The Midwest: America's Heartland
According to an old joke, the first-prize winner on a TV game show got a one-week vacation in the Midwest while the second-prize got a two-week vacation there. Compared to other regions of the country, the Midwest has a reputation for being, well, a bit dull.
But one man's comment puts this joke into perspective. "New England is New England, the South is the South, and California is California," he said. "But the Midwest is America."
The Midwest seems less "different" than the other regions precisely because it is America's center, its heartland. It is America's center in many ways:
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The Midwest is America's geographical center. The exact middle point of the United States falls in Smith County, Kansas. |
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The Midwest is the center of American agriculture and industry. |
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Traditional American values are associated most strongly with the Midwest - especially with its many small towns. These values focus on family, hard work, church, and community. |
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The Midwest is also in the political middle. People tend to be conservative but not extremely so. |
Even when it comes to accents, the Midwest is considered the "real American thing." Television and radio announcers from elsewhere in the country work hard to get rid of their regional accents and to speak English as it's spoken in the Midwest.
Randee Falk: Spotlight on the USA; Oxford University Press, 1993, page 84