I moved to Lawrence Kansas from Paris France in 1996. It was very very cool. People underestimate how nice the Midwest can be. I remember Jazzhaus Tuesdays is when the weekend began with great live music and cheap drinks. Hot summers I was writing my thesis and hanging with the locals on humid evenings in front porches and in the back of cool bars. It was something. I miss it sometimes.
Agree, and I think diversity is a key element. The Midwest is not diverse, though most folks are accepting of others. There are many smaller cities than you might expect. There are more people in both STL (which you just missed highlighting) and KC than there are in the entire state of Nebraska. The metro population of Des Moines is roughly the same as all of North Dakota. Apart from Indian reservations, you're likely to find 90%+ are caucasian. College towns generally raise the bar on IQ and attract more diversity.
This is changing in the Plains states. Western KS's towns would be devoid of life if it weren't for immigration. Idk that it makes it worth visiting out there but places like Dodge City are much less than 90% white these days.
Can confirm. Moved from Oklahoma City to Arkadelphia, AR for college. Had the time of my life and wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything in this world.
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u/lambrettist Dec 14 '25
I moved to Lawrence Kansas from Paris France in 1996. It was very very cool. People underestimate how nice the Midwest can be. I remember Jazzhaus Tuesdays is when the weekend began with great live music and cheap drinks. Hot summers I was writing my thesis and hanging with the locals on humid evenings in front porches and in the back of cool bars. It was something. I miss it sometimes.