What are your favorite/least favorite things about living in the Midwest?

[Badgers77]

For me,

First of all:



Favorite

-Nice, caring, down to earth people.
-A lot of lakes. (At least in Wisconsin and Minnesota, which are 1st and 2nd in amount of lakes in the continental US respectively)



Least Favorite
-Although nice and caring, people are a bit provincial (at least compared to the east coast and northeast... this goes for any and every city in the midwest, pretty much.
-The diversity doesn't even compare to the east coast or the north east (especially the east coast). There are high hispanic and black populations in the bigger cities, but besides that there really isnt much diversity...
-Humidity. Okay, it's not Miami, I probably should not be complaining, but it's pretty bad.
-It's pretty socially consevative. This is one thing I hate. Still, the only true area where it's fairly liberal outside of big cities is the Northeast. Still, outside of a few cities, liberal politics are highly union-based in the midwest. It's nowhere near as socially conservative as the "3rd world states" full of trodolytes like Oklahoma, though...
-Still pretty regressive. A couple cities are coming out of it, and Chicago doesn't have this problem, but it looks to be just a couple cities in both the short and long run. You have to admit it: If the midwest wants to get better, it'll have to mainly use people from the midwest. The desire to live in the midwest just isn't that high.
-WINTER. Although some midwestern states don't have it as bad as Wisconsin.
-It can be a pain being literally right in the middle, far away from both oceans.
-Bugs. The midwest probably has the worst bug problem during the summer, for the US.

I'll edit more in as I think. There have to be a lot more things I like about the Midwest.

[SChristopher]

The Good :

Its cheap as hell and down to earth

The Bad :

-All of the cities are losing population and struggling to keep population and regain status (not in their prime)
-Its farking cold
-The terrain in general isnt anything to speak of
-The religion rules society BS (which is everywhere I guess)

ETC

[Azn_chi_boi]

Pros- good place to find a job.
Within 4 hours to all major cities of the contiental US.
Lakes...plenty of water!
Sledding


I dont know if this is good or bad.
4 seasons.
Corn + Wheat everywhere.
Not that many Bush worshipers
Some Natural disasters.
once you leave the cities, you see suburbs and sprawls, and then Farms..
few other race beside white outside of metro areas


Cons- Many major cities in the Midwest are dying.
Not that Many national parks.

[cwilson758]

I too like being close to a lot of major cities...from Indy you can be in Kansas City, Atlanta, Toronto, Pittsburgh, (to name a few) in 8 hours!

[JivecitySTL]

The Good:

Affordability-- I currently live in a kick-ass apartment that I wouldn't even be able to dream of on the coasts, and the quality is top-notch.

Authenticity-- I am lucky to live in a very original city that isn't pretentious. It is what it is and it makes no apologies for it. The people are soulful and storied. The history here is incredible.

Accessibility-- I have all the amenities I demand in urban living, yet I have easy access to them, which is not as possible in many other places, either due to crowds or cost.

Hybrid Location-- Within a day's drive are the Great Lakes, Appalachia, the East Coast, the Wild West and the Old South. How many places can you really say that about?


The Bad:

Isolation-- The nearest major city is 4.5 hours away.

Negative Perceptions-- So misunderstood, underappreciated and overlooked (although this can also be a good thing).

Sprawl-- There is an awful lot of suburban schlock in the Midwest.

Close proximity to the Conservative Right-- Despite being insulated in one of the bluest cities in the country, it doesn't take long to get to the Red Sea.

All in all, the Midwest rules.

[Weedrose]

Positives:
I live in a city.
It's not the biggest or the smallest.
I have diverse people around me.
I'm making excellent money.
I'm getting a strong education.
I like the nati's terrain.
Negatives:
East Coast and West Coast folk who think that the country stops once you leave their borders. No disrespect to NY or LA but I don't give a fock.

[Steely Dan]

-Although nice and caring, people are a bit provincial (at least compared to the east coast and northeast... this goes for any and every city in the midwest, pretty much.

provincial fucks exist everywhere, and i'd say the east coast has more than its fair share, at least from my experiences.




-The diversity doesn't even compare to the east coast or the north east (especially the east coast). There are high hispanic and black populations in the bigger cities, but besides that there really isnt much diversity...

the diversity in chicago actually does compare to the east coast, but i will grant you that chicago is an anomaly.






-Humidity. Okay, it's not Miami, I probably should not be complaining, but it's pretty bad.
yep. summertime humidity can get horrendously oppressive. the humidity often times ruins summer for me.






-It's pretty socially consevative. This is one thing I hate. Still, the only true area where it's fairly liberal outside of big cities is the Northeast. Still, outside of a few cities, liberal politics are highly union-based in the midwest. It's nowhere near as socially conservative as the "3rd world states" full of trodolytes like Oklahoma, though...

i know i live in the chicago bubble, but this place is anything but socially conservative.





-Still pretty regressive. A couple cities are coming out of it, and Chicago doesn't have this problem, but it looks to be just a couple cities in both the short and long run. You have to admit it: If the midwest wants to get better, it'll have to mainly use people from the midwest. The desire to live in the midwest just isn't that high.

chicago is stronger today than it has been in over 5 decades. this place is raging back in a big way. chicago brings in new comers all the time, from around the country and even from around the world. this is a global city.




-Bugs. The midwest probably has the worst bug problem during the summer, for the US.

bugs can get truly terrible in the midwest, but living in the city, we have roaches and centipedes instead of mosquitos and wasps.





my dislikes about the midwest:
lack of mountains
summer humidity
too many corn fields

[EastSider]

Good
-The fact that we can witness an entire region of cities reinvent themselves.
-The Grit. Industrial beauty.
-We have Chicago, and number two ain't that bad. :)
-Cost of living (in comparison to west and east coast).
-Mentality.
-Education. Both K-12 and secondary.

The Bad
-Lack of a strong and efficient regional public transit.
-The many skeletons left from the rust-belt era.
-Decisons from decades past to "fix" our cities (bulldozing, sloppy architecture)
-The sprawl.

[SChristopher]

I too like being close to a lot of major cities...from Indy you can be in Kansas City, Atlanta, Toronto, Pittsburgh, (to name a few) in 8 hours!


Yeah that is definately a strong point....id add that too. Living in other regions can have you a little isolated.

[The Urban Politician]

Good

Chicago.
The Great Lakes.
Whether it's declined or not, an agro-industrial powerhouse that will always remain (and perhaps save this country some day).
Detroit's comeback.
Minneapolis--a forward-looking city that, for once, isn't a midwestern rustbelt horror story.

Bad

The damn conservative rednecks.
Sprawl (all regions have it, however. Check out DC's suburbs!).
Downstate Illinois (sorry, but I had to get personal).
The midwestern rustbelt horror story and our boarded-up downtown buildings.
Too many fat people.

[nakedyak]

Good: Sunsets, lots of medium sized cities, lots of sports teams

Bad: the weather in general, the cold, the 6 month winter, the wind, the snow...all the PEPSI everywhere

[Badgers77]

A lot of cities have "board up buildings." Ever been to Baltimore? It's horrible. (I really like the city a lot itself though)

[cjfjapan]

**Favorite:
Spring, Summer and Fall
Endless fields and big skies
Flowering trees
Football on a crisp, colorful fall day
Big cities that are liveable
Backroad driving through small towns
Big 10 campuses
Tenderoin Sandwiches and Blackberry Pie
Hidden waterfalls
The Quiet Knowledge that the Midwest is the best place to live in the world...


Least Favorite
Forty years of terrible urban planning (which has retreated, but not given up...)
Car-centered cities (save Chicago and a few small towns)
Conservatism and a lack of ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity
Rural poverty--and no one seems to give a damn
Historical amnesia
Fast Food cities (Indiana--Im talking about YOU!)
The Stubborn Belief that the Midwest is the Best Place to Live in the World

[Badgers77]

I think the Northeast US is probably the best place in the US

[gaviidae]

I think the Northeast US is probably the best place in the US

There really isn't anywhere in the US that's better than anywhere else. You give and you take no matter where you live.

[Jeff]

The only real complaint I have about the midwest is the that most of it is so flat. Sure there are exceptions (and some very scenic ones like Southern Indiana and the Wisconsin "Driftless Area", and perhaps areas of river bluffs), but the region is pretty durn flat.

Other than that I really do like this part of the US, or at least the parts of the Midwest I am familiar with. Though rural it is actually quite urban, too, with older cities with lots of charcter, so both city and country are here.

[Jeff]

Here is a song by the Michigan folksinger Joel Mabus that pretty much sums up alot of the good & bad ...gently polking fun at stereotypes, while embracing them a bit too... (they lyrics might be a bit dated for younger readers)


Hoplelessy Midwestern

If you live life in the middle and not on the edge,
You're hopelessly Midwestern.
If a big weekend means cutting the hedge,
You're hopelessly Midwestern.
If you shop at Sears and drink a lot of iced tea,
Love to dance the Polka and watch TV.
Then the verdict is in and the jury agrees.
You're hopelessly Midwestern.

Hopelessly Midwestern, corn-fed boys and girls.
Hopelessly Midwestern. square pegs in a big round world.
Well, you can go from sea to shining sea,
But right in the middle, that's the place for me.
And if you like it like that then you're a lot like me,
You're hopelessly Midwestern.

If you like all of your roads, narrow and straight,
You're hopelessly Midwestern.
And if you think sushi looks a lot like bait.
You're hopelessly Midwestern.
If you like your potatoes mashed and your chicken fried,
Your green beans boiled and your apples pied.
And you ain't trusted nothin' since Rock Hudson died.
You're hopelessly Midwestern.

If annual rainfall is a real hot topic,
You're hopelessly Midwestern.
And if the Pocono Mountains sounds kind of exotic,
You're hopelessly Midwestern.
If you like Gerald Ford just as much as Betty,
And a big old corn field looks mighty pretty.
And you'd rather go to hell then to New York City.
You're hopelessly Midwestern.

[TheKansan]

Midwestern small towns are pale comparisons to eastern small towns. Truthfully, even I see that current economics has been cruel to small towns, making them nothing more than isolated suburbs.

[oshkeoto]

How are you all defining the Midwest? I tend to group myself, as a Chicagoan, more with the Great Lakes states and a few that border them than those west of the Mississippi River. So say these: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri, though that last one is something of an oddity, as someone mentioned here, as it straddles several regions. Once you get to Nebraska or Kansas or the Dakotas, you're solidly in the Plains states, culturally and historically very, very different.

So of these states, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri went for Kerry in 2004 and Ohio went to Bush by a very small margin. Indiana is the only truly red state in the Midwest. SO EVERYONE STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT ALL THE REPUBLICANS HERE. Of course there are a lot outside our cities; that's called the way the world works. Remember, about 45% of CALIFORNIANS voted for Bush. There are no politically homogeneous regions, or states, in the union (although I suppose Utah comes close).

[oshkeoto]

I like the people and our seasons and dislike that I'm far away from so many nice cities and that the people in those faraway nice cities don't like us.

[ReddAlert]

Midwestern small towns are pale comparisons to eastern small towns. Truthfully, even I see that current economics has been cruel to small towns, making them nothing more than isolated suburbs.

some of the small towns in Door County or coastal Michigan and WI are very nice. I also like alot of the small MS river towns.

[Badgers77]

It's not "red states" or "blue states." It's "blue cities" and "red everything else."

[Azn_chi_boi]

I want to go to Door County too. I heard, its quite nice.

[TheKansan]

some of the small towns in Door County or coastal Michigan and WI are very nice. I also like alot of the small MS river towns.

The exception, not the rule.

[Indyman]

I think Indiana has some charm to it as well as some extreamly hillbilly oriented cities. What do you think?. I would like a different perspective from someone out of the state.

[TheKansan]

Gary is charming

[gaviidae]

some of the small towns in Door County or coastal Michigan and WI are very nice. I also like alot of the small MS river towns.

Door County is a beautiful, very scenic place. I love the scandinavian restaurant with the goats on the roof!

To the contrary of most opinions, I think the whole of Wisconsin is a wonderful state.

[Azn_chi_boi]

Wisconsin is a great senic state. Did anybody else beside Chicagoans, see those nice great "GO Wisconsin" ads. They made the state look so great(which it is).

[Jeff]

As for Wisconsin...I'm not familiar with the Door County area, but the northwoods and lakes are nice. The glacial lakes are not confined to the northwoods, but can be found all around the state, except for that SW corner, which is interesting as it is so hilly..in fact it reminds me a bit of Southern Indiana.

Also, don't forget that Wisconsin also has a Lake Superior shore, with Bayfield and the Apostle Islands being a great scenic attraction. Industrial archeology buffs migh find the great ore-docks of Ashland interesting, as well as that huge, wood, Chequamegon Hotel, a rare survivor from an earlier age.

[Jeff]

I think Indiana has some charm to it as well as some extreamly hillbilly oriented cities. What do you think?. I would like a different perspective from someone out of the state.

Southern Indiana and the Ohio Valley part of the state is the most scenic and has the best rural areas in terms of character and architecture.

The rest of the state is flat & boring.

The cities....I don't see them as "hillbilly". Hammond/East Chicago, Fort Wayne, Michigan City, and South Bend actually have latino barrios, which gives them a bit more character than one would except, and South Bend/Mishiwaka also have Polish, Hungarian, and Beligian ethnic heritage.

Muncie & Anderson seem a bit blah, tho Anderson has some small skyscrapers (Munice doesn't). Dont know much about Indianapolis to say if it is "hillbilly". The city has done a great job with its downtown, though.

[ReddAlert]

Door County is a beautiful, very scenic place. I love the scandinavian restaurant with the goats on the roof!

To the contrary of most opinions, I think the whole of Wisconsin is a wonderful state.


:)

[ReddAlert]

As for Wisconsin...I'm not familiar with the Door County area, but the northwoods and lakes are nice. The glacial lakes are not confined to the northwoods, but can be found all around the state, except for that SW corner, which is interesting as it is so hilly..in fact it reminds me a bit of Southern Indiana.

Also, don't forget that Wisconsin also has a Lake Superior shore, with Bayfield and the Apostle Islands being a great scenic attraction. Industrial archeology buffs migh find the great ore-docks of Ashland interesting, as well as that huge, wood, Chequamegon Hotel, a rare survivor from an earlier age.

I really would like to go up to Bayfield sometime. Ive seen pictures of it and it looks quite charming...lots of houses on the hill that overlooks the lake. Ive never been up that far to tell ya the truth. I think biking on the Apostle Islands would be pretty cool to.

[Azn_chi_boi]

I also went to the FRank LLyod wright "House on the rock" near the dells, before, it was ok.

Wisconsin is a great state to visit, especially when its practically next to Chicago and Minneapolis-St.Paul and Grand Rapids(via ferry).

[gaviidae]

I also went to the FRank LLyod wright "House on the rock" near the dells, before, it was ok.

House on the Rock was not built by Frank Lloyd Wright, but by an equally amazing architect whose name slips my mind.

What a fascinating place; it's truly an architectual marvel! I plan to go back again; there are far too many bizarre and creepy, yet beautiful collections to be seen in one visit. Charming area of the state, as well.

[Jeff]

I really would like to go up to Bayfield sometime. Ive seen pictures of it and it looks quite charming...lots of houses on the hill that overlooks the lake. Ive never been up that far to tell ya the truth. I think biking on the Apostle Islands would be pretty cool to.

Oh, Bayfield..it is very nice...actually fairly upscale, which is a bit suprsing given the remote location. For biking I think the island you can bike is Madeline Island..take the ferry from Bayfield to LaPointe. The other Apostles are not really that accessible. mostly forest, so not really bike-able.

@@@

The House on the Rock area...I was in that area, Spring Green, to take a tour of FLWs Taliesen estate, and it was that part of SW Wisconsin that reminded me so much of the hills of Southern Indiana (or even Kentucky)...another nice/interesting area is the Devils Lake/Dells area, tho its pretty touristy.

@@@

Anyone here ever been to Lake Geneva. That is one of my favorite Wisconsin lakes....its sort of the ideal "civilized" lake resort community...Lake Geneval, Fontana, and Williams Bay.

[NaptownBoy]

It's not "red states" or "blue states." It's "blue cities" and "red everything else."
So true!

[neuhickman]

Good: Chicago and Madison

Bad: 59%-41% - November 7, 2006 - Wisconsin

[TheMaestro]

That there's really only one "big" city, that being Chicago. Minneapolis seems to come in second. The majority of the midwestern bigger cities are old, and plain boring, and far behind coastal America. The rest of the country views the midwest as home of the "good ol' boys", now that shouldn't matter, but many midwesterners (esp. from smaller towns) get offended really easily.

There is also too much trying to "flip the stereotype" going on in many cities in the midwest. It's impossible to bill the midwest as being anything like any big city in coastal America, it's just not.

Having an ocean nearby is a great thing as well, Californians love to brag about that, but you almost can't blame them.

I really like NE Wisconsin, the fact that a lot of midwestern cities do have some charm.

[_ttam_]

Northern Michigan is the best kept secret in America.

There is nothing like cool, comfortable summers fishing or hiking through the sandy soiled shores of northern Michigan.

But I tend to like the natural beauty of the earth. There is nothing spectacular about it in the sense of a great panorama or exciting cities, but there is solitude and peace. It's not for everyone.

[milwaukeeunseen]

Good

- I own a nice house in a well-kept, walkable neighborhood with leafy streets and a lot of great houses with amazing craftsmanship. It's an ethnically diverse area, my neighbors are black, white, asian, latino and middle eastern, but we don't go around "celebrating" our diversity with PC slogans. My neighbors are people of all different stripes, but the most beautiful thing is that no-one appears to really give a shit about this fact.

- When I went door to door for a poltical candidate who shall remain nameless in 2004, I encountered a wide range of political viewpoints, and heard a lot of very thoughtful comments about the issues of the election.

- I can afford this nice house in a nice neighborhood on my meager salary.

- Whenever I feel like it I can partake in world class visual or performance art, eat at any number of great restaurants, or attend a professional sports game. I can afford to do these things. I can go to an art show one day and an NBA game the next, and no matter where I go, chances the people I encounter will be friendly.

- In spring, summer and fall I can ride my bike through beautifully-designed parks, and along the Lake Michigan shoreline. People I encounter on these bike rides are almost always courteous and friendly.

- In the dead of winter I can warm up with great comfort food or a hot coffee served in a friendly, non-pretentious atmoshphere.

- I can hop on a train and be in the middle of one of the world's great cities in an hour and a half. I can get in my car and be in the middle of a natural setting in an hour and a half.

Bad

- I would love to ditch my car and go transit, but I have a job that takes to me to a lot of meetings all over town, and our current transit system is simply not an option. I also am painfully aware that no matter how much we "talk" about transit, in reality absolutely nothing will happen.

- No matter how many of my out-of-town friends "ooh" and "ahh" over how awesome my city is when they come and visit, I know that none of them will actually move here, because the kinds of jobs they and their spouses want simply do not exist here in large numbers. I also know that no matter how much we "talk" about this problem, in reality very little will actually happen.

- The parks are in disrepair because the county is out of money. I know that no matter how much we "talk" about a creative solution to keeping up our parks, in reality nothing will happen.

- There are a lot of languages that you probably won't hear being spoken on the streets of Milwaukee.

- Lake Michigan is no Pacific Ocean.

[Magnus Brage]

OK I'm not an american, have never been there and will probably never afford to go there either, for me it would cost a fortune with my low salary menial job, but despite all this I watch a lot of american movies and read a lot, recently I became preoccupied with the city of Milwaukee. It is mentioned in the motion picture Wayne´s World. I also saw the movie Dahmer and the secret life of Jeff Dahmer, both movies took place in that city. I really want to know what the city feels like, is it a sort of american Liverpool? Is it a busy harbour? I have read that most people are employed in breweries and that Harley Davidsson motorcycles are manufactured there. Is it an industrial city? Are milwaukeeans hot tempered, are they calm, do they own guns? do they drink a lot? shouldn't they be doing that, after all it's a beer city. Are they slim or fat, is milwaukee a music city, do they listen to jazz or rap? Low/high crimerate?


Good

- I own a nice house in a well-kept, walkable neighborhood with leafy streets and a lot of great houses with amazing craftsmanship. It's an ethnically diverse area, my neighbors are black, white, asian, latino and middle eastern, but we don't go around "celebrating" our diversity with PC slogans. My neighbors are people of all different stripes, but the most beautiful thing is that no-one appears to really give a shit about this fact. .

this is amazing, people seem to want to live in "ethnic diversity" even strive to get there. Living in a ethnic diverse area is something people try to avoid in my country, even the ethnically diversed don't want to live in such an area.

I can go to an art show one day and an NBA game the next, and no matter where I go, chances the people I encounter will be friendly. .

Let's say that NBA game took place in Detroit, would there by a lot of shouting and untidy unfriendly visitors there compared to your city?

People I encounter on these bike rides are almost always courteous and friendly. .

Let's say that bikeride took place on the eastcoast, would there be a difference? Are coastal people less friendly?


- I can hop on a train and be in the middle of one of the world's great cities in an hour and a half. I can get in my car and be in the middle of a natural setting in an hour and a half. .

Is that Madison, Mineapolis, Chicago or Duluth?

Bad

- - I would love to ditch my car and go transit, but I have a job that takes to me to a lot of meetings all over town, and our current transit system is simply not an option. I also am painfully aware that no matter how much we "talk" about transit, in reality absolutely nothing will happen. .

hmm no trams or underground? should be in a city of 700.000 people.

- - No matter how many of my out-of-town friends "ooh" and "ahh" over how awesome my city is when they come and visit, I know that none of them will actually move here, because the kinds of jobs they and their spouses want simply do not exist here in large numbers. I also know that no matter how much we "talk" about this problem, in reality very little will actually happen. .

is there a high unemployment rate in your city, does the brewery hire people?

-
- There are a lot of languages that you probably won't hear being spoken on the streets of Milwaukee.


languages?? what do you mean? you want to hear a lot of languages or what?