Middle America (United States)

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A street in West Point, Indiana, in October 2010

Middle America is a

suburban areas of the United States, typically the Lower Midwestern region of the country, which consists of Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri
, and downstate Illinois.

Middle America is generally used as both a geographic and cultural label, suggesting a

Ulster Scot, or Germanic
descent.

As a geographical label

A photo taken on the International Space Station by Terry W. Virts captioned "Looking back over middle America at twilight"

rural. Alternately, the term is used to describe the central United States.[citation needed
]

As a cultural label

Middle America is contrasted with the more culturally progressive, urban areas of the country, particularly, those of the East and West Coasts. The conservative values considered typical of Middle America (often called "family values" in American politics) are often called "Middle American values".[1][failed verification][2]

The plots of such American films as

Massapequa, is physically located in Long Island). The same applies to the episode of Ayn Rand's novel The Fountainhead which is set in Clayton, Ohio[3] and which depicts that town as the archetype of "Middle America", the polar opposite of the cosmopolitan New York City
where most of the novel's plot takes place.

Recently, there has been a diversification in the demographics traditionally attributed to Middle America. Individuals and families of various ethnic backgrounds, including Asians and Hispanics, have started to reside in small towns in various interior states,[4] including, but not limited to, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Ohio.[citation needed]

Economy

An abandoned American farm, June 2015

Historically, the economy of Middle America has been supported by agricultural worker and industry labor.

late 2000s mortgage crisis notwithstanding.[6]

Politics

The phrase Middle American values is a political cliché; like

battleground states are situated in "Middle America."[6]

Despite likely being an apocryphal story, President

Lyndon Johnson has been widely attributed as stating “[i]f I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost Middle America," after viewing a CBS Evening News report by Walter Cronkite critical of U.S. prospects in the Vietnam War in February 1968. The quote is often cited in relation to Johnson's subsequent change of heart a month later in declining to seek re-election in 1968.[8]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Middle America (United States).
Look up bicoastal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
  1. ^ "Comment: editorials, opinion and columns". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on April 3, 2008. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  2. ^ "Time: Middle Americans". Chnm.gmu.edu. January 5, 1970. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  3. ^ Rand, Ayn. The Fountainhead. Part III, Ch. 4.
  4. ^ Lee, Barrett; Hook, Jennifer Van (February 21, 2017). "Diversity is on the rise in urban and rural communities, and it's here to stay". The Conversation. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  5. ^ "Outline of the U.S. Economy". usa.usembassy.de.
  6. ^ a b Paul Jankowski (April 18, 2012). "Six Ignorant Stereotypes About Middle America". Forbes. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  7. ^ Gabriel Winant (May 17, 2010). "Who's more condescending to Middle America?". Salon.com. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  8. ISBN 978-0-520-25566-1
    .
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