50 Reasons Why Living in the Midwest Is Awesome…

1. Low cost of living.

2. The stranger who helps dig you out of a snowdrift.
3. Art festivals. 
4. Valleys erupted in full fall color set against a clear, blue autumn sky.
5. Big yards for kids to play in.
6. Storytellers, such as Mark Twain, James Thurber, Jean Shepherd, Garrison Keillor and more, skillfully weaving logic and humor into their Midwest-rooted tales.
7. Potlucks loaded with delicious hotdishes.
8. Corn on the cob drenched in golden butter.
9. A notable (and comfortable) lack of pretension
10. Green Bay Packers fans.
11. Buggies clip-clopping along blacktop highways in Ohio, home of the largest Amish population in the world.
12. The electric green of spring.
13. Garden-fresh tomatoes, so red and ripe, they’re near bursting, and taste like sunshine
14. Still, silent, frozen lakes.
15. Real, distinct seasons.
16. The Big Ten and the Big 12. Great universities; great teams.
17. A solitary oak tree towering over shimmering grasses.
18. Small-town July Fourth parades.
19. Nights lit by a full moon reflecting off a blanket of untouched snow.
20. Really freaking good steaks. 
21. Long, flat, straight roads under a wide-open blue sky.
22. Kansas City barbecue.
23. The Great Lakes.
24. State and county fairs: blue-ribbon winners, midway rides and superbly bad-for-you food on a stick.
25. Wacky winter festivities, like frozen turkey bowling and polar bear dips.
26. The Pride Festival. Lawn chairs, picnic baskets, and a symphony echoing through balmy summer nights.
27. Short commutes.
28. White-steepled churches poking above oceans of fields.
29. Canoeing.
30. Celebrations of Native American heritage.
31. Fresh Air
32. Farm markets. 
33. White Christmases, occasionally.
34. Rich, starry nights and places where you can appreciate them.
35. Cheers rising from Little League games in neighborhood parks.
36. Lilacs. Their soft color and sweet spring scent unexpectedly wafting through the window.
37. Sun-warmed skin that smells of sunscreen, mosquito spray and barbecue smoke.
38. Open, quiet space.
39. The sweet, spicy aroma of freshly mown grass.
40. Front porch chats with neighbors.
41. History taught via re-enactment.
42. Apples and Cider
43. Excellent Haunted Places
44. Cheese. Of course.
45. Snow days.
46. Tailgating. Nothing like sparking up the grill and breaking out the cooler with other diehard fans in the stadium parking lot.
47. Fireflies at dusk in the backyard, and hopeful kids with Mason jars chasing the unpredictable glow.
48. Midwest common sense.
49. The way the sky darkens, the crickets chirp louder and the air turns warm and tense right before a summer afternoon thunderstorm.
50. The secure feeling of knowing you live in a place where you feel completely at home.


If you can think of more of your own, feel free to add them below!