Middle America (United States)
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Middle America is an American colloquialism used to describe either a cultural mindset or region of the United States that, geographically, comprises the bulk of rural and suburban America. This term is usually used in contrast to the more metropolitan areas. The two mindsets reflect different values that portray a dichotomy in American culture. In regards to geographical usage, the term is not literal because one may hold "Middle American values" while not residing there and vice versa.
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[edit] As a cultural and geographical label
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. Much of the California Central Valley and inland Pennsylvania are typically considered to be Middle American. Alternatively, the term is used to the describe the central United States.
Middle America is generally used more as of a cultural than geographical label, suggesting a small town or suburb where most people are middle class, Protestant, and white. It is often caricatured in the same way as the American 1950s decade. The idea of Middle America may exclude locations such as Chicago (the third largest city in the United States and one of the world's ten alpha cities) and the very wealthy Aspen, Colorado. However, the coastal regions of the southern United States are often implicitly included. This U.S.-centric definition of Middle America is not to be confused with the usage of the term to describe Mesoamerica or the grouping of Central America plus Mexico.
[edit] Economy
The economy of "Middle America" is in fact traditionally agricultural, though presently most "Middle Americans" live in suburban locales. Compared to coastal America, home prices tend to be low (because land is abundant) and economic disparities are less pronounced. Housing prices in "Middle America" tend to be significantly less volatile than those on the coasts, and houses tend to appreciate in value more slowly within Middle America.
[edit] Politics
The phrase "Middle American values" is a political cliché, which like "family values" involves more traditional or conservative politics, although places like Madison, Wisconsin (progressive but inland) and Orange County, California (conservative but coastal) provide stereotypical exceptions.
Many of the political battleground states are situated in "Middle America."
[edit] Trivia
The Simpsons is a satirical parody of the "Middle American" lifestyle.
