History Main / FlyoverCountry

Needless to say, the truth is a little more complicated than that. While the states of the central U.S. do skew more rural than urban, the cities therein are as cosmopolitan as any coastal town. There's plenty of culture, style, and nightlife to be found in cities like [[UsefulNotes/TwinCities Minneapolis]], UsefulNotes/KansasCity, or Omaha (a full list of oft-featured cities is included at the end), and they have a much lower cost of living than the coasts--even Chicago, the great metropolis of the Midwest, is cheaper than NYC or LA (although not by much). And even some of the smaller towns, like Boulder, Colorado[[note]]where ''Series/MorkAndMindy'' was set[[/note]] and Ann Arbor, UsefulNotes/{{Michigan}},[[note]]home of the UsefulNotes/UniversityOfMichigan[[/note]] have their own quirks. There are very few states in the US that don't have at least ''one'' significant metropolitan area (likewise, New York State and California both have conservative rural areas of their own as well).

Culturally, the flyover region is a lot more diverse in religion and ethnicity than popular folklore tends to credit it. Most people are aware of the large African-American and Latino populations within the cities, but there's more to it than that. For example, the Detroit suburb of Dearborn has had a healthy Arab population for over a century and is home to the largest mosque in North America, the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area contains the largest Hmong and Somali communities in the country, and several Native American reservations are located in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas.

That all said, the depiction of the geographic landscape outside the cities can be quite accurate. The Midwest produces substantial portions of the global supply of corn, wheat, and soybeans (among other crops) so fields in every direction as far as the eye can see is an absolute truth for much of the area. Furthermore, large parts of it are very flat with no more than some low hills (there's a reason the center of the country is called the Great ''Plains''), but flatness is not universal.

* UsefulNotes/{{Texas}}, though [[EverythingIsBigInTexas its size]] and resulting diversity mean that there's usually lots of overlap with tropes that apply more specifically to the DeepSouth and American Southwest.

* [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Texas]], though its size and resulting diversity mean that there's usually lots of overlap with tropes that apply more specifically to the DeepSouth and American Southwest.

** Cincinnati: Named after {{Cincinnatus}} and by extension UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington, this quaint city doesn’t conform to what a typical Ohio city is. Owing to its proximity to Kentucky and the ensuring cultural impact, Cincy is often called “the northernmost southern city”. It was America's first major inland city, and in bygone years, it was known as the hub city for the trade of pigs and pork, and was a major stopping point on the Underground Railroad that smuggled slaves out of the South. Consequently it has a very prominent museum dedicated to the Underground Railroad. In modern times, Cincinnati is known for its own special type of chili, the headquarters of GE Aircraft Engines and Procter & Gamble, and for NCAA basketball's few intra-city rivalries, between Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati. Oh, and [[Series/WKRPInCincinnati a TV show about a radio station]].

* Minnesota: Often viewed as being a {{Flanderization}} of every Midwestern stereotype, home of people with thick, Scandinavian-descended accents who embody the American version of JapanesePoliteness, known (of course) as MinnesotaNice.

* Nebraska: Farmland extraordinaire, populated with friendly, fat old white guys in denim overalls and straw hats, chewing on a stalk of wheat and talking slowly about whether it's rained enough this year. Completely ignorant of the outside world (probably because [[OfferVoidInNebraska all offers are void there]]), and, if the writer's sympathetic, struggling with drought, debt, bad markets, or all three.[[note]]This is all nonsense, of course. Nebraska farmers wear baseball caps, not straw hats.[[/note]] Their biggest exports seem to be agriculture and Creator/AndrewRannells. Well, and also Creator/JohnnyCarson back in the day.
** Omaha: A somewhat isolated city used as shorthand for "city in the middle of nowhere", i.e. that podunk town far, ''faaaaar'' away from everything you know and love that you're forced to move to because it was the only job you could find. (See also: Des Moines, Iowa.) Which isn't uncalled for. Firstly, Omaha has a strong job market, anchored by four Fortune 500 companies and a large high-tech sector; and secondly, it's a long way from anywhere: a three-hour drive to Kansas City, seven and a half to Denver, eight to Chicago, two whole days to New York City, and ''three days'' to Los Angeles. Omaha has featured in a few movies, mostly thanks to native son [[Creator/AlexanderPayne Alexander Payne]]. It's been the host for the [=NCAA=] College World Series since 1950 (and the current hosting contract runs through 2035), so Creator/{{ESPN}} shows up with their broadcast trucks once a year. Also home to [[UsefulNotes/YanksWithTanks the Strategic]] [[UsefulNotes/PeaceThroughSuperiorFirepower Air Command.]]

** Cincinnati: Named after {{Cincinnatus}} and by extension UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington, this quaint city doesn’t conform to what a typical Ohio city is. Owing to its proximity to Kentucky and the ensuring cultural impact, Cincy is often called “the northernmost southern city”. In bygone years, it was known as the hub city for the trade of pigs and pork, and was a major stopping point on the Underground Railroad that smuggled slaves out of the South. Consequently it has a very prominent museum dedicated to the Underground Railroad. In modern times, Cincinnati is known for its own special type of chili, the headquarters of GE Aircraft Engines and Procter & Gamble and for NCAA basketball's few intra-city rivalries, between Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati. Oh, and [[Series/WKRPInCincinnati a TV show about a radio station]].

** UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}}: Its industrial legacy paints it as a blue collar paradise, which held true until the 80's or so when the factories started shutting down and its economy became more service-based like other cities in the region. Nowadays it has a more mixed culture.

** On occasion you'll find reference to Dallas, Houston, or Austin, among the few major cities in the state and generally spots of blue in a sea of red. Basically, they are to Texas what Chicago is to Illinois.

** Omaha: A somewhat isolated city used as shorthand for "city in the middle of nowhere", i.e. that podunk town far, ''faaaaar'' away from everything you know and love that you're forced to move to because it was the only job you could find. (See also: Des Moines, Iowa.) Which isn't uncalled for. Firstly, Omaha has a strong job market, anchored by four Fortune 500 companies and a large high-tech sector; and secondly, it's a long way from anywhere: a three-hour drive to Kansas City, seven and a half to Denver, eight to Chicago, two whole days to New York City, and ''three days'' to Los Angeles. Omaha has featured in a few movies, mostly thanks to native son [[Creator/AlexanderPayne Alexander Payne]]. It's been the host for the [=NCAA=] College World Series since 1950 (and the current hosting contract runs through 2035), so Creator/{{ESPN}} shows up with their broadcast trucks once a year. Except in 2020 thanks to [[UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic a certain disease]]. Also home to [[UsefulNotes/YanksWithTanks the Strategic]] [[UsefulNotes/PeaceThroughSuperiorFirepower Air Command.]]

** Peoria: Seen, for some reason, as ''the'' quintessential [[NothingExcitingEverHappensHere dull, banal Middle American city]]. The phrase [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_it_play_in_Peoria%3F "will it play in Peoria?"]] emerged in the {{vaudeville}} era to describe an act that would have mass appeal nationwide, especially in the heartland (Peoria was a major stop for many vaudeville performers), and later became popular among marketers, politicians, and pollsters. Starting in TheSixties, it became a major test market, and to this day most American focus groups are based in the city (which is a rather outdated notion, as it now Missouri, not Illinois, that marks the official U.S. population center).

** Madison: More Beer, the Badgers, a metric ton of restaurants and bars, hippies and car thieves. ''The Boy Who Drank Too Much'' was largely filmed here. Some exterior shots in ''Film/BackToSchool'' were as well. Former home of both Clyde Stubblefield and a [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar Civil War POW camp]]. The Badgers' football stadium occupies most of the former grounds of the POW camp.

** Madison: More Beer, the Badgers, a metric ton of restaurants and bars, and hippies. ''The Boy Who Drank Too Much'' was largely filmed here. Some exterior shots in ''Film/BackToSchool'' were as well. Former home of both Clyde Stubblefield and a [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar Civil War POW camp]]. The Badgers' football stadium occupies most of the former grounds of the POW camp.

Setting a show or a novel here can be shorthand for [[TheFifties '50s-style]] [[TheFundamentalist social conservatism]] [[StopBeingStereotypical (and the common portrayal of this region by Hollywood in the actual Fifties did nothing to help)]], [[NothingExcitingEverHappensHere small-town insularity]], or [[PlaceWorseThanDeath a crushingly unhip, even dorky ambiance]] -- think ''Film/{{Pleasantville}}'' or ''Film/NapoleonDynamite''. However, it gets used at least as often to inspire {{nostalgia|Filter}} for {{Eagleland}} Flavor #1, a friendly, down-home environment full of old-time family values where [[Radio/APrairieHomeCompanion all the women are strong, all the men are good-lookin' and all the children are above average]].[[note]]It should be noted that the above slogan is used by humorist Garrison Keillor to describe the fictional town of Lake Wobegon, which is in the state of Minnesota--which, amusingly, is usually considered a solidly ''blue'' state ([[BlackSheep Michele Bachmann]]--who represents a carefully gerrymandered district--notwithstanding).[[/note]] (Think ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', ''Series/FridayNightLights'', or an '80s [[Creator/StevenSpielberg Spielberg]]/Amblin movie.)

** Madison: More Beer, the Badgers, a metric ton of restaurants and bars, and hippies. ''The Boy Who Drank Too Much'' was largely filmed here. Some exterior shots in ''Film/BackToSchool'' were as well. Former home of both Clyde Stubblefield and a [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar Civil War POW camp]].

* Nebraska: Farmland extraordinaire, populated with friendly, fat old white guys in denim overalls and straw hats, chewing on a stalk of wheat and talking slowly about whether it's rained enough this year. Completely ignorant of the outside world (probably because [[OfferVoidInNebraska all offers are void there]]), and, if the writer's sympathetic, struggling with drought, debt, bad markets, or all three.[[note]]This is all nonsense, of course. Nebraska farmers wear baseball caps, not straw hats.[[/note]] Their biggest exports seem to be agriculture and Creator/AndrewRannells.
** Omaha: A somewhat isolated city used as shorthand for "city in the middle of nowhere", i.e. that podunk town far, ''faaaaar'' away from everything you know and love that you're forced to move to because it was the only job you could find. (See also: Des Moines, Iowa.) Which isn't uncalled for. Firstly, Omaha has a strong job market, anchored by four Fortune 500 companies and a large high-tech sector; and secondly, it's a long way from anywhere: a three-hour drive to Kansas City, seven and a half to Denver, eight to Chicago, two whole days to New York City, and ''three days'' to Los Angeles. Omaha has featured in a few movies, mostly thanks to native son [[Creator/AlexanderPayne Alexander Payne]]. It's been the host for the [=NCAA=] College World Series since 1950 (and the current hosting contract runs through 2035), so Creator/{{ESPN}} shows up with their broadcast trucks once a year. Also home to [[UsefulNotes/YanksWithTanks the Strategic]] [[UsefulNotes/PeaceThroughSuperiorFirepower Air Command.]]
** Lincoln: Nebraska's largely unremarkable capital. Pretty much a college town (it’s home to University of Nebraska Lincoln, or UNL for short).

** Pennsylvania itself has a mini flyover country. The state is often described as "[[UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} Philly]] in the east, UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}} in the west, and [[UsefulNotes/{{Appalachia}} Kentucky/]][[DeepSouth Alabama/]]''Film/{{Deliverance}}'' in between," referring to the large rural zone in the middle of the state where coal mining, farming, and manufacturing make up the economic backbone. The nickname "Pennsyltucky" (or, more politely, "The T"[[note]]If you remove the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh metropolitan areas from Pennsylvania, what you have left is shaped roughly like the letter T. "The T" is used far more in political circles than "Pennysltucky", as the latter can be seen as insulting, especially when used by an [[NWordPrivileges urban politician]].[[/note]]) describes this region with either derision or SelfDeprecation.

* Nebraska: Farmland extraordinaire, populated with friendly, fat old white guys in denim overalls and straw hats, chewing on a stalk of wheat and talking slowly about whether it's rained enough this year. Completely ignorant of the outside world (probably because [[OfferVoidInNebraska all offers are void there]]), and, if the writer's sympathetic, struggling with drought, debt, bad markets, or all three.[[note]]This is all nonsense, of course. Nebraska farmers wear baseball caps, not straw hats.[[/note]]

** UsefulNotes/Peoria: Seen, for some reason, as ''the'' quintessential [[NothingExcitingEverHappensHere dull, banal Middle American city]]. The phrase [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_it_play_in_Peoria%3F "will it play in Peoria?"]] emerged in the {{vaudeville}} era to describe an act that would have mass appeal nationwide, especially in the heartland (Peoria was a major stop for many vaudeville performers), and later became popular among marketers, politicians, and pollsters. Starting in TheSixties, it became a major test market, and to this day most American focus groups are based in the city (which is a rather outdated notion, as it now Missouri, not Illinois, that marks the official U.S. population center).

** Pennsylvania itself has a mini flyover country. The state is often described as "Philly in the east, Pittsburgh in the west, and [[UsefulNotes/{{Appalachia}} Kentucky/]][[DeepSouth Alabama/]]''Film/{{Deliverance}}'' in between," referring to the large rural zone in the middle of the state where coal mining, farming, and manufacturing make up the economic backbone. The nickname "Pennsyltucky" (or, more politely, "The T"[[note]]If you remove the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh metropolitan areas from Pennsylvania, what you have left is shaped roughly like the letter T. "The T" is used far more in political circles than "Pennysltucky", as the latter can be seen as insulting, especially when used by an [[NWordPrivileges urban politician]].[[/note]]) describes this region with either derision or SelfDeprecation.

Sparsely populated, largely rural, and lacking in photogenic glamor, 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. When one talks about the "red state/blue state" divide in American politics, this is what is meant by "red state" -- conservative-leaning rural/suburban areas where UsefulNotes/{{Walmart}}, chain restaurants, [[UsefulNotes/AmericanChurches church]], [[UsefulNotes/AmericanEducationalSystem high school football]], and the Republican Party are pillars of local communities. The phrase "flyover country" was, in fact, coined by right-wing [[TalkShow talk radio]] hosts, to ridicule their imagined concept of what coastal liberal elites thought of the American interior.

** UsefulNotes/{{Peoria}}: Seen, for some reason, as ''the'' quintessential [[NothingExcitingEverHappensHere dull, banal Middle American city]]. The phrase [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_it_play_in_Peoria%3F "will it play in Peoria?"]] emerged in the {{vaudeville}} era to describe an act that would have mass appeal nationwide, especially in the heartland (Peoria was a major stop for many vaudeville performers), and later became popular among marketers, politicians, and pollsters. Starting in TheSixties, it became a major test market, and to this day most American focus groups are based in the city (which is a rather outdated notion, as it now Missouri, not Illinois, that marks the official U.S. population center).

** UsefulNotes/{{Muncie}}: A small Midwestern city that, not unlike Peoria, would be another obscure burg if not for its very "averageness" turning it into a hotbed of sociological research. The husband-and-wife team of Robert and Helen Lynd selected it for their [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middletown_studies "Middletown studies"]] in the 1920s and '30s, and since then it's become a popular subject for pollsters and follow-up studies.

* {{Iowa}}: A sea of corn that people only ever care about every four years, when it plays a pivotal role as the first state in the [[UsefulNotes/AmericanPoliticalSystem Presidential primary cycle]], leading journalists and pollsters to swarm the state and politicians to embarrass themselves trying to pander to its 3.1 million people. (If you're wondering why [[AllNaturalSnakeOil corn ethanol]] was ever taken seriously as an alternative energy source: this is why.) After that, it vanishes back into obscurity even before the actual election; despite being a swing state these days, its small population means that it's rarely a decisive factor in the election like Ohio is.

* Iowa: A sea of corn that people only ever care about every four years, when it plays a pivotal role as the first state in the [[UsefulNotes/AmericanPoliticalSystem Presidential primary cycle]], leading journalists and pollsters to swarm the state and politicians to embarrass themselves trying to pander to its 3.1 million people. (If you're wondering why [[AllNaturalSnakeOil corn ethanol]] was ever taken seriously as an alternative energy source: this is why.) After that, it vanishes back into obscurity even before the actual election; despite being a swing state these days, its small population means that it's rarely a decisive factor in the election like Ohio is.

* UsefulNotes/{{Illinois}}

* Illinois

** Muncie: A small Midwestern city that, not unlike Peoria, would be another obscure burg if not for its very "averageness" turning it into a hotbed of sociological research. The husband-and-wife team of Robert and Helen Lynd selected it for their [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middletown_studies "Middletown studies"]] in the 1920s and '30s, and since then it's become a popular subject for pollsters and follow-up studies.

** {{Peoria}}: Seen, for some reason, as ''the'' quintessential [[NothingExcitingEverHappensHere dull, banal Middle American city]]. The phrase [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_it_play_in_Peoria%3F "will it play in Peoria?"]] emerged in the {{vaudeville}} era to describe an act that would have mass appeal nationwide, especially in the heartland (Peoria was a major stop for many vaudeville performers), and later became popular among marketers, politicians, and pollsters. Starting in TheSixties, it became a major test market, and to this day most American focus groups are based in the city (which is a rather outdated notion, as it now Missouri, not Illinois, that marks the official U.S. population center).

** Peoria: Seen, for some reason, as ''the'' quintessential [[NothingExcitingEverHappensHere dull, banal Middle American city]]. The phrase [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_it_play_in_Peoria%3F "will it play in Peoria?"]] emerged in the {{vaudeville}} era to describe an act that would have mass appeal nationwide, especially in the heartland (Peoria was a major stop for many vaudeville performers), and later became popular among marketers, politicians, and pollsters. Starting in TheSixties, it became a major test market, and to this day most American focus groups are based in the city (which is a rather outdated notion, as it now Missouri, not Illinois, that marks the official U.S. population center).

** Omaha: A smallish, somewhat isolated city used as shorthand for "city in the middle of nowhere", i.e. that podunk town far, ''faaaaar'' away from everything you know and love that you're forced to move to because it was the only job you could find. (See also: Des Moines, Iowa.) Which isn't uncalled for. Firstly, Omaha has a strong job market, anchored by four Fortune 500 companies and a large high-tech sector; and secondly, it's a long way from anywhere: a three-hour drive to Kansas City, seven and a half to Denver, eight to Chicago, two whole days to New York City, and ''three days'' to Los Angeles. Omaha has featured in a few movies, mostly thanks to native son [[Creator/AlexanderPayne Alexander Payne]]. It's been the host for the [=NCAA=] College World Series since 1950 (and the current hosting contract runs through 2035), so Creator/{{ESPN}} shows up with their broadcast trucks once a year. Also home to [[UsefulNotes/YanksWithTanks the Strategic]] [[UsefulNotes/PeaceThroughSuperiorFirepower Air Command.]]
** Lincoln: Nebraska's largely unremarkable capital. For when even Omaha isn't small enough.

** Omaha: A smallish, somewhat isolated city used as shorthand for "city in the middle of nowhere", i.e. that podunk town far, ''faaaaar'' away from everything you know and love that you're forced to move to because it was the only job you could find. (See also: Des Moines, Iowa.) Which isn't uncalled for. Firstly, Omaha has a strong job market, anchored by four Fortune 500 companies and a large high-tech sector; and secondly, it's a long way from anywhere: a three-hour drive to Kansas City, seven and a half to Denver, eight to Chicago, two whole days to New York City, and ''three days'' to Los Angeles. Omaha has featured in a few movies, mostly thanks to native son [[Creator/AlexanderPayne Alexander Payne]]. Also home to [[UsefulNotes/YanksWithTanks the Strategic]] [[UsefulNotes/PeaceThroughSuperiorFirepower Air Command.]]

The American South (the former Confederate States of America), settled by Englishmen and Scots rather than Germans, Scandinavians, and Irishmen, is similar to FlyoverCountry but not exactly identical, and is sometimes treated as Flyover Country in media, sometimes not. For information on the Southern lowlands, settled by the West Country English (and by Africans they imported as slaves), see DeepSouth; for the Southern highlands, settled by the Scotch-Irish, see UsefulNotes/{{Appalachia}}.

The rough UsefulNotes/{{Australia}}n equivalent to FlyoverCountry is the Outback or, more broadly, the areas outside the "capital cities".

The American South (the former Confederate States of America), settled by Englishmen and Scots rather than Germans, Scandinavians, and Irishmen, is similar to FlyoverCountry but not exactly identical, and is sometimes treated as FlyoverCountry in media, sometimes not. For information on the Southern lowlands, settled by the West Country English (and by Africans they imported as slaves), see DeepSouth; for the Southern highlands, settled by the Scotch-Irish, see UsefulNotes/{{Appalachia}}.

** Peoria: Seen, for some reason, as ''the'' quintessential [[NothingExcitingEverHappensHere dull, banal Middle American city]]. The phrase [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_it_play_in_Peoria%3F "will it play in Peoria?"]] emerged in the {{vaudeville}} era to describe an act that would have mass appeal nationwide, especially in the heartland (Peoria was a major stop for many vaudeville performers), and later became popular among marketers, politicians, and pollsters. Starting in TheSixties, it became a major test market, and to this day most American focus groups are based in the city (which is a rather outdated notion, as it now Missouri, not Illinois, that marks the official U.S. population center).

** UsefulNotes/{{Indianapolis}}: Home of the Indy 500. And in recent times, home of Peyton Manning’s team.
** Muncie: A small Midwestern city that, not unlike Peoria, would be another obscure burg if not for its very "averageness" turning it into a hotbed of sociological research. The husband-and-wife team of Robert and Helen Lynd selected it for their [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middletown_studies "Middletown studies"]] in the 1920s and '30s, and since then it's become a popular subject for pollsters and follow-up studies.

** UsefulNotes/StLouis: Once one of America's premiere cities, it's since become a poster child for urban decay. Home to the Cardinals, the Gateway Arch, Lambert International Airport, and it's own unique forms of pizza and barbecue. Hosted the 1904 Summer Olympics for some reason. Residents hate those from Kansas City and/or Chicago.
** UsefulNotes/KansasCity: Chicago's less-attractive little sister. Baseball, barbecue, jazz music, and organized crime galore. Known for it's high incomes, large meatpacking industry, and endless mess of suburban sprawl.

** Madison: More Beer, the Badgers, a metric ton of restaurants and bars, and hippies. 'The Boy Who Drank Too Much' was largely filmed here. Some exterior shots in ''Film/BackToSchool'' were as well. Former home of both Clyde Stubblefield and a [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar Civil War POW camp]].
** Green Bay: [[SerialEscalation Even More Beer]], snow, and the Packers. Oldest continuously inhabited French settlement in the US, founded 1634.

** [[UsefulNotes/TwinCities Minneapolis and St. Paul]]: A strange blend of West Coast weirdness and Midwestern friendliness. The main business center between Chicago and Seattle and home to a massive theater scene and a thriving Somali community, as well as a major airline hub and the only 24-hour rapid transit system outside of New York or Chicago. Do not get stuck there in the winter unless you like slowly freezing to death.

** Omaha: A smallish, somewhat isolated city used as shorthand for "city in the middle of nowhere", i.e. that podunk town far, ''faaaaar'' away from everything you know and love that you're forced to move to because it was the only job you could find. (See also: Des Moines, Iowa.) Which isn't uncalled-for. Firstly, Omaha has a strong job market, anchored by four Fortune 500 companies and a large high-tech sector, and Secondly, it's a long way from anywhere: a three hour drive to Kansas City, seven and a half to Denver, eight to Chicago, two whole days to New York City, and ''three days'' to Los Angeles. Omaha has featured in a few movies, mostly thanks to native son [[Creator/AlexanderPayne Alexander Payne]]. Also home to [[UsefulNotes/YanksWithTanks the Strategic]] [[UsefulNotes/PeaceThroughSuperiorFirepower Air Command.]]

* UsefulNotes/{{Utah}}: Despite being located quite far from the Midwest, most stereotypes of the state, and of UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}}s in general, are essentially [[MinnesotaNice Midwestern]] [[StepfordSmiler stereotypes]] cranked UpToEleven. Mormonism did indeed spend many of its formative years in the Midwest,[[note]]Specifically, in Jackson, Clay, and Caldwell Counties in Missouri, and later in Nauvoo, Illinois. It originated in upstate New York[[/note]] before heading to what's now Utah in search of a land without a pre-existing population to disapprove of their religion (at that point Utah was part of Mexico and home to a few scattered indigenous tribes). Like the Upper Midwest, many of the early Mormon converts who settled in Utah came from Scandinavia.

** UsefulNotes/{{Cleveland}} - The butt of many jokes due to its urban decay. That and [[NeverLiveItDown the river]] [[EpicFail caught fire once]].

That's Flyover Country, also known as "the Heartland" or "Middle America" [[note]] which are not necessarily the same thing; see YouKeepUsingThatWord for further details [[/note]]--American slang for the states which trendy liberal coast-dwellers see only 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 UsefulNotes/LasVegas [[note]] although the area between the Sierra Nevadas and the Rockies is more properly termed "the Great Basin" and is culturally either Latin American Catholic or Anglo-Saxon Mormon, in marked contrast to the largely German Protestant or Scandinavian Lutheran character of the upper Midwest, Slavic and Italian Catholic character of the Great Lakes, the Scots-Irish Baptist or Anglo-Saxon Protestant character of the lower Midwest, Slavic Jewish or Southern European and Germanic Catholic character of the East Coast, Latin American Catholic or Anglo-Saxon Protestant character of the West Coast, and the Scots-Irish and West African Baptist character of the South. [[/note]] and UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} at a minimum--and is often extended to everything east of the Sierra Nevada and [[Series/ThirtyRock west of the Alleghenies]] (if not the Hudson River).

Sparsely populated, largely rural, and lacking in photogenic glamor, 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. When one talks about the "red state/blue state" divide in American politics, this is what is meant by "red state"--conservative-leaning rural/suburban areas where UsefulNotes/{{Walmart}}, chain restaurants, [[UsefulNotes/AmericanChurches church]], [[UsefulNotes/AmericanEducationalSystem high school football]], and the Republican Party are pillars of local communities. The phrase "flyover country" was, in fact, coined by right-wing [[TalkShow talk radio]] hosts, to ridicule their imagined concept of what coastal liberal elites thought of the American interior.

That's Flyover Country, also known as "the Heartland" or "Middle America" [[note]] which are not necessarily the same thing; see YouKeepUsingThatWord for further details [[/note]] -- American slang for the states which trendy liberal coast-dwellers see only 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 UsefulNotes/LasVegas [[note]] although the area between the Sierra Nevadas and the Rockies is more properly termed "the Great Basin" and is culturally either Latin American Catholic or Anglo-Saxon Mormon, in marked contrast to the largely German Protestant or Scandinavian Lutheran character of the upper Midwest, Slavic and Italian Catholic character of the Great Lakes, the Scots-Irish Baptist or Anglo-Saxon Protestant character of the lower Midwest, Slavic Jewish or Southern European and Germanic Catholic character of the East Coast, Latin American Catholic or Anglo-Saxon Protestant character of the West Coast, and the Scots-Irish and West African Baptist character of the South. [[/note]] and UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} at a minimum -- and is often extended to everything east of the Sierra Nevada and [[Series/ThirtyRock west of the Alleghenies]] (if not the Hudson River).

Sparsely populated, largely rural, and lacking in photogenic glamor, 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. When one talks about the "red state/blue state" divide in American politics, this is what is meant by "red state" -- conservative-leaning rural/suburban areas where UsefulNotes/{{Walmart}}, chain restaurants, [[UsefulNotes/AmericanChurches church]], [[UsefulNotes/AmericanEducationalSystem high school football]], and the Republican Party are pillars of local communities. The phrase "flyover country" was, in fact, coined by right-wing [[TalkShow talk radio]] hosts, to ridicule their imagined concept of what coastal liberal elites thought of the American interior.

Setting a show or a novel here can be shorthand for [[TheFifties '50s-style]] [[TheFundamentalist social conservatism]] [[StopBeingStereotypical (and the common portrayal of this region by Hollywood in the actual Fifties did nothing to help)]], [[NothingExcitingEverHappensHere small-town insularity]], or [[PlaceWorseThanDeath a crushingly unhip, even dorky ambiance]] -- think ''Film/{{Pleasantville}}'' or ''Film/NapoleonDynamite''. However, it gets used at least as often to inspire {{nostalgia|Filter}} for {{Eagleland}} Flavor #1, a friendly, down-home environment full of old-time family values where [[Radio/APrairieHomeCompanion all the women are strong, all the men are good-lookin' and all the children are above average]].[[note]]It should be noted that the above slogan is used by humorist Garrison Keillor to describe the fictional town of Lake Wobegon, which is in the state of Minnesota -- which, amusingly, is usually considered a solidly ''blue'' state ([[BlackSheep Michele Bachmann]] -- who represents a carefully gerrymandered district -- notwithstanding).[[/note]] (Think ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', ''Series/FridayNightLights'', or an '80s [[Creator/StevenSpielberg Spielberg]]/Amblin movie.)