A MELTING POT IN THE HEARTLAND

KENT PARK - A BEAUTIFUL AND NATURAL MIDWEST LANDSCAPE; PHOTO BY JESSE SCHUERER

Stretching from the Pennsylvania border, onward past the great lakes, through the corn belt and stopping just short of the borders of Wyoming and Colorado, the Midwest is the nation's heartland. When some think of the Midwest, they might think initially of harsh winters, corn everywhere you look, and an infinite amount of casserole, crockpots, and hot dishes. Though all of these things are true, the Midwest also features a unique culture that values hard work and family.

The Midwesterners are a proud and humble people descended from pioneers who settled lands originally inhabited by indigenous tribes such as the Sioux, Illinois, and Ojibwe, they forged this culture with their hands at the plow, the rainfall and sun, their only masters. 

When Europeans first arrived in the area, it was immediately recognized that the Midwest was a valuable and ideal place for settlement because of great lakes, and access to the Mississippi river. Later in 1863, the homestead act brought droves of prospective farmers and homesteaders to the region, most of them being from Northern and Central Europe. 

Because the land was dotted with farms, there wasn’t as much room for growth, which prompted the commonality of smaller farming communities. These small communities, with tight nit populations of people who had to work hard in order to survive, placed these core values, family, hard work, and humility, above all else and they still are the core fabric of the Midwest.

Today the Midwest is a mixture of farmland, small towns, big towns, and mid-sized cities, perfect for a wide variety of folks from all over the world to call home. The Midwest is a great place to grow up, but also an attractive place for those looking to relocate.

Immigrants and American transplants alike move to the Midwest for the lower-than-average living costs, safe communities, and the high labor demand ensures plenty of available jobs. Refugees in particular have a long history in the Midwest, specifically here in the state of Iowa. In 1975 then governor Robert Ray put together a task to resettle 1,200 Tai Dam refugees of the Vietnam war, this tradition continued after the fall of the USSR and the Bosnian civil war.

The Midwest is a salad bowl of cultures. People who have been here long and others a short while, came together in this eccentric middle ground between coasts, where the land is fertile, and the sky is big and blue. Together they created the Midwest as we know it, not always perfect, but its home.