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.
The geographic ignorance is exhibited mostly by generally dumb people and/or people who live in cities or areas that are frequently portrayed and presented in the media (the news, television shows, fine arts, etc.). California and most of the major East Coast cities. I guess you can't blame them. All they know is New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, or where ever they're in and when the media only uses the respective city for a setting, they probably feel little need to know anymore. I just think it's a little hideous that so many East Coasters know so much about the history and lifestyles of Europe, yet they wouldn't know what state is what if you gave them a map of the Midwest with no state names. No one ever said Nebraska is the first stop for a romantic vacation, but at least have the decency to spell the name right and know the capital city.
Maybe if more people knew that Nebraska has much more than cornfields, they would take advantage of the fact that we have the 2nd lowest unemployment rate in the nation and are better off economically than most states at this point in time. Or maybe I shouldn't be complaining. Perhaps their ignorance is what's keeping life stable and a little more secure here.
The ignorance is [generally] not because people are "dumb" ("and/or people who live in cities or areas that are frequently portrayed and presented in the media"), but instead because the wonderful state of Nebraska is mostly a farming/ranching state which is located in a less traveled area of the country that few people are interested in visiting.
The entire state, from North to South and East to West, is tremendously remote with the exception of Lincoln and Omaha, both located on the far eastern border. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, unless visitors want to travel many hundreds of miles throughout the state seeing mile-after-mile-after-mile of crops it really has very little memorable things that visitors will share with friends that will make others to want to visit Nebraska too. Thus, fewer visitors traveling the state equals less conversation about the state - either good or bad. You cannot deny that when people do visit the state for the first time they remember basically one thing - farming/ranching. Again, there's nothing wrong with that...but it certainly doesn't cause many of these first-time visitors to return. Nor does what these first-time visitors tell their friends about Nebraska create a mass movement for others to see Nebraska. Throw in the fact that Nebraska is surrounded on three fronts by states that also have small populations and vast open farmland and there is no wonder that most people will never travel and see Nebraska.
Nebraska's low unemployment is understandable due to the huge amount of farming and ranching. Unless you are a farmer or rancher with money to buy property...or you have experience, training or education related to farming or ranching 98% of Nebraska doesn't offer much in terms of employment. There is no doubt that people seek to live in areas that offer opportunities for employment. But you will never see an influx of people moving to Nebraska (except maybe Omaha) just because it has a low unemployment rate because the stable employment rate of the state's farming/ranching numbers skews the results.
From a personal standpoint I find the remote living in Nebraska extremely interesting. I wish I knew more about how people "get along" living in a tiny little town with just a few hundred people and virtually no services or entertainment to speak of. Or what type of person lives in the middle of his 1,000+ acre farm with no neighbors for miles or contact with anybody for days (or maybe weeks). Something I'll never know I guess.
I guessing most men get a haircut by a family member or someone with a good pair of scissors and some skill. Same goes for the women - I doubt they get their hair professionally done very often. It makes me wonder if people get routine medical checkups and dental cleaning...
Smalls have barbers and salons and we may have to drive a little to the dentist. But we have some of the best medical available in lots of areas.
The best thing about a small town is the neighbors, they are almost all friends.
I live in a town of 800. I had a mild heart malfunction five years ago.
I had excellent medical and am in tip top shape now.
But the best part of having that happen in my "small town",
I had a hospital room full of flowers and cards and over 100 visitors.
I am not that popular and not rich but that is one of the best things of
small town living.
Smalls have barbers and salons and we may have to drive a little to the dentist. But we have some of the best medical available in lots of areas.
The best thing about a small town is the neighbors, they are almost all friends.
I live in a town of 800. I had a mild heart malfunction five years ago.
I had excellent medical and am in tip top shape now.
But the best part of having that happen in my "small town",
I had a hospital room full of flowers and cards and over 100 visitors.
I am not that popular and not rich but that is one of the best things of
small town living.
How about in an even smaller town (like 100-200 residents) that is many miles from a town that has anything close to full medical care...not to mention dental care, barber shops and salons, restaurants, building supplies, car dealerships, entertainment, etc.?
Do the young adults living in small towns often move to larger cities after they experience what is available to them? I'm guessing more people move away than new people moving into town.
How about in an even smaller town (like 100-200 residents) that is many miles from a town that has anything close to full medical care...not to mention dental care, barber shops and salons, restaurants, building supplies, car dealerships, entertainment, etc.?
Do the young adults living in small towns often move to larger cities after they experience what is available to them? I'm guessing more people move away than new people moving into town.
In-migration is quite limited. Most counties in rural Nebraska have lost 10-15% of their population since 2000.
From a personal standpoint I find the remote living in Nebraska extremely interesting. I wish I knew more about how people "get along" living in a tiny little town with just a few hundred people and virtually no services or entertainment to speak of.
Or what type of person lives in the middle of his 1,000+ acre farm with no neighbors for miles or contact with anybody for days (or maybe weeks). Something I'll never know I guess.
Even in the smallest town, having to drive even 60 miles to "services" is just like the people in a big city. See 60 miles here is 60 minutes or less.
In big cities 60 miles could take half a day.
A person running a 1,000+ acre farm/ranch is only alone if they want to be. The rest have wives, family, friends and employees that get to live on site.
How many jobs in the big cities give you a free house to live in, a horse to ride, all the steaks you can eat, no traffic jams, I could go on all day.
Living in a low population area is not for everyone the same as big city life is not for everyone.
PS I have a 3 year old car with full coverage. Six months of insurance costs me same and one month for my buddies in Detroit. (Almost the same age and vehicle value.)
Last edited by JustMe_T3K; 08-29-2009 at 09:09 PM..
Reason: typo
I do not get defensive about Nebraska, but then again, I'm not from here; just live here.
The short time that I have lived here, there are several observations I've noted.
1. The geographical ignorance displayed by those who don't live in Nebraska is correlated to the relevance of the State in the grand scheme of things. People just don't care enough about it to be able to locate it on a map. Besides being one of the top 5 targets for a nuclear attack (Strategic Air Command) there isn't much going for it.
2. People tend to get defensive when the 'truth hurts'. Cultural diversity and knowledge of all things outside of Nebraska are lacking as well. I have quizzed numerous Nebraskans born/bred here and their knowledge of things outside the State is just as lacking as those who cannot pinpoint where this State is located on a map.
3. Self-Deception when it comes to racial tension: This is a big one. Lots of people from here will tell me they are accepting of all colors/races/ethnicity. But words and actions are two different things and I tend to concentrate on actions to determine the truth.
4. There is a naive innocence inherent in the natives of Nebraska; I find this rather cute. Most Nebraskans I've talked with at length seem to have had a sheltered life.
5. Anti-Intellectual State: Seems most here would rather knuckle drag their way to the nearest bar, watch sports and get hammered vs. engaging in some type of mental activity/hobby (sorry, going to the Zoo or watching nightly news doesn't count).
I do not get defensive about Nebraska, but then again, I'm not from here; just live here.
The short time that I have lived here, there are several observations I've noted.
1. The geographical ignorance displayed by those who don't live in Nebraska is correlated to the relevance of the State in the grand scheme of things. People just don't care enough about it to be able to locate it on a map. Besides being one of the top 5 targets for a nuclear attack (Strategic Air Command) there isn't much going for it.
2. People tend to get defensive when the 'truth hurts'. Cultural diversity and knowledge of all things outside of Nebraska are lacking as well. I have quizzed numerous Nebraskans born/bred here and their knowledge of things outside the State is just as lacking as those who cannot pinpoint where this State is located on a map.
3. Self-Deception when it comes to racial tension: This is a big one. Lots of people from here will tell me they are accepting of all colors/races/ethnicity. But words and actions are two different things and I tend to concentrate on actions to determine the truth.
4. There is a naive innocence inherent in the natives of Nebraska; I find this rather cute. Most Nebraskans I've talked with at length seem to have had a sheltered life.
5. Anti-Intellectual State: Seems most here would rather knuckle drag their way to the nearest bar, watch sports and get hammered vs. engaging in some type of mental activity/hobby (sorry, going to the Zoo or watching nightly news doesn't count).
-HH
Man you sure have a slanted view of Nebraskans. I grew up in SW Nebraska on a cattle ranch and my family travel the whole U.S. while growing up to teach us something about other places. My parents traveled the World.
We were not rich but spent money on travel and culture programs instead of buying brand new cars, trucks and farm machinery.
For x-mas one year we were given choice of new pool table or travel. We chose travel to Grand Canyon later that year.
I'm not the smartest, barely got thru Highschool but know enough about politics and just about any subject to be able to drag my worn knuckles to any bar and talk for hours to lawyers and big wigs and have an intelligent conversation, thanks to my born and raised in Nebraska parents.
I don't know if you ever watched Jay Leno's Jay walk show where he asks normal questions about what everyone should know and most people don't know who the Vice president is and none of them are from Nebraska.
Not getting on you but should have posted this in Getting under my skin thread instead.
You also skipped my thread about McCook so go back read it and rep me. LOL
Man you sure have a slanted view of Nebraskans. I grew up in SW Nebraska on a cattle ranch and my family travel the whole U.S. while growing up to teach us something about other places. My parents traveled the World.
We were not rich but spent money on travel and culture programs instead of buying brand new cars, trucks and farm machinery.
For x-mas one year we were given choice of new pool table or travel. We chose travel to Grand Canyon later that year.
I'm not the smartest, barely got thru Highschool but know enough about politics and just about any subject to be able to drag my worn knuckles to any bar and talk for hours to lawyers and big wigs and have an intelligent conversation, thanks to my born and raised in Nebraska parents.
I don't know if you ever watched Jay Leno's Jay walk show where he asks normal questions about what everyone should know and most people don't know who the Vice president is and none of them are from Nebraska.
Not getting on you but should have posted this in Getting under my skin thread instead.
You also skipped my thread about McCook so go back read it and rep me. LOL
Nothing personal. You are certainly in the minority my friend. These things don't get under my skin at all, I find most of it comical more than anything.
I realize every village, town, city, state, etc. has it's own advantages and disadvantages. I have also noticed the biggest critics of Nebraska are former Nebraskans. I've heard more than one say "The best thing about Nebraska was seeing it disappear in my rear view mirror when I left the state".
To imply that the majority of Nebraskans are well traveled, culturally versed and very intelligent is laughable.
-HH
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.
