What is it like to live in the Midwest?

[Anonymous]

I grew up in the Minneapolis 'burbs, lived in Ohio, Michigan, the UK, and now the NYC metro for the last 10 years. Moving to DC this fall.

Growing up in Minnesota is different from moving there as an adult; people are a tad insular and it can be hard to assimilate into the whole culture, which is so based on people growing up in the same area, attending the local schools, colleges, etc.

I would have told you the cuisine is boring, but I think in Minneapolis this has radically shifted and while i used to struggle to find unique dishes, the suburb where my mom lives now has 2 international grocery stores and a Hyderabad Biryani restaurant - so a lot has changed. Also, for what it's worth I live 20 minutes from NYC and most of the restaurants here are pretty 'meh', so I think it's largely unfair. Yes, there are a ton more chain places, especially the further you go out into the suburbs, but Minneapolis especially is kind of a hidden gem food /craft beer/etc scene if you know where to look.

Overall, if I had to summarize suburbs vs east coast, I'd say it's like playing the life game on easy mode vs. hard. Things are just easier in the Midwest; it's convenient, there's relatively little traffic, people are (often) more happy to chill in the same job/company for longer, there's less internal and external pressure to compete professionally. Salaries are decent and you can live a comfortable life and not have to worry much. Especially in MN where the winters last forever, you can have unique, interesting hobbies because your job doesn't eat into your personal time (my own experience).


It all depends on where you are in life and what you value. I miss the Midwest a lot (moreso during the milder months!) if not for the slower, leisurely pace of life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've lived in DC, Toledo, Minneapolis, and an insanely small town on the shore of Lake Superior, as well as a major Southern city.

Hands down, my least favorite was the soulless, sprawling, utterly lacking in any culture Southern city. Yes, even Toledo ranks above it. Even the tiny town that's been in decline since 1890 is better than the south.

Are there things I didn't love about the midwest? Absolutely. It's often provincial. (although so is the south) On the whole, it's not a place that values extensive knowledge or travel, and anything that might be "sophisticated" or "high brow" is immediately suspect (20 years ago drinking a Sam Adams got me labeled a snob, and some other less-kind words). On the other hand, they're way less obsessed with winning at EVERYTHING--so much less pressure about schools, kids sports, how much money you make, where you went to college, etc.

Toledo has a world class art museum and cheap AAA baseball. The food is mostly blah, but there are some solid Hungarian and Polish options. And it's only an hour from Detroit, which has museums, a major airport, pro sports, and a better food scene.

Loved Minneapolis. Great place, I miss being able to spend a week in a cabin on a remote lake for cheap. Amazing food, ample greenspace, lots of smart people who went to U Minnesota stick around. The winters are a little much sometimes, and Minnesota "nice" is very real.

Small town, I had a love-hate relationship with. Loved living in a walkable town, kayaking on the lake, amazing hiking and cross country skiing, and knowing people in my community so well. But ultimately my love couldn't overcome 6 or more months of snow and 3,000 people who knew all my business whether I wanted them to know it or not. And see above, re: Minnesota nice.

And all that said, I love DC the best. I manage to tune out a lot of the hypercompetitive rat race stuff. I don't care that you're not impressed with where I went to school and even are openly disdainful--we ended up in the same jobs making the same money, my path was just different. Living in DC, my neighborhood and the ones surrounding it remind me of the small town as far as being walkable, people know each other, etc. No where else has so many outstanding (and often free) museums, access to outdoor recreation is top-notch, my kid can try darn near any sport. The food!

Midwest living isn't for everyone, especially upper midwest living. I still rank it below DC. But it's waaaaay better than the south.

Was this sprawling southern city Dallas?

No, not in Texas.

[Anonymous]

I lived in a big-ish city in the Midwest.

To me the biggest difference was the isolation. Go outside the metro area and there’s nuthin for 5-6 hours driving. And it can get pretty weird and rural on the route. This is very unlike the northeast where I grew up and live now. I missed roadtrips and short jaunts to interesting places

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Too cold in winter, too hot in summer, too flat always.

And too damned many tornadoes!

[Anonymous]

Both weeks of a Minnesota summer are beautiful!

[Anonymous]

I just came back from the Midwest. In so many ways, it was like stepping back into the 80s. I observed that there is a high percentage of overweight, not in shape people.
It would definitely be an adjustment if I were to move there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just came back from the Midwest. In so many ways, it was like stepping back into the 80s. I observed that there is a high percentage of overweight, not in shape people.
It would definitely be an adjustment if I were to move there.

I don't think these things are contagious, so ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Super broad question I know, if you have lived in both the Midwest and DC/NOVA can you compare the two pros and cons for those of you who have only lived in both big cities like NYC and/or Cities like DC and then the midwest as well. Please tell us your experiences. Thank you!

Friendly
Easy to raise a family
Full 4 seasons
Nice summers c low humidity
Great Lakes area extra awesome
Lots of German, Polish and Swedish food
More tall blonds.
Love Big 10 sports and their professional teams.
Easy to golf at all times of day.
Take more beach trips in the winter

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lived in a big-ish city in the Midwest.

To me the biggest difference was the isolation. Go outside the metro area and there’s nuthin for 5-6 hours driving. And it can get pretty weird and rural on the route. This is very unlike the northeast where I grew up and live now. I missed roadtrips and short jaunts to interesting places

Weird. It’s like you lived in the east coast but never went west an hour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As an immigrant, the only places worth living in the US are the coasts--that's where the worldly people are, especially DC metro area. If you don't care about that then why not move to the midwest or south for that matter.

Lol, good ignorance joke Pp!

[Anonymous]

Grew up in Indiana, lived in DC for 20 years. To me, a lot of this is if you prefer to be a big fish in a small pond, or a small fish in a big pond.

My childhood friends that stayed in the midwest have big houses, multiple cars, and are either in healthcare or run their own tangible-product business in things like beer distribution or contracting.

I live in a small rowhouse in the city, bike everywhere, and work in a non-profit. Friends here have similar lifestyles.

Both are great life choices, just a matter of preference. I like to be a small fish with lots going on around me.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in the Midwest (Minneapolis metro area) and still visit a lot to see family.

People in the Midwest do tend to be more friendly and polite. In Minneapolis itself there is actually a decent amount of really good (and slightly more affordable) food.

The thing I don't love is that many people are also somewhat provincial. They tend to be really fixated on their particular community and don't have a whole lot of curiosity in people who aren't from there. People absolutely tend to stick to their high school and college friends, so I imagine it's a bit harder to really get to know people if you're not from there.

There are certainly things I don't love about DC, but I do tend (in general) to find the people here more diverse in their interests and perspectives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Ohio and now live in DC, and have also lived up and down the east cost (with a stint in Miami) and the west cost. I would never, ever move back to Ohio because as a young woman I found it wildly misogynisitic. I certainly would never raise a daughter there. It's also very racist.

I lived in Ohio for four years and it was shocking to me how openly racist people were. I didn’t actually understand that blatant racism was still a thing until I lived there.

I feel this way about Michigan (grew up there). The racism is terrible.

[Anonymous]

Here is the life, polished students nice schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Grew up in Michigan, spent my early adulthood in Chicago. Have now lived in NoVA and worked in DC for 20ish years.

The Midwest in a nutshell for me:

People are much friendlier
It's cold (in MI and Chicago, anyway).
Far less obvious social striving
Far less striving with respect to income (the way folks talk about money here in the DMV would be considered extremely rude where I'm from)
People can be frumpy
The Protestant work ethic is in full force, and you can rely on people
Food/taste is bland, outside of the cities at least (I never had Thai, Indian, or even falafel until I moved from MI to Chicago as a young adult)
Creative types are respected
But on the flipside to that, most people are relatively unsophisticated
Pace is reasonable
The pressure to conform can be intense (especially outside of the large cities)
Commuting isn't as bad (well, if you are in Chi, it can be bad, but still not like the hell that is the Beltway)
Much, much lower COL
The architecture is better. Housing, whether it be SFH or apartments, is much more charming

If you reference Heraclitus or Henri Bergson, people will stare at you blankly, and then aggressively, and then call you pretentious behind your back


DMV:
Very solid job market
The opportunity to make a lot of money
The opportunity to advance to national-level policy work in certain professions
Access to the Smithsonians
People are, generally, more highly educated here
Pace feels frenzied much of the time
Commuting is horrific
It's sooooo expensive to live here
Feels very white bread to me
I guess people are quite frumpy here, too
If you reference Heraclitus or Henri Bergson, people will pretend to know what you are talking about, and then call you pretentious behind your back (or maybe to your face, if they feel like they can get away with it)

HA! Thread=over. This sums it up.