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That line of thinking was a huge factor in my husband's and my decision to relocate from New Jersey to the midwest (Missouri). We have traveled the around country a bit and couldn't believe what a difference there is in the midwest. People are so warm and friendly. We've only been here for a bit over a month but we don't regret our decision at all, and we are looking forward to raising a family in a place with such friendly people. Don't forget, there are cities in the midwest too! I spent a few hours today reading in a lovely park somewhere in Kansas City, MO...it's the "city of fountains" and it was very nice to walk around, see the architecture and beauty of the buildings downtown, and then sit and read near a fountain.
The term "heartland" makes me think of a Chevy commercial.
I'm glad you found what you were looking for in Missouri! I don't know where I'll end up but its not going to be in the Boston-DC corridor that's for sure. I'm particularly interested in Nevada, Texas, and North Carolina.
Plains10 thanks for all the interesting info. How a lot of the central/high plains is dry is definitely seen when I fly over them in the summertime at least. A lot of it looks brown like Nevada/Arizona, then you see the Rockies which are green and/or snow-capped, and then its brown desert all the way to the Sierra Nevadas.
So would you consider the Mountain States as part of Middle America? I think culturally Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho are a lot more similar to the "heartland" than to either California or the Southwestern states like NV and AZ and NM.
Terrapin, I still don't get what you're getting at with all this heartland stuff. I strongly belive that the "heartland", however it is defined, does not have better values, etc than the rest of the country.
That said, the mountain states are the mountain states, period. Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Utah, Arizona (N to S and E to W). I dunno about Nevada, maybe it's in its own classification, like Pittsburgh. It is a mountain state. Have never been there, either.
The central plains have had dramatic advances in farm-related technology over the years. As technology has advanced, the amount of labor and workers needed on a farm has diminished considerably over time. With advances in technology the productivity has increased along with size of the farm. The big farms get bigger, and the small less efficient farms and ranches lose out. The big agri business companies are known as commericalized agriculture. Those are prevalant in some areas of the Great Plains and often require huge amounts of irrigated water and energy to produce the product. Also, most of the population is concentrated in larger cities and towns in the Great Plains states. The population is highly centralized and not dispersed in the rural areas. The only big exception to this is the Indian Reservations. The total percent of the population living in rural areas is now very low. The towns that are not regional centers will continue to decline as the diversity of jobs is not enough to convince many younger people to stay. Therefore, you have cycles of decline in the rural Great Plains; more young people leave, more local businesses close because their is not enough business, more old people stay, and the population declines sharply.
The idealized view of living in the Great Plains is not for the weak at heart. The climate is extreme, and often their are few trees to block the strong winds that blow nearly every day. Drought and water shortages are a constant problem in some areas of Kansas because they are in the rain shadow of the Rocky Mountains. Other natural hazards include dust storms, hailstorms, blizzards, extreme heat, and extreme cold. The reason why the housing prices are so low in many rural areas of the Great Plains is because many of the houses have been abandoned, and have deteriorated for over 50 years in some areas. Also, because you have so many people leaving the housing stock is quite old and very few newer houses are ever built.
I've driven just about every corner, from top-to-bottom and side-to-side, of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Seen a lot of rural spaces in those drives. And never have I experienced the kind of desolation as when I drove through Kansas. (Obviously it's been a long time since I've driven through the high plains or desert west). I gotta tell you, that's a special kind of nothin' you've got out there. In Indiana/Ohio/Illinois/Wisconsin/Pennsylvania, you're never far from from small town or another. You're never afraid you're going to run out of gas; if the needle starts creeping toward the "E" you just start looking around for gas stations because one will pop up eventually. Not out there, man. One time I ran my tank down a little too far, thinking a gas station would pop up soon enough... and by the time I finally pulled into a gas station for a refill, I swear I was running on nothing but vapor, momentum and imagination. I put 16.1 gallons in my 16-gallon tank. Driving along the interstate at night and looking around and seeing no lights of any kind, from any source, anywhere... that's a lonesome feeling.
And another question is, is Middle America more typical of America or the coastal fringe? I think so at least. Terms like "heartland" or "Middle America" conjures up images of the kind of places that most people in the U.S. live in and the kind of lives they lead.
See, I think that this is imaginary. All I hear about is that the population in rural America is dropping, and that the country is becoming more urban and cosmopolitan, yet so many people still cling to these 'romantic' notions of a 'real america' of small towns and main streets.
I very much resent the notion that there is a 'real america' in some sort of mythical "heartland" over a 'fake america' and when politicians start in on that nonsense I can't help but roll my eyes.
The cornbelt literally ends at between 98-100W longitude. Once you get any further west it becomes a semi-arid grass desert. 98W is about the transition zone between the central plains and the high plains. Areas along and west of 100W are located in the high plains region. The high plains region was oversettled initially, and most rural areas in that region have lost population for over 100 years. Average rainfall in this area is around 15 inches or less. Corn is grown near the massive meat packing plants out in the desolate high plains. The badlands in the Dakotas are also located along and west of 100W longitude. The biggest town in the High Plains region is Lubbock, Texas. The high plains region has an underground aquifer known as the Ogallala Aquifer. Many farmers have been overpumping the aquifer to grow corn and soybeans out in the semi-arid high plains. This has been rather disasterous, and the aquifer is now declining in many areas of the high plains. This is accurately reflected in the sharp population declines in the counties with a declining aquifer water supply. So, the areas imitating the Midwest have failed, and now many must convert back to dryland agriculture that fits the local climate in a more ecologically sustainable manner. I have lived on the high plains before and it gets tiring to always have to hear about constant drought and water supply concerns constantly. The Midwest does not usually have to worry about these problems because their climate is much more favorable overall.
Ok Plains, NOW you've said enough for me never to group these two regions together again. If they have to overpump the aquifer to get all their cornfields and soybeans, something is definitely wrong. In the Midwest, such as where I live, corn and soybeans grow relatively easily here, plus it is much wetter here. And yes i am beginning to think there is a much larger difference in terms of weather between the Plains and the Midwest. Also, the Midwest is much more heavily forested and full of trees than the Plains.
I've driven just about every corner, from top-to-bottom and side-to-side, of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Seen a lot of rural spaces in those drives. And never have I experienced the kind of desolation as when I drove through Kansas. (Obviously it's been a long time since I've driven through the high plains or desert west). I gotta tell you, that's a special kind of nothin' you've got out there. In Indiana/Ohio/Illinois/Wisconsin/Pennsylvania, you're never far from from small town or another. You're never afraid you're going to run out of gas; if the needle starts creeping toward the "E" you just start looking around for gas stations because one will pop up eventually. Not out there, man. One time I ran my tank down a little too far, thinking a gas station would pop up soon enough... and by the time I finally pulled into a gas station for a refill, I swear I was running on nothing but vapor, momentum and imagination. I put 16.1 gallons in my 16-gallon tank. Driving along the interstate at night and looking around and seeing no lights of any kind, from any source, anywhere... that's a lonesome feeling.
The decline in the rural areas of the high plains is so severe that I have seen abandoned gas stations even along areas of I-70. Also, several gas stations have closed over the past few years. I think their is one stretch of the interstate where their are no gas stations for 40-50 miles. The idealized view of living in a small town in the Great Plains is a myth. A lot of people who live in urban areas will not understand this unless they live out on the plains themselves for more than a year.
Ok Plains, NOW you've said enough for me never to group these two regions together again. If they have to overpump the aquifer to get all their cornfields and soybeans, something is definitely wrong. In the Midwest, such as where I live, corn and soybeans grow relatively easily here, plus it is much wetter here. And yes i am beginning to think there is a much larger difference in terms of weather between the Plains and the Midwest. Also, the Midwest is much more heavily forested and full of trees than the Plains.
As much as you despise traveling to Kansas I would suggest that it may be a good idea to understand some of the issues that the High Plains are facing. The Ogallala Aquifer is declining rapidly in some areas of Kansas where it was over-pumped for irrigation purposes. This is definitely the case near the meat packing plants where they grow lots of corn using center pivot irrigation. This is unsustainable in that area and I predict more ghost towns will be evident in the High Plains in the next 25-50 years as the water shortage and water supply problem will be even worse by then. Luckily, I will not have to think about the problems the Great Plains face as much anymore because I am moving back east.
As much as you despise traveling to Kansas I would suggest that it may be a good idea to understand some of the issues that the High Plains are facing. The Ogallala Aquifer is declining rapidly in some areas of Kansas where it was over-pumped for irrigation purposes. This is definitely the case near the meat packing plants where they grow lots of corn using center pivot irrigation. This is unsustainable in that area and I predict more ghost towns will be evident in the High Plains in the next 25-50 years as the water shortage and water supply problem will be even worse by then. Luckily, I will not have to think about the problems the Great Plains face as much anymore because I am moving back east.
Kansas is not a terrible state...it is not an ugly state at least....it just takes over half-a-day to cross on I-70. There is the Brookefield Hotel, which has great fried chicken and ice cream for desert. Kansas is not that bad...I wouldn't want to live there, but it certainly beats Arkansas and Oklahoma. Eastern Kansas is much hillier than Western Kansas.
Yeah, the Flint Hills area from Lawrence to about Salina and on down to Wichita is actually a pretty nice drive, during the daytime anyway...
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