I have always lived on the West Coast so my new Job as a Mid-West Regional Truck Driver was a new experience for me. What I can't understand is why the coasts of the United States are so heavily populated. The Mid-West has a lot to offer. I was never a huge fan of soft serve ice cream but they have a soft serve called "Kustard" and you can get it as a cement mixed with oreo or other toppings. Also parts of the Mid-West is gorgeous and the housing is dirt cheap compared to the coasts. Illinois really grew on me. I love the suburbs of Chicagoland which has all the amenities one could as for. Don't love paying the toll roads though. I also really enjoy all of Illinois small towns like East Dubuque and all of the small towns next to it. All of the small towns along the Mississippi are like Americas hidden treasures. Even towns like Sycamore Illinois are really picturesque. There is a lot of history in Illinois. And you have other bargain downs like Peru and Mendota that have a really neat charm to them. I love the architecture. On the West Coast %99 of the architecture is so boring but out here you get your classic craftsman and Victorian architecture. It's true what they say about the Hot Dogs and Pizza being so good in Chicago. And they have this thing called "Gyros" which is very tasty and popular over there too. I could never live in Chicago though with all the nasty traffic. Fun to visit though.

And of course the Midwest has its down side. Most States in the Midwest are lifeless soulless places with dusty roads and some abandoned buildings. I didn't much care of Iowa for instance. Although I met some good people there. Wyoming is too Spartan and empty. Nebraska is too homogenous and Xenophobic to be called home. Indiana was also very Xenophobic and way too Republican for my taste. Ohio had the worst drivers I had ever seen. I can excuse the bad driving in Chicago because of so many cars and so few roads but in Ohio there is no excuse for the aggressive driving. Columbus is not a big city but the drivers there were worse than Chicago. I loved the Mennonite/Amish community of Ohio but I didn't much care for anything else about it. Ohio is very run down. Wisconsin is OK but too cold. And Minnesota is also very cold with high taxes. Missouri is also very run down and East Kansas city has a lot of race problems. Missouri also has some pretty bad drivers but not as bad as Ohio. Missouri has good scenery though but the are having economic problems. Of all the Midwestern states Illinois is the one that is in the best shape right now. In DeKalb you have NIU university with is similar to Nebraska's University in Lincoln. Same color Scheme. Same Mascot. It's like Deja Vu. Very strange, like a space-time warm.

Based on what I've seen people are selling themselves short settling on the coasts. The middle of the country does have a lot to offer. You just need to know where to find it. The cost of living is very low.