Why is Iowa considered to be in the Upper Midwest and why isn't Nebraska? (university, organic)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have a really hard time calling anything east of Chicago "Midwestern" but understand that in the historic sense of the term, that's what was originally being referred to.
To me, Midwest means 1) row crop agriculture: corn, wheat, soybeans. 2) hogs and cattle as the chief livestock concerns. 3) generally level topography (whole lotta windmills). 4) was originally a prairie biome (I do consider the Northwoods to be in Midwestern states, but kind of a separate culture and definitely a different biome). 5) Accents that are easily understood by other English speakers. 6) Traditional (IE non-evangelical) Christian theological traditions. Lutherans, Catholics, Methodists being the predominant flavors. 7) Urban economies that weren't built as heavily around manufacturing (IE less rust belt).
I understand that's not the academic definition, but these characterize what I view as Midwestern.
Yep, I agree with most of that. I will say though that I think Northern Indiana is very typically Midwestern as well, not counting the region near Lake Erie that's part of the Chicago metro. Don't forget Muncie, Indiana was long seen by sociologists as the archetypical Middle American small town.
Yep, I agree with most of that. I will say though that I think Northern Indiana is very typically Midwestern as well, not counting the region near Lake Erie that's part of the Chicago metro. Don't forget Muncie, Indiana was long seen by sociologists as the archetypical Middle American small town.
Yeah, NW Indiana fits for sure. But anything past Indianapolis and Bloomington starts to take on what I would consider eastern or southern characteristics.
I mean the highly populated areas of eastern Kansas that include Johnson County and Douglas County don't contain as many southern influences that you commonly find in southeast Kansas or other rural areas of the state.
Yep, I agree with most of that. I will say though that I think Northern Indiana is very typically Midwestern as well, not counting the region near Lake Erie that's part of the Chicago metro. Don't forget Muncie, Indiana was long seen by sociologists as the archetypical Middle American small town.
Muncie might have been more of an archetypical or "average" Midwest town in 1960, but it has fallen on hard economic times- even being somewhat anchored by Ball State University. The city has a poverty rate of over 30%, educational attainment below the national average, even though it has a sizable university, and low levels of job growth over long time periods. It also has a median house value of around $75,000, much below the national average.
Yeah, NW Indiana fits for sure. But anything past Indianapolis and Bloomington starts to take on what I would consider eastern or southern characteristics.
I think the same more for Columbus, Ohio, anywhere east of there is not Midwestern at all.
I mean the highly populated areas of eastern Kansas that include Johnson County and Douglas County don't contain as many southern influences that you commonly find in southeast Kansas or other rural areas of the state.
That was my point all along. I never said Kansas as a state was the quintessence of the Midwest/Middle America, but Northeast Kansas, specifically the Kansas River Valley area.
That's all central Iowa, which is distinct from both northern and southern Iowa.
Out of personal interest, could you break down and explain how you view the southern, central and northern parts of Iowa in terms of culture, borders, characteristics, demographics, and so forth?
Out of personal interest, could you break down and explain how you view the southern, central and northern parts of Iowa in terms of culture, borders, characteristics, demographics, and so forth?
Northern Iowa: Culturally/geographically similar to the Eastern Dakotas and Southern/Western Minnnesota in the central and western thirds. Dominated by corn and soybean agriculture with lots of hog and cattle feeding operations. It has a very Plains geography. There are very few trees. There are lots of windmills. People in this part of the state are generally of German or Scandinavian descent. Lots of Catholics or Lutherans. The major cities (Sioux City, Waterloo/Cedar Falls, Dubuque) are all on the southern extremity of what you could consider northern Iowa. People vote very red, and typify the hard working no-nonsense stoic emotionless Midwestern stereotypes.
Northeast Iowa is the most "un-Iowa" part of the state. It's mostly in the Driftless Area, and bears a heavy cultural connection to western Wisconsin and southeast Minnesota. The land is rugged, and heavily forested. There's more of a focus on smaller scale organic agriculture and dairy. It attracts a slightly more liberal audience and has more of a tourism draw due to the scenic beauty and recreation opportunity. People here, regardless of politics, place more emphasis on having fun than they do just to the west. You see the Wisconsin small town bar culture and there are lots of Czech communities (as well as Scandinavian and German).
Highway 20 is the southern boundary of northern Iowa, and within northern Iowa, Highway 63 roughly marks the line where pass into northeast Iowa, culturally and topographically. The rural areas of northern Iowa, while slowly losing population, still have strong economies and are very well kept. It does not appear in decline at all from a car window.
Central Iowa: the area between Highway 20 and Highway 92. This includes the state's 3 largest metropolitan areas, and it's 2 chief public universities. Grant Wood country. The Loess Hills. I-80. The State Fair. All of these hallmarks of the Iowa experience emanate from Central Iowa. It's where the state's unique culture is most on display. The demographics are far more blended, due to the urban areas. The rural areas here are generally within commuting distance of the bigger cities, and often function somewhat as bedroom communities. Manufacturing was a bigger part of the economy, especially along the Mississippi in the Quad Cities and Clinton, which have some Rust Belt characteristics not found in Des Moines or Cedar Rapids/Iowa City.
It's not as flat as north central/north western Iowa, other than the area north and a bit west of Des Moines, but there is still exceptional farm land here and a strong ag economy. Between the bustling cities, and their bedroom communities existing in a strong ag economy, this is a very economically robust part of the state. Being more urban, all of Iowa's blue counties are here and you still see some of that old Purple Iowa quality here. In the west, you have suburban Omaha bleeding into the Loess Hills, which are pretty spectacular from a scenery stand point.
Southern Iowa: Everything south of Highway 92. The land here, especially in south central Iowa, is far less productive in terms of row crop agriculture. The land is very rolling and more heavily wooded - less conducive to growing corn than vast level prairies. There is more cattle ranching, and overall, the ag economy here is weaker than points north. There were some towns both along the Mississippi and further west (Ottumwa) that once relied on manufacturing, but have lost it, and they have suffered significant economic decline. There was also a lot of coal mining in the late 19th/early 20th century that simply went dry and vanished, leaving ghost towns all over the region. There is a lot of cultural similarity to Missouri and Southern Illinois here. Many of the small rural towns are nearly gone, and it's the most economically depressed part of the state. It's predictably conservative, politically.
You see a stronger presence of evangelical Christianity here. In far southeast Iowa, there are still some pretty prosperous areas, but as you go west the population and services decline sharply until you get close to Omaha again. Like the far southeast, the far southwest portion of the state has some communities within commuting distance of Omaha that are doing well as bedroom towns.
I guess that's my 10 minute treatise on Iowa from north to south.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
