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I'm not starting a fight here, I was just making an observation. The big successfull cities south/west TEND to have room to grow (I KNOW not all of them do, hence Atlanta). The cities people bring up immediately upon talking about the Midwest's ills TEND to have been penned in for 50 years now. I'm just saying that they might have lost population, but they still pack more people per square mile than most of the growing areas. They're far from abandoned, they just "fluffed out" into their suburbs when conditions in the city went downhill. Hopefully these cities can continue to rebuild themselves and do well. I don't think it's bad that they're not shooting back up to where they were 50 years ago with 15,000 people per square mile. They just need to sustain where they are and make life better for those who are there at this time.
Of course we aren't fighting...it's not quite worth fighting over. It just gets old reading about the characteristics of "Sun Belt Cities" or "Rust Belt Cities" or "New England Cities" etc. as if they are all the same. People often point out and discuss the negative aspects associated with southern/western cities, when each city is actually unique with a set of it's very own positives and negatives.
Everything you said is an entirely acceptable opinion. Nothing wrong with prefering the North Country (Upper Midwest and Northern New England). To each his own and alot of people would agree with you!
But do you hate the Lower Midwest and Southern New England?
I listed why I didn't care for the Lower Midwest in my previous post, and Southern New England is a little too crowded overall.
The problem with this statement is that two people can have very different definitions of what comprises an important/intellectual conversation.
A conversation about how well the soybean crop is doing this year isn't necessarily any less "intellectual" than a conversation about the intricacies of the theory of evolution. I would much rather discuss something that is pertinent to my immediate community than some abstract idea that has little to no effect on my life.
I was referring to intellectual discussions that involve anything related to science, history, politics, etc. Yes, I know quite a bit about farm issues as well due to the fact that my relatives operate a ranch in rural northwest Kansas. It doesn't mean I really want to engage myself in a one-track discussion about the same subject all the time either. Many people in the Lower Midwest are very set in their ways, beliefs, and just do not travel very much. Political discussions are amusing because these people see very few shades of grey with any issue. It is either black/white or right/wrong.
Of course we aren't fighting...it's not quite worth fighting over. It just gets old reading about the characteristics of "Sun Belt Cities" or "Rust Belt Cities" or "New England Cities" etc. as if they are all the same. People often point out and discuss the negative aspects associated with southern/western cities, when each city is actually unique with a set of it's very own positives and negatives.
Also, heating costs tend to be a factor some don't consider. Here in New England some houses have up to four different sources of heat to supplement costs. You have the entire range between: propane, heating oil, kerosene, wood, electric, and solar. Natgas is only in the larger cities. Many people live out in the country so nearly everyone has a septic with leach field along with a drilled well.
Just joining the discussion....I'm curious which states are we referring to when we say the midwest? I for one don't hate any state and think each US state is unique and can offer something for everyone.
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