Top 10 Things I Love About The Midwest
If you’ve never lived or spent any lengthy period of time in the Midwest, it’s hard to explain. Growing up there is different than the metros. It’s slower, flatter, and more predictable, which is probably why many transplants will say they moved in the first place. Yet, in the spirit of this gratuitous month and in reflection of my recent visit to the Midwest, I’ve grown to appreciate and even crave those very differences more and more. Here are some of my favorite things about the place I once called home. Give me a shout if you’re a native Midwesterner - nothing like the insurance policy of knowing what you see is what you get!
Friends and Family
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit my whole reasons for returning to the Midwest are to see and spend time with a little of both. Most of my friends since grade and high school still live there. Some of their kids even go to our old stomping grounds.
My familial roots run deep in the heartland too. At least five generations from what I’ve found, and only a handful of us have every moved further than a state or two away.
Every time the plane hits the tarmac, my heart flutters a bit, knowing that soon I’ll be getting the best hugs in the world.
2. Foliage
East coasters love to brag about their exquisite fall colors, but if you’ve ever driven the Midwest country roads, you might argue. Deep shades of red and orange and yellow scatter the winding paths, and even an occasional rolling hill or two aren’t lost between the quilted farmlands.
Then again, a real Midwesterner probably wouldn’t say anything at all - out loud. They’d just smile and think, “Well, if you like the East coast foliage so much, there are several regional airports nearby. Maybe I could arrange for you to get a one-way ticket…”
“I had been right to want to drive to the Midwest, taking only the back roads.”
3. People
“They’re also the nicest people in the world,” many visitors have said. And it’s true. I’ve gotten stranded on highways, country roads, and completely lost my sense of direction too many times to count. Anywhere else in this country people have usually just cruised right past as though the stranded stranger they just locked eyes with didn’t exist. Not in the Midwest though. At least not for me.
Every time I’ve shown the slightest look of distress or confusion, someone’s dropped everything to come over and help. It really should be second nature for people to help people. I sure wish it wasn’t just a Midwestern thing. But so far, they’re the kindest and most helpful people around…
“Growing up in the Midwest, people don’t drive Porches and Ferraris. They drive Fords and Chevys. And so even if you have the opportunity to buy a more expensive car, it doesn’t occur to you because it’s not what you relate to.”
4. Affordability
Midwesterners are a lot like East coasters - what you see is what you get. But they also have an exceptionally great sense of smell too. Living so close to farms and livestock, they can sniff out bullshit miles away. And aren’t the slightest bit intimidated by the quantity or quality of what someone might be selling.
When I lived in Los Angeles in the early 2000’s and saw some of the one and two-bedroom bungalows listed for over $500k+, I wanted to throw up. Where I grew up, a house wasn’t your long-term investment or socio-economic status symbol. It was a place you called home and fit your family, but never broke your bank account.
Even now, the biggest most mansion-like home I imagined belonged to Daddy Warbucks - 5500 sq feet with 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, and on a 3.5 acre lot downtown - recently sold for $350k.
Nearly everywhere else I’ve lived, the price for starter homes are well above the affordability for median incomers. I shudder when I think of how many homes we could buy in cash if we sold our current one and moved back. If only there were enough jobs (and security) to rationalize it, we might actually do it. Or, as I tease my husband, that’s the only place we could afford and I’d be willing to retire…
“I left the Midwest thinking I didn’t fit in. But when I got to New York, I realized how truly Midwestern I was.”
5. Bingo
One of my favorite things to do when I return for a visit is go to Bingo. I know, I know, it sounds so dated. But it’s not - not really anyway. Every time I’m there, there’s a wide variety of ages and types of people. Some bring a bag of charms and trolls and every dobbing-color of the rainbow. Some bring nothing and just come for entertainment, and pay for the electric machines.
But the people-watching, the dry sense of humor, not-so-good-but-not-so-bad food and snacks, and the couple of hours I get to sit and chat and dob with friends and fam? It’s priceless and worth the investment.
Then again, it may help to note I’ve won a $100 a couple of times, so that may feed my subtle addiction.
“Don’t make me use my bingo voice!”
6. Simple Living
Simple living isn’t a style - rustic vs. kitschy. It’s a way of life. You buy and live with what you need, and accept that not everything you want you’ll ever get.
I’ve lived in Los Angeles, Boston, Nashville, Denver, and Steamboat Springs, and none of those places made me feel like the majority of people there lived this way. Everyone was on a mission to catch up with the Joneses or at least hoped to be compared to the Hiltons or Kardashians.
I never felt comfortable in those cities. I never felt like my home or style was truly accepted without a tinge of snootiness mixed with judgment. In the Midwest though, nobody gives a crap about where you bought your linens. No one cares if your home-decor is inspired by Martha Stewart or Mama June. And no one would think to hire a professional colorist to pick out paint for their walls.
Simple living is living simply. And I couldn’t be more grateful for learning that lesson from the heartland.
“Because it’s the Midwest, nobody really glitters because no one has to. It’s more of a dull shine like frequently used silverware.”
- Charles Baxter
7. Changes
Every time I visit I see or learn something new about the landscape. This year it was windmill farms. When I was in high school I remember seeing semis drive the parts of one or two of these terrifying towers to their destination, but since then, I’ve never seen the farms in their completion. Now? Hundreds and miles of them dot the skyline.
Many of the changes cities need, hope for, and implement come from the help of these Midwest small towns - they have to, cities simply don’t have the space or resources. Yet they forget ever so quickly whose backs they’re breaking and whose land they’re using in the process. The changes I’ve seen in the Midwest have happened slowly over the years, but they’ve happened none the less. I’m grateful most have happened at all, but I do appreciate they’ve never rushed their decisions. Many of us could learn a thing or two with that Midwestern lesson: change
“Real change is slow, hard, and imperceptible.”
8. Art
When I started seeing antique-inspired home goods at trendy city shops, I laughed. “If they want antiques, I can think of dozens of markets and shops I used to frequent in the Midwest.”
Many of the artsy inspirations of big city dwellers, I’ve seen first in small towns like mine. Dishware, home decor, and furniture I’ve inherited from my family might be worth something or nothing, I don’t really care, but the irony is how many replicas I’ve seen pop up and overpriced.
“Let’s all say, ‘horseshit!’”
9. Food (Sometimes)
When I first moved to the west coast and participated in potlucks at my first job out of college I was amazed at how few folks knew how to really cook. My husband loved to brag that his wife never baked boxed desserts or meals and to this day it stills feels sacrilege.
By many standards I’m a pretty healthy eater. Whenever possible I’m trying to cram 2/3 veggies into my meals and snacks. Still, when it comes to soul and comfort foods, I lean heavy on my Midwestern roots. Mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits, fried chicken, fried fish, chicken and dumplings - these are just a few of my go-to dishes when I’m needing a pick me up.
Growing up in the heartland gave me many self-reliant tools I wouldn’t trade for the world, but one of my most precious gifts has been the recipes and cooking skills my grandmothers passed down. Homemade bread, pies, cakes, cookies, and too many main dishes and casseroles to count…I only hope my kids appreciate the cooking skills I’ve instilled in them. As I tell them, “if Mommy doesn’t need to bake from a box, neither do you!”
“Old roads, old dogs, old folks, and old ways still have a lot to offer in this sped-up world we live in.”
10. Memories
I’ve found in midlife with age comes more reflection. Finding gratitude for people, places, and things that have brought me joy and taught me great life-lessons has been on my forefront lately.
Teaching high schoolers has forced me to recall living smack dab in middle America. Like many of my students, I was counting the days till I planned to move out and away from everything I knew and hated at the time. Now, I appreciate those simpler times more than ever.
Living in Colorado and raising my family, I certainly tap into my Midwest memory-bank more and more. “Where I grew up…” is more frequently dropped than “when I was your age.” Usually my kids are amazed by all the experiences and self-taught skills I acquired simply by being a Midwesterner - how many coastal or mountain people have ever walked beans, de-tasseled, or planted gardens bigger than some houses? There are definitely more things I’m thankful for than the simple list of Top 10 Things I’m Thankful For, but growing up in the Midwest and the memories I’ve made deserve their own list - pages longer than a simple top 10...
“Small town girls have big hearts with small town values. They are forever loyal to their family, friends, and roots. Small town girls keep their feet firmly planted on the ground no matter where they end up.”
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