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I already said Peoria had outgrown its status of being so similar to American demographics that it once had. But certainly Chicago-to-somewhere in Illinois is one of the more drastic 100 miles one can take in 1 state. I don’t think the Appalachian foothills can be reached within 100 miles from Cleveland/Great Lakes. But perhaps that is something to consider if it’s feasible.
Just out of curiosity, is there a particular town or city you think mirrors the country right now instead of Peoria?
Just out of curiosity, is there a particular town or city you think mirrors the country right now instead of Peoria?
My point about Peoria was you could go from a global city to middle America in a relatively small space. I used Peoria because it has entered the English language as byword for average town. It was an observation simply utilizing the city as a simplification. It obviously has not caused that, so consider Peoria scratched off.
I think that's where the "midwest is boring" vibe comes from. It is green and there is some variation in landscape and topography but generally it doesn't change much.
Generally you can fall asleep (as passenger ) and wake up 1-2 hours later and feel like you are in the same place.
Generally in the West, give it 1-2 hours and landscape usually changes dramatically.
Someone already posted but PNW is one example. Portland/Seattle along the coastal areas are one of the greenest areas in US and go east a bit and BOOM...desert landscape.
Colorado is the same - plains, hills, desert, sand dunes, mountains.
All depends where in the Midwest you are travelling through. Last year, we went on a long road trip. First leg of the trip was from Minneapolis to Cheyenne. South Dakota has some pretty drastic scenery change from east to west. Western Nebraska is beautiful with cool rock formations.
Also Northern Minnesota is very boreal, full of pine trees and rocky cliffs. Quite different from the prairie portion in the lower and western part of the state.
Peoria is a euphemism for average American town. Chicago is one of the great urban cities in the world. Illinois makes sense.
Despite the difference in size, urban intensity, and development of the two, Chicago and Peoria and any non-Chicagoland north of I-64 are all still unquestionably Midwest.
Illinois does have a much more drastic change between its central and southern areas compared to Chicago vs Northern or Central IL outside Chicagoland.
But Missouri is still a much better answer here.
St. Louis itself is solidly Midwest. But 100 miles south or southeast will either land you in the upper south or in the Mississippi Delta
Someone else upthread mentioned Maryland. I don't think it's a coincidence both are/were historically considered "Border States." I think outside the West, Border States like Missouri, Maryland, and West Virginia will shine in this comparison.
About 46% or so of the US is empty. People living in sparsely populated places will have a lifestyle and a culture that differs from typical urban America. That might have more to do with geography than anything else. If you live in Denver and go west 100 miles you will see a different lifestyle and culture based on more tourism, mining, etc. If you go east you will see a largely agricultural lifestyle. That is mostly a response to geographic changes which, from the windshield of your car, is more apparent. If you get out and hob-nob with the locals you will pick up cultural differences. If you go north or south along the front range the culture differences might be more subtle.
Out of Albuquerque, 100 miles east and there are probably many more cows than people - broad ranchland. Going west you will be in Navajo country. Going north, you will be in the old Hispano cultural area with some tourism near Taos and Rio Grande del Norte, and skiing in winter. Go south 100 miles, you will be near Bosque del Apache (think geese and cranes) or Jornada del Muerto (desert north of Truth or Consequences). Albuquerque has Pueblo Indian lands and communities on the north, west, and south only a short distance out of the city so you would drive from an urban culture area, through a traditional Indian culture zone, to wherever you stop at 100 miles which will be different again. Some of those changes are historical and tradition-based..
My point about Peoria was you could go from a global city to middle America in a relatively small space. I used Peoria because it has entered the English language as byword for average town. It was an observation simply utilizing the city as a simplification. It obviously has not caused that, so consider Peoria scratched off.
Not too much different than GA, the Carolinas, or Virginia from my experience, with a coastal plain region with some resort areas/historic cities, the agricultural flatlands with some struggling towns, the foothills/piedmont the biggest cities, and the Appalachian northern/western reaches with a few "hip" towns in there. Middle of the road in terms of cultural changes (more than the Midwest/Plains and Mississippi, but less than the Northeast).
Pretty much; Alabama just gets the benefit having more potentially known names when you say "Around and within a 100 mile radius from Birmingham, you have Huntsville (NASA), Montgomery, Tuscaloosa (University of Alabama), Talladega, Auburn, Tuskegee, Selma, and the Shoals (er, Helen Keller)." Though shifting to Ashville, AL will net you Chattanooga and Atlanta the cost of Selma, those aren't "within state" and Ashville has absolutely no name recognition.
Just out of curiosity, is there a particular town or city you think mirrors the country right now instead of Peoria?
Des Moines is pretty close at least from a demographic standpoint. Des Moines' foreign-born population is about 15%, so basically the national average. It is a little under the national average for AA and Hispanic, at 11.5% and 15.5% respectively, and it's pretty much the same for Asian at close to 7%. It's not exact but there are few places more reflective at least demographically.
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) and wake up 1-2 hours later and feel like you are in the same place.
