the.com/american midwest
america's load-bearing wall, doing all the work while the coasts take the photos.
means the vast interior of the united states known for farmland, factories, and a cultural instinct toward modesty and hard work.
from the term hardened in the late 1800s as the frontier moved west, leaving the old northwest territory as the settled middle ground between coasts, neither east nor truly west.
corn beltgrows most of america's corn and soybeans
rust beltlost a third of manufacturing jobs since 1980
nice reputationminnesota nice is a documented conflict-avoidance style
twelve statescensus bureau's official count, argued about endlessly
for instance
chicago — 3 million people, the region's only true metropolis
iowa caucuses — first presidential vote every four years since 1972
the dust bowl — 1930s drought that emptied the plains
detroit auto industry — built the american middle class, then broke it