History Main / FlyoverCountry

Politically, the cities are also more liberal than the surrounding region. Many of them are ([[DyingTown or were]]) industrial towns with a strong presence of labor unions and minorities, plus college students who stuck around after graduating, leading to interesting scenarios where you have Democrat islands within states that are Republican strongholds.

The part about the boring landscape, however, is ''partly'' true -- at least east of the Rockies and south of Wisconsin. While the cities can be quite interesting, outside of the cities is mostly just hundreds of miles of corn, wheat, and soybeans, broken by the occasional vast and ungodly foul-smelling cattle feedlot. Things to change once you hit Ohio, however, as it and everything to the south and east have a fair deal of hills, ravines, and forest, providing slightly more to look at from the highway than cornfields. Of course, [[YMMV]].

The part about the boring landscape, however, is ''partly'' true -- at least east of the Rockies and south of Wisconsin. While the cities can be quite interesting, outside of the cities is mostly just hundreds of miles of corn, wheat, and soybeans, broken by the occasional vast and ungodly foul-smelling cattle feedlot. Things to change once you hit Ohio, however, as it and everything to the south and east have a fair deal of hills, ravines, and forest, providing slightly more to look at from the highway than cornfields.

Politically, the cities are also more liberal than the surrounding region. Most of them are ([[DyingTown or were]]) industrial towns with a strong presence of labor unions and minorities, plus college students who stuck around after graduating, leading to interesting scenarios where you have Democrat islands within states that are Republican strongholds.

Needless to say, these nuances and many more tend to be lost on Hollywood. Shows based in one of the coasts will lovingly show details of the landmarks and locales (''SexAndTheCity'' was known for using real-life bars and restaurants as the girls' hangouts), while Midwestern locations are either fictionalized or used as a generic backdrop. This is because {{Indianapolis}} might as well be Addis Ababa to those who write tv and movies.

Politically, the cities are also more liberal than the surrounding region. Most of them are ([[DyingTown or were]]) industrial towns with a strong presence of labor unions and minorities, plus college students who stuck around after graduating, leading to interesting scenarios where you have Democratic islands within states that are Republican strongholds.

Needless to say, the truth is a little different. While the states of the central U.S. do skew more rural than urban, the larger Western and Midwestern cities are as cosmopolitan as any coastal town. There's plenty of culture and nightlife to be found in cities like [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Austin]], [[TwinCities Minneapolis]], {{Denver}} or {{Cleveland|Rocks}} (okay, {{YMMV}} [[ButtMonkey on Cleveland]]), and they have a much lower cost of living than the coasts. The cities are also more liberal than rest of the region, since most of them are ([[DyingTown or were]]) industrial towns with a strong presence of labor unions and minorities, leading to many a clash of values with the more conservative rural areas. And even some of the smaller towns, like Boulder, Colorado (the place ''MorkAndMindy'' was set in) and Ann Arbor, Michigan, have their own quirks.

Needless to say, the truth is a little different. While the states of the central U.S. do skew more rural than urban, the larger Western and Midwestern cities are as cosmopolitan as any coastal town. There's plenty of culture and nightlife to be found in cities like [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Austin]], [[TwinCities Minneapolis]], {{Denver}} or {{Cleveland|Rocks}} (okay, {{YMMV}} [[ButtMonkey on Cleveland]]), and a much lower cost of living than the coasts. The cities are also more liberal than rest of the region, since most of them are ([[DyingTown or were]]) industrial towns with a strong presence of labor unions and minorities, leading to many a clash of values with the more conservative rural areas. And even some of the smaller towns, like Boulder, Colorado (the place ''MorkAndMindy'' was set in) and Ann Arbor, Michigan, have their own quirks.

Needless to say, the truth is a little different. While the states of the central U.S. do skew more rural than urban, the larger Western and Midwestern cities are as cosmopolitan as any coastal town. There's plenty of culture and nightlife to be found in cities like [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Austin]], [[TwinCities Minneapolis]], {{Denver}} or {{Cleveland|Rocks}} (okay, {{YMMV}} [[ButtMonkey on Cleveland]]). They're also more liberal than the rest of the region, especially in the Midwestern half, where most of the big cities are ([[DyingTown or were]]) industrial towns with a strong presence of labor unions and minorities, leading to many a clash of values with the more conservative rural areas. And even some of the smaller towns, like Boulder, Colorado (the place ''MorkAndMindy'' was set in) and Ann Arbor, Michigan, have their own quirks.

That's Flyover Country -- American slang for the states which trendy coast-dwellers only see from the window of an airplane. Containing roughly half the country's population (if you're using a narrower definition) but much more of its landmass, this region includes everything between {{Viva|LasVegas}} and [[TheWindyCity Chicago]] at a minimum -- and is often extended to everything east of California and west of the Hudson River. Sparsely populated, largely rural, and lacking in mediagenic glamour, it rarely shows up in works which attempt to appear trendy or up-to-date. It gets much more play in political circles, however, as the quirks of the American electoral system make appeals to smaller states essential.

That's Flyover Country -- American slang for the states which trendy coast-dwellers only see from the window of an airplane. Containing roughly half the country's population (if you're using a narrower definition) but much more of its landmass, this region includes everything between LasVegas and [[TheWindyCity Chicago]] at a minimum -- and is often extended to everything east of California and west of the Hudson River. Sparsely populated, largely rural, and lacking in mediagenic glamour, it rarely shows up in works which attempt to appear trendy or up-to-date. It gets much more play in political circles, however, as the quirks of the American electoral system make appeals to smaller states essential.

Where do you live? [[BigApplesauce New York]]? Awesome. [[LosAngeles L.A.]]? Awesome. KansasCity? Uh... where is that, like, in Idaho or something?

Needless to say, the truth is a little different. While the states of the central U.S. do skew more rural than urban, the larger Western and Midwestern cities are as cosmopolitan as any coastal town. There's plenty of culture and nightlife to be found in cities like [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Austin]], [[TwinCities Minneapolis]], {{Denver}} or {{Cleveland|Rocks}} (okay, {{YMMV}} [[ButtMonkey on Cleveland]]). They're also more liberal than the rest of the region, especially in the Midwestern half, where most of the big cities are ([[DyingTown or were]]) factory towns with a strong presence of labor unions and minorities, leading to many a clash of values with the more conservative rural areas. And even some of the smaller towns, like Boulder, Colorado (the place ''MorkAndMindy'' was set in) and Ann Arbor, Michigan, have their own quirks.

Needless to say, the truth is a little different. While the states of the central U.S. do skew more rural than urban, the bigger Western and Midwestern cities are as cosmopolitan as any coastal town. There's plenty of culture and nightlife to be found in cities like [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Austin]], [[TwinCities Minneapolis]], {{Denver}} or {{Cleveland|Rocks}} (okay, {{YMMV}} [[ButtMonkey on Cleveland]]). The larger cities and their counties are also more liberal than the rest of the region, due to the strong presence of minorities and labor unions (especially in the Midwest, where most of the cities have [[DyingTown or had]] heavy industry), leading to many a clash of values with the surrounding area. And even some of the smaller towns, like Boulder, Colorado (the place ''MorkAndMindy'' was set in) and Ann Arbor, Michigan, have their own quirks.

Needless to say, the truth is a little different. While the states of the central U.S. do skew more rural than urban, the bigger Western and Midwestern cities are as cosmopolitan as any coastal town. There's plenty of culture and nightlife to be found in cities like [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Austin]], [[TwinCities Minneapolis]], {{Denver}} or {{Cleveland|Rocks}} (okay, {{YMMV}} [[ButtMonkey on Cleveland]]). The larger cities and their counties are also more liberal than the rest of the region, due to the strong presence of minorities and labor unions, leading to many a clash of values with the surrounding area. And even some of the smaller towns, like Boulder, Colorado (the place ''MorkAndMindy'' was set in) and Ann Arbor, Michigan, have their own quirks.

Where do you live? [[BigApplesauce New York]]? Awesome. [[LosAngeles L.A.]]? Awesome. Kansas City? Uh... where is that, like, in Idaho or something?

Needless to say, the truth is a little different. While the states of the central U.S. do skew more rural than urban, the bigger Western and Midwestern cities are as cosmopolitan as any coastal town. There's plenty of culture and nightlife to be found in cities like [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Austin]], [[TwinCities Minneapolis]], {{Denver}} or {{Cleveland|Rocks}} (okay, {{YMMV}} [[ButtMonkey on Cleveland]]). The larger cities and their counties are also more liberal than the rest of the area, due to the strong presence of minorities and labor unions, leading to many a clash of values with the rest of the region. And even some of the smaller towns, like Boulder, Colorado (the place ''MorkAndMindy'' was set in) and Ann Arbor, Michigan, have their own quirks.

Needless to say, the truth is a little different. While the states of the central U.S. do skew more rural than urban, the bigger Western and Midwestern cities are as cosmopolitan as any coastal town. There's plenty of culture and nightlife to be found in cities like [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Austin]], [[TwinCities Minneapolis]], {{Denver}} or {{Cleveland|Rocks}} (okay, {{YMMV}} [[ButtMonkey on Cleveland]]). The larger cities and their counties are also more liberal than the rest of the area, due to the strong presence of minorities and labor unions, leading to many a clash of values. And even some of the smaller towns, like Boulder, Colorado (the place ''MorkAndMindy'' was set in) and Ann Arbor, Michigan, have their own quirks.

Needless to say, the truth is a little different. While the states of the central U.S. do skew more rural than urban, the bigger Western and Midwestern cities are as cosmopolitan as any coastal town. Coolness is subjective, but there's plenty of culture and nightlife to be found in cities like [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Austin]], [[TwinCities Minneapolis]], {{Denver}} or {{Cleveland|Rocks}} (okay, [[ButtMonkey maybe not Cleveland]]). And even some of the smaller towns, like Boulder, Colorado (the place ''MorkAndMindy'' was set in) and Ann Arbor, Michigan, can be ''quite'' eccentric.

The part about the boring landscape, however, is ''partly'' true -- at least east of the Rockies and south of Wisconsin. While the cities can be quite interesting, outside of the cities is mostly just hundreds of miles of corn, wheat, and soybeans, broken by the occasional vast and ungodly foul-smelling cattle feedlot. There ''are'', of course, several quite interesting notable exceptions here and there, though they are generally far enough from major transportation arteries and the other notable exceptions to be less than well known.

[[quoteright:346:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/newyorker_america_4403.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:346:People actually ''live'' out there? Who knew?]]

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/newyorker_america_4403.jpg
[[caption-width:346:People actually ''live'' out there? Who knew?]]

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/How_New_Yorkers_see_America_6521.jpg

Needless to say, the truth is a little different. While the states of the central U.S. do skew more rural than urban, the bigger Western and Midwestern cities are as cosmopolitan as any coastal town. Coolness is subjective, but there's plenty of culture and nightlife to be found in cities like [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Austin]], [[TwinCities Minneapolis]], {{Denver}}, or {{Cleveland}}. And even some of the smaller towns like Boulder (You know, the place MorkAndMindy was set in) can be ''quite'' eccentric.

Where do you live? [[BigApplesauce New York]]? Awesome. [[LosAngeles L.A.]]? Awesome. Kansas City? Uh... where is that, like, in Missouri or something? [[hottip:*:It actually is--and it's in Kansas, as well. Weird, huh?]]

Setting a show or a novel here can be shorthand for [[BrokebackMountain social conservatism]], [[{{Fargo}} small-town insularity]], [[{{Pleasantville}} Fifties-style family values]], or [[NapoleonDynamite a generally unhip ambiance]]. However, it gets used at least as often to inspire [[{{Smallville}} nostalgia]] for {{Eagleland}} Flavor #1, a friendly down-home environment where [[APrairieHomeCompanion all the women are strong, all the men are good-lookin' and all the children are above average]]. When used in media, it often overlaps with DownOnTheFarm or the DeepSouth.

Needless to say, the truth is a little different. While the states of the central U.S. do skew more rural than urban, the bigger Western and Midwestern cities are as cosmopolitan as any coastal town. Coolness is subjective, but there's plenty of culture and nightlife to be found in cities like [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Austin]], [[TwinCities Minneapolis]], {{Denver}}, or {{Cleveland}}.

Setting a show or a novel here can be shorthand for [[BrokebackMountain social conservatism]], [[{{Fargo}} small-town insularity]], [[{{Pleasantville}} Fifties-style family values]], or [[NapoleonDynamite a generally unhip ambiance]]. However, it gets used at least as often to inspire [[{{Smallville}} nostalgia]] for {{Eagleland}} Flavor #1, a friendly down-home environment where all the women are strong, all the men are good-lookin' and [[APrairieHomeCompanion all the children are above average]]. When used in media, it often overlaps with DownOnTheFarm or the DeepSouth.

Needless to say, the truth is a little different. While the states of the central U.S. do skew more rural than urban, many Western and Midwestern cities are as cosmopolitan as any coastal town. Coolness is subjective, but there's plenty of culture and nightlife to be found in the streets of cities the size of [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Austin]], [[TwinCities Minneapolis]], {{Denver}}, or any college town.

The part about the boring landscape, however, is ''partly'' true -- at least east of the Rockies and south of Wisconsin. While the cities can be quite interesting, outside of the cities, it's mostly just hundreds of miles of corn, wheat, and soybeans, broken by the occasional vast and incomprehensibly foul-smelling cattle feedlot. There ''are'', of course, several quite interesting notable exceptions here and there, though they are generally far enough from major transportation arteries and the other notable exceptions to be less than well known.