culture as the East Cosat.
And try as you might to deny it, the Midwest is home to one the world's great cities every bit as good as Paris, London, and New York in the form and Chicago.
And I still don't get why people think the Midwest is this baston of conservatism. Two of our history's most liberal movements-Populism and Progressivism-had their start in the Midwest. 6 out of the 11 Midwestern States were won by Obama. And what state just permitted Gay Marrage, New York? No. Iowa. Just listen to a John Mellencamp song if you need more evidence of the Midwest's liberalism.
Although I love San Francisco to death and wouldn't trade it for anything, I still miss the Midwest. There's few things finer in life than a Big 10 Saturday, family cookouts, and cornhole.
Thank you.
Add the South as well to another underrated region (sans Florida).
The Midwest is a great region in and of itself full of unique people and unique viewpoints. If you look at the distributions, the Midwest is very diverse in terms of viewpoints both Liberal and Conservative. I think diverse viewpoints are just as important as racial diversity, as we should encourage all people to think for themselves.
Enough comparing Chicago to NYC. Chicago is no world-city like NYC is, but it has it's own unique urban vibe, people, and niche to it that can't be beat.
Ahhhh, and nothing beats a rockin' tailgate outside a Big 10 Football game on a crisp Autumn morning. Cornhole, BBQ, drinking... can't be beat.
The Midwest is a great region in and of itself full of unique people and unique viewpoints. If you look at the distributions, the Midwest is very diverse in terms of viewpoints both Liberal and Conservative. I think diverse viewpoints are just as important as racial diversity, as we should encourage all people to think for themselves.
And all other regions of the us are absolutely uniform int terms of viewpoints....
This can be said about ANY region, state and city in America.
Enough comparing Chicago to NYC. Chicago is no world-city like NYC is, but it has it's own unique urban vibe, people, and niche to it that can't be beat.
exactly... I think a lot of people would like Chicago more if people didn't keep trying to compare it to NYC, Paris, etc...
It is when people say Chicago has the same things as NYC which draws the animosity.
Who considers the Dakotas, Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma the midwest? I'm not even sure I'd consider Missouri the midwest, to be honest.
Unless you see the region as a huge place, encompassing both the Great Plains and the Great Lakes states...I've always thought of the Midwest as the Big Ten and the Great Plains as the Big 12 (Big 8), and so do most people I know. I mean seriously...Ohio and North Dakota are supposed to be in the same region?
Who considers the Dakotas, Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma the midwest? I'm not even sure I'd consider Missouri the midwest, to be honest.
Unless you see the region as a huge place, encompassing both the Great Plains and the Great Lakes states...I've always thought of the Midwest as the Big Ten and the Great Plains as the Big 12 (Big 8), and so do most people I know. I mean seriously...Ohio and North Dakota are supposed to be in the same region?
Missouri is Midwestern with Southern influences...St. Louis and Kansas City are solidly Midwestern cities. As a resident of this state for over 22 years and having visited all 12 states considered to be in the Midwest, I agree 100% with the U.S. Census Bureau's definition. Oklahoma is not the Midwest. Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota are all considered to be the Midwest. Missouri is considered Midwestern by the majority of its residents, and all 12 states are recognized by the Census Bureau as being in the Midwest. As for Oklahoma, I would say the state overall is more Southern than Midwestern, but there are parts of it that are more Midwestern and also parts that are more Southwestern than they are Southern.
Well...that's the minority opinion that I've experienced. Whichever you want to be called "Midwest", the Great Lakes and the Great Plains have very, very different feels. I can see St. Louis being like Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Indy, Cleveland, for example, but Kansas City? Feels more like Oklahoma City, Denver, etc.
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