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I've learned to enjoy this country a lot more when you don't conform your opinions to what the media says. Most of the media reflects the tastes of people on the coasts and it's usually the upper crust. Lately the tastes have been dictated my upwardly mobile professionals in "creative" fields so the hubs to be are in SF, NYC, Boston, DC, LA or bust. Everything in between is almost seen as not worth seeing. They also have this strange impression that middle America isn't developed when in fact a huge swath of the land especially in the South has developed and is developing much faster than the coasts. I don't get where this mentality comes from. I don't know if they come from hard hit rust belt cities in the north and fly to California and think it's Shangrila but I just don't get how they'd think cities like Denver, Austin, SLC, Houston, Dallas, Charlotte, Nashville, Minneapolis, etc aren't developed to a high point. When you press them about it they'll just quip in an elitist manner that they don't like strip malls and McMansions or what not.
I live in California right now and can admit it's one of the most if not the most beautiful states in the country but as far as the living standards go, it's a bit of a down grade unless you're making serious dough. You get quality of life I guess in terms of intangible things like weather, scenery and "vibe" but in terms of things you can quantify like purchasing power, homes, land, etc, you're at a bit lower standard of living if you're an average person. As far as development I felt LA is a bit behind due to its strenuous zoning and regulations on development. A lot of the city looks as though it's stuck in the 80s.
This isn't at all to downplay the wonderful things about CA but to highlight that it's no longer LA or NYC or bust. I haven't even started on all the wonderful resorts I've found in Arkansas, Idaho, Utah and central Texas. According to the media you'd think these places were devoid of any natural beauty and were backwards places no sane person would go to but that's not the case.
Travel tip: Charleston, SC is one of the most beautiful towns I've ever been to. And Arkansas is WAY more beautiful than given credit for.
So I guess my point is why do we downplay the middle of the country?
Eh, I think we have different definitions of "middle America". Charleston is on the Atlantic Ocean. Can't get more East Coast than Charleston. Utah and Idaho are solidly western states. Can't be west of the Rockies and "Middle America."
"Middle America" usually connotes places like Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Indiana. Personally, I don't think they're underrated. They're rated about as they should be (which is to say decent places to live, but generally kind of boring and whitebread).
And, yeah, if you don't appreciate what CA offers, no reason to live there. Might as well move to Nebraska.
I would go the other way, and say that outside of the major cities, the coasts are overrated. The idea of someone in Springfield Massachusetts or Frederick, Maryland or the Inland Empire referring to Milwaukee or Minneapolis as fly-over country is laughable.
Eh, I think we have different definitions of "middle America". Charleston is on the Atlantic Ocean. Can't get more East Coast than Charleston. Utah and Idaho are solidly western states. Can't be west of the Rockies and "Middle America."
"Middle America" usually connotes places like Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Indiana. Personally, I don't think they're underrated. They're rated about as they should be (which is to say decent places to live, but generally kind of boring and whitebread).
And, yeah, if you don't appreciate what CA offers, no reason to live there. Might as well move to Nebraska.
I guess I was referring to the strict New Yorker magazine definition of fly over country with NYC and CA being the primary destinations. I've also included the typical costal cities where young professional after college flock to abs consider the be all end all hubs.
My point was just that the US has so much to offer and people really don't know about great deals on ski resorts in New Mexico, or lake side cabins in Idaho, or the hills in Arkansas. Actually Fayetville AK is supposed to be a hidden gem of a little city with a robust economy.
I would go the other way, and say that outside of the major cities, the coasts are overrated. The idea of someone in Springfield Massachusetts or Frederick, Maryland or the Inland Empire referring to Milwaukee or Minneapolis as fly-over country is laughable.
Eh, honestly for the hype, I'd say the typical coast cities (SF, NYC, LA) are vastly overrated. But that's only comparing them to the hype, that's not to say that they're not great cities but they just have some amazing PR departments. Visiting and living are two different things.
I guess I was referring to the strict New Yorker magazine definition of fly over country with NYC and CA being the primary destinations. I've also included the typical costal cities where young professional after college flock to abs consider the be all end all hubs.
My point was just that the US has so much to offer and people really don't know about great deals on ski resorts in New Mexico, or lake side cabins in Idaho, or the hills in Arkansas. Actually Fayetville AK is supposed to be a hidden gem of a little city with a robust economy.
I would probably kill myself if forced to live in Fayetteville, aka Walmart-land. But different strokes for different folks, I guess.
Personally, I think NYC and Coastal CA are the best places in the U.S., and are certainly worth the higher housing costs. Would not want to live somewhere like Arkansas.
I would probably kill myself if forced to live in Fayetteville, aka Walmart-land. But different strokes for different folks, I guess.
Personally, I think NYC and Coastal CA are the best places in the U.S., and are certainly worth the higher housing costs. Would not want to live somewhere like Arkansas.
But Fayetville isn't even a backwoods town, it's a pretty prosperous little city with a good stable economy, nice scenery and quaint living. The only way I could see you schittin' on it is because you hold this prejudicial view about it based on media stereotypes which is exactly the point of this thread! It's not even "different strokes for different folks", it's just straight elitism.
Being originally from the east coast (NYC metro) I really enjoy living in Columbus, Ohio. I don't know if it's "vastly underrated" but think it's relatively unknown and people are pleasantly surprised when they visit. I think we are great place to live and there's a lot going here for a mid-sized city. I can't really speak for the rest of "middle america" because it's a huge region and encompasses most of the country.
Being originally from the east coast (NYC metro) I really enjoy living in Columbus, Ohio. I don't know if it's "vastly underrated" but think it's relatively unknown and people are pleasantly surprised when they visit. I think we are great place to live and there's a lot going here for a mid-sized city. I can't really speak for the rest of "middle america" because it's a huge region and encompasses most of the country.
But that reaction that things are pleasant and developed is what I'm talking about. I forgot to mention Columbus Ohio and Bloomington Indiana too. Des Moines I hear is developing pretty well too. Meanwhile, LA has development issues, I think I read somewhere that cities such as Houston have developed more in a few years than LA has in decades! This isn't to say that the city itself isn't worth checking out or living in, but that the gap between NYC/LA is not a chasm anymore compared to other cities.
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