Colloquial term for the US heartland
Middle America
is a
colloquial term
for the
United States heartland
, especially the culturally
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
central United States
small town or suburb that is equidistant from most parts of the country, has a
temperate climate
, where most people speak with a
General American
accent, are
middle class
or
upper middle class
,
Evangelical
or
Mainline Protestant
, and typically
European Americans
, particularly of
Anglo-Saxon Protestant
,
Ulster Scot
, or
Germanic
descent.
As a geographical label
[
edit
]
Geographically
, the label
Middle America
refers to the territory between the
East Coast of the United States
(particularly the
northeast
) and the
West Coast
. The term has been used in some cases to refer to the inland portions of coastal states, especially if they are
rural
. Alternately, the term is used to describe the
central United States
.
[
citation needed
]
As a cultural label
[
edit
]
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
Sweet Home Alabama
and
The Judge
center on the contrast between big city life and that of a typical "Middle America" small town; in both, a
protagonist
with a successful big city career is drawn back to an old hometown. Similarly, the protagonist of
John Grisham
's novel
The Associate
leaves a well-paid job at a giant Wall Street law firm and goes to work with his lawyer father in his hometown,
York, Pennsylvania
. The contrast between "Middle America" and big city America is evident in the life of the fictional superhero
Superman
? growing up as
Superboy
in the archetypal
Smallville
and as an adult moving to the equally archetypal
Metropolis
. The depiction of
Ron Kovic
's childhood in the early parts of
Born on the Fourth of July
also fits the cultural perceptions of "Middle America" (though Kovic's hometown,
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
[
edit
]
Historically, the economy of Middle America has been supported by agricultural worker and industry labor.
[5]
Housing prices tend to be significantly less volatile than those on the coasts, and houses tend to appreciate in value more slowly, the
late 2000s mortgage crisis
notwithstanding.
[6]
Politics
[
edit
]
The phrase
Middle American values
is a political cliche; like
family values
,
it refers to more
traditional
or
conservative
politics. However, across the United States and more recently in the South, metropolitan areas and major university towns tend to be politically and socially progressive. Examples of such metropolitan areas include
Kansas City, Missouri
;
Columbus, Ohio
;
Indianapolis, Indiana
; and
Minneapolis, Minnesota
, and major university towns include
Madison, Wisconsin
;
Champaign, Illinois
;
Bloomington, Indiana
;
Carbondale, Illinois
;
Lawrence, Kansas
;
Athens, Ohio
; and
Ann Arbor, Michigan
.
[7]
Reflecting these countervailing trends, many political
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
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Look up
bicoastal
in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
- ^
"Comment: editorials, opinion and columns"
.
The Daily Telegraph
. Archived from
the original
on April 3, 2008
. Retrieved
October 30,
2012
.
- ^
"Time: Middle Americans"
. Chnm.gmu.edu. January 5, 1970
. Retrieved
October 30,
2012
.
- ^
Rand, Ayn.
The Fountainhead
. Part III, Ch. 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
.
- ^
"Outline of the U.S. Economy"
.
usa.usembassy.de
.
- ^
a
b
Paul Jankowski (April 18, 2012).
"Six Ignorant Stereotypes About Middle America"
.
Forbes
. Retrieved
October 30,
2012
.
- ^
Gabriel Winant (May 17, 2010).
"Who's more condescending to Middle America?"
.
Salon.com
. Retrieved
May 29,
2015
.
- ^
Campbell, W. Joseph (2010).
Getting It Wrong: Ten of the Greatest Misreported Stories in American Journalism
. University of California Press.
ISBN
978-0-520-25566-1
.