What do you think about the midwest? (earthquakes, camping)

[Chicano3000X]

Chicago and Milwaukee

[iNviNciBL3]

Originally Posted by Heyooooo

Uhhh, Northeast has the same thing, especially New England. Minus the corn, but theres NY and PA for that.

Soo?

Only difference to me is New England is more smug. Midwest/Upper Plains more down to earth and real. Both places are full of smart and educated types, and ill include the Northwest.

I don't care, this is a thread about the mid-west not the northeast.

[Heyooooo]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

I kinda like those comments though - they actually make me happy I grew up in the Midwest and have a solid, grounded and uplifting view of life. For the most part the Midwest has a pretty high standard of living, low costs, good schools and people are quite happy and content. Most Midwesterners just laugh at all the crazy things said about them by people on the coasts who have extremely off ideas of what life is like in other areas of the country....while they're not exactly living "the dream" in their little piece of paradise. I grew up in Iowa and heard it all as far as what "Iowans" are like and what it must be like to live there. We loved all the crazy comments and it made it more of an identity to be living in what people assume must be boring. I had an absolute blast growing up there, and it's crazy what awesome houses you can get for so little, while still making a decent amount of money. Let everyone think what they want.

Des Moines, Iowa of all places came out at #1 in the country when you match the average salary with the average cost of living. I know people in their 20's who work downtown and have amazing 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom houses that they got for $300K. I about puked when I visited. Then they have money for cars, traveling the world, etc.

I agree. I have a few good friends from CR. Everyone I knew from Iowa was extremely cultured and very smart. Politically engaged and travel. More so than anyone I know in the Northeast.

[gosling]

Originally Posted by NowInWI

Curious, gosling, what are your thoughts? What is your reason for creating this thread - moving to the Midwest, vacationing in the Midwest? It's always interesting when a thread like this is started, and then the OP hides.

The reason I started this thread is because I came across this The Revolution Will Be: One Woman's Opinion: The Midwest Sucks. ignorant piece about midwestern stereotypes. I am originally from the rust belt but now live elsewhere. While I wasn't really crazy about where I lived this article irked me enough to start this thread to see what others thought. It's the type of thing where I can bash where I came from but if anyone else does it then I become defensive.

What are my thoughts? There is a lot of variety in the midwest. For those who say it is monocultural just look at some of the diversity. Examples include the large Somali population in Minnesota and the large Islamic population in Dearborn, MI. It might be less diverse than the coasts but that is to be expected since unemployment is high. Also there is great geographical diversity in the midwest. It isn't all flat like people claim. Southern Ohio is very hilly, Minnesota has lots of lakes and forests, Michigan in the great lakes area is gorgeous. There is ample opportunity for hiking and other outdoor activities.

There are differences in political affiliations as well. Some parts of the midwest are conservative while others are liberal. There are major differences even in the same state which is the case in Ohio.


I think perhaps you need to look a bit deeper to find culture and diversity than the east and west coasts but it doesn't mean it isn't there.

[RC01]

I'd rather live in the midwest any day than live with those liberal snobs in those overpopulated, dirty areas on the coasts (see I can generalize too )!

But in all seriousness, I really do enjoy living in the midwest. The cost of living is low, employment is generally decent, the people are pretty nice, and most of all: it is less populated than other regions. I get that it isn't everyone's thing, but ignorant generalizations are annoying.

[Heyooooo]

Im still not seeing any major or discernible difference between the Midwest and the Northeast other than accents and a little geography. At least in my experiences. I cant think of anything else.

Liberal snobs dont exist in Chicago or Minneapolis or Madison or, etc etc?

(I say this myself, as a liberal)

[stlouisan]

I love it. Very diverse and reflects many elements of our country. The westernmost portions remind you of the west, the northernmost parts remind you of canada, the easternmost parts remind of the northeast, and the southernmost parts have southern influences. A very broad, very diverse mixture of cultures in terms of the rural areas. Meanwhile, the cities of the Midwest have proud histories....old manufacturing powerhouses in the eastern Midwest (along and east of the Mississippi, cities like St. Louis, Detroit, and Cleveland), and new, vibrant cities in the western parts (KC, Omaha, Des Moines). The eastern Midwest also has new and vibrant cities as well (Columbus and Indianapolis).

[RC01]

Originally Posted by Heyooooo

Im still not seeing any major or discernible difference between the Midwest and the Northeast other than accents and a little geography. At least in my experiences. I cant think of anything else.

Liberal snobs dont exist in Chicago or Minneapolis or Madison or, etc etc?

(I say this myself, as a liberal)

I live in Minneapolis of course I know that there are liberals here! My point was that anyone can generalize and it's just not true. I'll explain. I don't think liberals are snobs first off. Second, some areas of the coasts have reputations for being snobs and the coasts are generally liberal. So, I thought I'd generalize like other people were doing to the midwest.

Also, I totally agree with your logic that there isn't a lot different between the two, but some other ignorant posters were acting like all we have is corn etc

[insane4madonna]

Horrible weather, a lot of closed minded people, corn, nothing to do. Boring boring boring

[RC01]

Originally Posted by insane4madonna

Horrible weather, a lot of closed minded people, corn, nothing to do. Boring boring boring

I had a long detailed response to your ridiculous post, but then I decided that there's no point in preaching to those who don't care to learn.

If you were being sarcastic and making a joke, nice job then