Is the Midwest really a monolith? I haven't been to hardly any of it, but my impression from meeting folks from there is that it's not. For example, I've always found people from Indiana to be rather friendly, compared to some other parts of the region. And I get the impression that even in one state - Michigan seems to be a prime example - there can be huge cultural variations.
Re the charge of "provincialism": in my Chicago suburb, the neighbors in my immediate vicinity come from Australia, California (via Canada), New Jersey, Maryland, Russia, and the UK (via Seattle). That's the opposite of provincialism!
That's not at all the kind of provincialism I'm talking about, though. I live in a Chicago suburb that has heavy representation of Middle Eastern, South Asian and East Asian immigrants. There are some very cosmopolitan parts of the Midwest and it sounds like we both live in great examples of them.
However, I'm referring to the culture of longtime residents, those who grew up - and stayed - here. I'd ask you to ask your neighbors how welcomed they were into the fabric of their community. It's not uncommon for folks from outside the region to feel like outsiders for years. Different ways of thinking are often frowned upon. That's the provincialism I'm talking about.
Using your definition (culture of longtime residents, lack of openness, etc.) I found NJ and PA to be notably provincial when I was living there. I think the phenomenon you're describing is more one of rural vs. urban, or more generally small vs. big.
Provincialism is a slippery concept anyway. I have heard it applied to New Yorkers and Parisians, because they think they live in the center of the universe and pay scant attention to anywhere else (think of the famous Saul Steinberg cartoon).
Interesting piece! The 'better public transit, less auto dependency and more walkable neighborhoods' preference might not be entirely virtue signalling. If someone is considering moving from somewhere without those amenities to [another city], then yes, there are limited options available and moving to those options is increasingly challenging due to cost.
But if that person is still considering moving, then they are comparing a bunch of auto-dependent, non-walkable places, in which case, then the midwest is competing with other auto-dependent, non-walkable places, and the lack of openness/economy/weather/crime become more important, because there isn't a comparative advantage. Which is too bad, because given the history of midwestern cities there could have been such an advantage, but this was the path not (yet?) taken...
Every major city in the midwest that I've been to has walkable, public transit neighborhoods, so they're not hard to find. You are right that there are only a few cities in the US where you can easily access most of the city with public transit, so the cities in the midwest are not unique in this. The advantage of the major cities in the midwest is that they are much affordable, even in the "walkable" neighborhoods.
Is the Midwest really a monolith? I haven't been to hardly any of it, but my impression from meeting folks from there is that it's not. For example, I've always found people from Indiana to be rather friendly, compared to some other parts of the region. And I get the impression that even in one state - Michigan seems to be a prime example - there can be huge cultural variations.
The Midwest is hardly a monolith. I've noted five subregions that lay claim to the region's name. https://petesaunders.substack.com/p/the-five-midwests-series-part-6-plains?utm_source=publication-search
Re the charge of "provincialism": in my Chicago suburb, the neighbors in my immediate vicinity come from Australia, California (via Canada), New Jersey, Maryland, Russia, and the UK (via Seattle). That's the opposite of provincialism!
That's not at all the kind of provincialism I'm talking about, though. I live in a Chicago suburb that has heavy representation of Middle Eastern, South Asian and East Asian immigrants. There are some very cosmopolitan parts of the Midwest and it sounds like we both live in great examples of them.
However, I'm referring to the culture of longtime residents, those who grew up - and stayed - here. I'd ask you to ask your neighbors how welcomed they were into the fabric of their community. It's not uncommon for folks from outside the region to feel like outsiders for years. Different ways of thinking are often frowned upon. That's the provincialism I'm talking about.
Using your definition (culture of longtime residents, lack of openness, etc.) I found NJ and PA to be notably provincial when I was living there. I think the phenomenon you're describing is more one of rural vs. urban, or more generally small vs. big.
Provincialism is a slippery concept anyway. I have heard it applied to New Yorkers and Parisians, because they think they live in the center of the universe and pay scant attention to anywhere else (think of the famous Saul Steinberg cartoon).
Interesting piece! The 'better public transit, less auto dependency and more walkable neighborhoods' preference might not be entirely virtue signalling. If someone is considering moving from somewhere without those amenities to [another city], then yes, there are limited options available and moving to those options is increasingly challenging due to cost.
But if that person is still considering moving, then they are comparing a bunch of auto-dependent, non-walkable places, in which case, then the midwest is competing with other auto-dependent, non-walkable places, and the lack of openness/economy/weather/crime become more important, because there isn't a comparative advantage. Which is too bad, because given the history of midwestern cities there could have been such an advantage, but this was the path not (yet?) taken...
Every major city in the midwest that I've been to has walkable, public transit neighborhoods, so they're not hard to find. You are right that there are only a few cities in the US where you can easily access most of the city with public transit, so the cities in the midwest are not unique in this. The advantage of the major cities in the midwest is that they are much affordable, even in the "walkable" neighborhoods.