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In my opinion, Michigan is more similar to Upstate New York than any other state in the Midwest. Almost all of the original settlers in Michigan were from Upstate New York (or New England). That is why you see more Dutch and Yankee cultural undertones vs. German, Scandinavian or other undertones in most of Michigan.
I agree with this except the bolded. There isn't a big Dutch undertone outside of the west/central part of the state. The Dutch influence in Michigan isn't New York Dutch. The western counties around Grand Rapids were settled by fundamentalist Calvinists looking to escape the religious environment in the Netherlands during the 19th century(it was too liberal for them lol). That Dutch Calvinist influence is a big reason why the areas around Grand Rapids feel so culturally different than the rest of the state. Especially the population centers in SE Michigan.
For all of the less than desirable stereotypes they have brought to the area, that cultural difference is ironically also one of the biggest contributing factors to why Grand Rapids outperforms the rest of Michigan in the present day.
I agree with this except the bolded. There isn't a big Dutch undertone outside of the west/central part of the state. The Dutch influence in Michigan isn't New York Dutch. The western counties around Grand Rapids were settled by fundamentalist Calvinists looking to escape the religious environment in the Netherlands during the 19th century(it was too liberal for them lol). That Dutch Calvinist influence is a big reason why the areas around Grand Rapids feel so culturally different than the rest of the state. Especially the population centers in SE Michigan.
For all of the less than desirable stereotypes they have brought to the area, that cultural difference is ironically also one of the biggest contributing factors to why Grand Rapids outperforms the rest of Michigan in the present day.
While the cultural nuances may differ, at the end of the day, Dutch is Dutch.
While the cultural nuances may differ, at the end of the day, Dutch is Dutch.
I dunno. Go to the Dutch settled areas in New England, and then go to Western Michigan. Pretty big difference religiously and politically from my experiences.
I dunno. Go to the Dutch settled areas in New England, and then go to Western Michigan. Pretty big difference religiously and politically from my experiences.
The Dutch Reformed Church in Western MI is one of the big reasons why the Grand Rapids metro to this day is more Republican than most Northern urban areas of that size.
But people somewhat overstate the importance of those kind of historical and sociopolitical differences on this forum in terms of how they would be visible or notable today to someone visiting or moving there (especially in urban and suburban areas).
I'd say the difference in culture as well as geography when you go from an impoverished inner city neighborhood to a wealthy gentrified or suburban neighborhood in the same city is much starker and impressive than the difference between an Upper Midwest area that was settled by the Dutch 150 years ago and one settled by the Germans or Norwegians around the same time would ever be.
I dunno. Go to the Dutch settled areas in New England, and then go to Western Michigan. Pretty big difference religiously and politically from my experiences.
Rural Upstate New York (and adjacent areas of New England that have not been inundated by big-city transplants) are very conservative, if that is what you are implying.
Wisconsin is nice but not overly friendly. Neighborly, but not too welcoming or inviting. They're wrapped up in their own little world.
Michigan also had much larger numbers of southern whites move in. Growing up in the south, it seemed like half the families had some ties to Michigan. I never knew anyone from Wisconsin until I was an adult. After visiting Michigan on several occasions, it definitely felt like southerners had made their mark there. It's not southern at all, but they had an influence.
I think this a big part of what I was picking up on, honestly! The people in both areas are really nice, but WI has a more ”comfortably insular” vibe and MI seems a little more ”open/easygoing” with a friendly quality like you'd find in parts of the South. In fairness, many of the families I've met here in West MI are transplants from the Flint/Detroit metro areas and many have ties to Southern states such as KY, NC and LA -- the eastern and southeastern GR suburbs definitely have a little more of that general ”Americana” feel as a result. Since moving here, I've heard a lot of people half-jokingly complain about the weather, government, etc, and talk about moving South for the climate and political freedom. I don't really hear any of our friends in WI speaking like this!
In general, it seems like Michigan's east side was historically more open to other states (esp. Southern/Northeastern) because of its national automotive industry, and that east side culture has had some influence over the (historically) more insular West. I'm guessing the heavy tourist industry on MI's west coast also contributes to that atmosphere in parts of West MI. The areas of WI I've been in (even Dane county) have always seemed a little more comfortably ”regional” to me, in their own WI world -- I get a similar feel in the North Chicago suburbs too. I can't speak as well for Milwaukee proper or the eastern coast of WI though; it may be different there?
I think this a big part of what I was picking up on, honestly! The people in both areas are really nice, but WI has a more ”comfortably insular” vibe and MI seems a little more ”open/easygoing” with a friendly quality like you'd find in parts of the South. In fairness, many of the families I've met here in West MI are transplants from the Flint/Detroit metro areas and many have ties to Southern states such as KY, NC and LA -- the eastern and southeastern GR suburbs definitely have a little more of that general ”Americana” feel as a result. Since moving here, I've heard a lot of people half-jokingly complain about the weather, government, etc, and talk about moving South for the climate and political freedom. I don't really hear any of our friends in WI speaking like this!
In general, it seems like Michigan's east side was historically more open to other states (esp. Southern/Northeastern) because of its national automotive industry, and that east side culture has had some influence over the (historically) more insular West. I'm guessing the heavy tourist industry on MI's west coast also contributes to that atmosphere in parts of West MI. The areas of WI I've been in (even Dane county) have always seemed a little more comfortably ”regional” to me, in their own WI world -- I get a similar feel in the North Chicago suburbs too. I can't speak as well for Milwaukee proper or the eastern coast of WI though; it may be different there?
It's not.
I've only lived in Milwaukee and other areas along the Lake.
They did and still do have a lot of industry in the area. Racine and Janesville even had auto assembly plants. Nash Motors was based in Kenosha, but Detroit was probably just a bigger draw for those looking for work.
People in Wisconsin do gripe about the weather a bit. Some talk of moving south. Some actually do. Of those, some come back. They also complain about politics on both sides since it's a 50/50 state.
Aside from that, Michigan does feel more familiar if you're not from the upper midwest.
Wisconsin is nice, but it's a different sort of place for sure.
The 2017-2021 ACS data on place of birth suggests that while Wisconsin has a larger share of transplants from other states than Michigan does, they are more likely to come from elsewhere in the Midwest. Michigan definitely has more of a Southern transplant presence. (Totals do not add up to 100% as persons born as US citizens abroad or in the territories are in other categories).
% Born in state -
Michigan 76.3
Wisconsin 71.0
% Born in Northeast -
Michigan 2.1
Wisconsin 1.8
% Born in other Midwest states -
Michigan 6.7
Wisconsin 15.1
The 2017-2021 ACS data on place of birth suggests that while Wisconsin has a larger share of transplants from other states than Michigan does, they are more likely to come from elsewhere in the Midwest. Michigan definitely has more of a Southern transplant presence. (Totals do not add up to 100% as persons born as US citizens abroad or in the territories are in other categories).
% Born in state -
Michigan 76.3
Wisconsin 71.0
% Born in Northeast -
Michigan 2.1
Wisconsin 1.8
% Born in other Midwest states -
Michigan 6.7
Wisconsin 15.1
Wisconsin can be every bit as religious as any place, but Catholic and Lutheran as opposed to Baptist and Methodist. Dutch Reformed is pretty heavy in parts of the state like it is in Michigan, just not to the same degree.
Many Americans do not believe that places with high concentrations of Catholic and/or Lutheran people are very religious; they believe that distinction belongs to places with a high concentration of Baptist people only.
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