I’m from Indiana, so I know firsthand why people think the Midwest of the United States can be passed up. Some people will tell you they can’t even distinguish between all of the “I” states – Iowa, Indiana, Illinois — so why stop here? I’m tired of seeing Instagram post after Instagram post slam the Midwest as a flyover country. In the heartland, you’ll find more than cornfields and windmills. Woven within the crossroads are great cities, delicious food, interesting attractions and friendly faces.
You don’t have to look far: Even in Indiana, you can find cultural sites, great sports and fun things to do. Some people are taking notice and choosing to move to our capital city. Indianapolis has been growing at an exceptional rate since 2010. A 2023 IndyStar article states, “the population of downtown Indianapolis has increased by 46% since 2010.”
Indianapolis’ efforts to revitalize its downtown over the last two decades seem to have paid off. It even hosted the NBA All-Star weekend Feb. 16-18, 2024. Money is being invested back in Midwestern cities. According to Forbes, “the number of businesses in Indiana is surging, with the number of new formations up 51% in 2022 over 2019, to about 83,500 – a sign of economic growth to come.”
Indianapolis is just one of many Midwestern cities on the map offering a balanced quality of life. Places like Cincinnati, Minneapolis and Detroit also have a lot to offer. On a visit to Detroit a couple of years ago, I was amazed by the dramatic public art, the farm-to-table dining and the Diego Rivera mural at the incredible Detroit Institute of Arts. Cincinnati has a wonderful riverfront park and a great zoo. I haven’t made it to Minneapolis yet, but Prince’s Paisley Park alone makes it worth a visit.
The Midwest also has some gorgeous natural attractions you can visit, like the Great Lakes and Sleeping Bear Dunes. Lake Michigan even has shipwrecks waiting to be found underwater. This means you don’t have to travel to one of the coasts to find buried treasure. We’re home to landmarks like the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the Willis Tower in Chicago.
The Midwest is known for welcoming and polite people. Some call it “Midwestern nice.” In Indiana, we call it “Hoosier Hospitality.” Even in a large city like Chicago, strangers say hi when they pass you on the street. We Midwesterners even say negative things in a nicer way, like “yeah, no” or “no, yeah” just to be polite.
Have you heard of the “Midwestern Goodbye?” If you haven’t, it’s an extra hour of saying it’s time to go, then hugs, talking at the door, hugs round two, final conversations and finally the front porch wave. Jupmode says, “as Midwesterners, this goodbye ritual is a way to let our loved ones know we care about them.”
Let’s talk about Midwestern food. The notion the Midwest has offered nothing more to the food scene than bland meat and potatoes is just not accurate. Chicago is home to deep-dish pizza and world-class restaurants. Cincinnati dishes out bowls of its signature chili. Indiana is home to the breaded pork tenderloin. Okay, that’s meat, but it’s tasty.
We have a history of growing our own food, foraging, pickling and fermenting. These have been ways of life for centuries in the Midwest and now have increased popularity in food magazines and kitchens across the country. Paul Fehribach, in his book titled “Midwestern Food: A Chef’s Guide to the Surprising History of a Great American Cuisine,” writes “throughout our history, the Midwest has been the most consequential region in the development of American food and drink culture.”
The Midwest gets a bad rap for being a dull flyover part of the country, but there is a lot to do, see and enjoy here. For every wide-open space, we have a city with unique architecture, sports teams and food. For all the wind turbines, we have natural wonders in our landscape. It’s worth taking the time to visit and explore this part of the country.
Jack Davis (he/him) is a freshman majoring in journalism.
