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No, not all suburban areas are representative of the nation's demographics.
I believe the following in the Midwest are;
-Columbus metro
-Indianapolis metro
-St. Louis metro
-Cincinnati-Dayton combined metro
-Des Moines metro
-Omaha metro
-Kansas City metro
-Cleveland-Akron-Canton combined metro
-Columbus metro
-Indianapolis metro
-St. Louis metro
-Cincinnati-Dayton combined metro
-Des Moines metro
-Omaha metro
-Kansas City metro
-Cleveland-Akron-Canton combined metro
I was talking about individual suburbs, not the suburban areas, as a whole.
Also Peoria is now significantly blacker and less Hispanic and Asian than the nation as a whole, and probably older too.
I like how the OP considered history and not just demographics for this topic, to make it different from the "most average place in the US" thread, where places like Joliet IL, Butler County OH, and Des Moines IA got the most votes. Though I think Joliet and Des Moines would still be good answers here, since they've followed the nation's lead in becoming more suburbanized, with somewhat of a more white-collar employment base.
I wonder if, for a real "microcosm of US history" vibe, we could find somewhere with notable pre-Civil War history that also has a sizable tech job market --- while also having gone through the "deindustrialization" and "suburbanization" phases, and also being somewhat demographically representative of the US.
Metro Boston would be the obvious choice there, although it's pretty weird in other ways. Metro Seattle/Tacoma could work too (although its pre-Civil War history is a bit marginal).
Also in regards to what you were saying about somewhere being quintessential to the country in terms of history. I don't think anywhere that has a lot of European-American history pre-dating the Treaty of Paris which ended the Revolutionary War in 1783, to be a good example to use. Somewhere quintessentially American historically to me would be a place that was settled, platted and grew in size predominately by white Americans in the time between the Northwest Ordinance was enacted in 1787 and the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. The Lower Midwest states all seem to follow this pattern, which again is partially why they are always seen as the most 'American' of all places.
Also in regards to what you were saying about somewhere being quintessential to the country in terms of history. I don't think anywhere that has a lot of European-American history pre-dating the Treaty of Paris which ended the Revolutionary War in 1783, to be a good example to use. Somewhere quintessentially American historically to me would be a place that was settled, platted and grew in size predominately by white Americans in the time between the Northwest Ordinance was enacted in 1787 and the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. The Lower Midwest states all seem to follow this pattern, which again is partially why they are always seen as the most 'American' of all places.
Certainly, not seen as the most "American" by most of the populace.
How so? I figured it's perfectly average, as somewhere such as Ohio or Illinois being settled and initially developed by white settlers of Mid-Atlantic origin in the time in between the Northwest Ordinance being enacted in 1787 to the beginning of the Civil War in 1861 to be a typical American pattern as it means it is neither too colonial-influenced or too frontier-influenced.
In general, the Kansas City region has sizable influences from every direction and doesn’t comfortably fit into any one region, but it’s basically midwestern.
I can see the argument for the OP there.
Like I said though, I think Independence, MO triumphs over any other Midwestern town that represents the national condition, because not only is it literally dead center in terms of geographic location and the mean center of the population, it's history is almost completely the same as that of the nation at large, with it being a hotbed for the pro-slavery Bushwackers and anti-slavery Jayhawkers, a jump-off point for western travelers throughout the 1800s, and the home of arguably the most impactful US president of the second half of the 20th century; Harry S. Truman.
I like Independence and have been there a few times. Being near the geographic center is a footnote at best. Its national history is largely limited to the period after 1820 and westward expansion, then the Mormon war, the Civil War, and Harry Truman. It is old enough to be a quaint novelty compared to modern suburbs -- but it has modern development, malls, sprawl -- typical Americana of the present age. It is the county seat. It doesn't have a recognizable college or university campus to speak of. Highschool campuses are larger than Graceland University's one building. Truman Presidential Library is impressive but not typical or "the quintessence of middle America". It has a curious Mormon history. Back in 1831, Mormon leader/founder Joseph Smith declared that God informed him that Independence was where the righteous would gather to greet the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Thus, the Community of Christ/RLDS and other LDS/Mormon offshoots have headquarters or a presence in Independence. Smith claimed Independence as the original location of the Garden of Eden and that Adam and Eve once lived nearby in Daviess County. The Mormon War of 1838 erupted in Jackson County and prompted Missouri Governor Boggs to issue an extermination order against the Mormons (leave or be killed). They resettled temporarily in Nauvoo, Illinois. That history, plus the Truman library, sets it quite apart from the nation at large. Independence is a very pleasant place, by my recollection, and a nice place to visit. It is closer to Kauffman and Arrowhead stadiums than most of Kansas City so convenient to major sports venues.
I didn't see "Lower" Midwest in the initial post. Maybe I missed it. I only saw "Middle America", which to most, as they see no reason to differentiate, is the entire Midwest. If you lived on a coast, you would not differentiate...the Midwest is the Midwest. It's "flyover" country. The Great Lakes Region gets lumped into the Midwest, in the minds of those who "fly over."
First of all, "Middle America" isn't a place, it's a concept.
Secondly, the Midwest has ~70 million people and several of the largest air hubs in the US. "Flyover country" is more accurately the interior West.
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