TED Conversations

greg dahlen

Alumnus, academy of achievement

TEDCRED 20+

This conversation is closed. Start a new conversation
or join one »

How does it feel to live in a "flyover state"?

Some people say life in the U.S. is most exciting on the coasts, East Coast and West Coast, and they jokingly call the other states "the flyover states," meaning they're not too exciting and you just fly over them as you go back and forth between the coasts. For those of you living in "the flyover states," is this a fair characterization? How does it feel to live there? For people on the coasts, is your life more exciting?

For people in other countries, is there a similar division, that life is considered most exciting on the coasts?

I live right on the edge of Los Angeles, and I'm kind of torn. Part of me thinks it's pretty exciting to live anywhere. Another part just loves L.A., feels like it's the only interesting place to live on Earth.

0
Share:
progress indicator
  • thumb

    edward long 100+

    • 0
    Jan 28 2013: You can tell how evoloved people are by how far they have gotten from the ocean.

    • greg dahlen 20+

      • 0
      Jan 31 2013: edward, sorry, but I can't tell if you're serious or joking, or both. If serious, how are they more evolved?
      • thumb

        edward long 100+

        • +2
        Jan 31 2013: Not serious and can't believe the question is! Isn't there something inherently arrogant about the question? I guess if you want a serious answer I will say it feels really good to no longer live in soon-to-be-bankrupt California. And New York is having a long run of bad luck which I feel pretty good about not being a part of. All those bi-costal sophisticates are just streaks in my beautiful Arizona sky. Now I'm serious.

        • greg dahlen 20+

          • 0
          Feb 1 2013: Sorry, Edward, I didn't mean it to be arrogant, I tried to convey in the headline and text that some people say this but I didn't know if it was deserved. After I posed the question, I realized that another name for inland states is the "heartland," which is quite flattering. Do you think the woes of California and New York have anything to do with being coastal, or is it something else?

          If you're making a point that Arizona and its skies are more beautiful because less cluttered and congested, that's a beautiful thought I hadn't considered.

          Although you were joking, I really wonder if there is something more evolved about the inland places and people? After all, if we first crawled from the oceans and then moved along inland, the people inland would have the longest history on the land.
      • thumb

        edward long 100+

        • +1
        Feb 1 2013: I don't know if you tend toward arrogance and I did not mean to imply you do. It is the question I question. I believe species change over time but I do not, for one second, embrace Darwinism as science. So the idea of gauging development by distance from the ocean was strictly tongue-in-cheek. I think East coast folks are excessively proud of their domain as illustrated by Thomas Dewey who said,"If you are outside of New York City you are camping!" They tend to believe they have a corner on all that is good in America. Now, folks in the Land of Fruits and Nuts, particularly L.A. tend to be pretty sure they have a corner on all the latest and greatest trends, in fact they believe they set all the trends. Very often coastal dwellers are different. . . than everyone.

  • george lockwood 20+

    • +1
    Jan 27 2013: So Socrates meet a man from Syracuse who was moving to Athens. How is it to live in Athens the man asked. How was Syracuse Socrates asked. The People were or weren't friendly where I came from. Socrates then said that you'll find the people like that here in Athens.

    • greg dahlen 20+

      • 0
      Jan 31 2013: Well, that's great, but it might be a little neutral. Cause it might imply that it doesn't matter where you live, cause there's friendly and unfriendly people everywhere. Doesn't matter what job you take cause every job has good points and bad points. Doesn't matter if you have friends, cause having friends has good points and bad points, and not having them has good points and bad points. Doesn't matter what you eat, cause every food has its good points and its bad points. And so on, like no choice matters. But maybe I'm going too far, george?

      I wonder if different living situations appeal to different personalities. What sort of personality likes living on a coast, and what sort inland?
  • thumb

    Kate Blake 50+

    • 0
    Jan 26 2013: Hi Greg as Australia is one huge island most of us live on or near the coast, as I write this my area was struck by a tornedo today and declared a disaster area. Roofs off, trees over, power lines down, people seriously injured. So part of the hazards of coastal living is the intense extremes of weather we have here. Not the kind of excitement I think you are meaning?

    Over here most of our jokes are about which state is the best, but as Ken can verify our largest parley is with the kiwis. They are just another state of Oz ... lol

    • greg dahlen 20+

      • 0
      Jan 26 2013: Well, as best I can tell, the excitement that people associate with coasts is the port activity, ocean and air. You have ships and airplanes coming in from many farflung places, bringing people and goods and along with the people and goods come new ideas, new ways of looking at the world, new ways of dressing (clothes-wise). So it is stimulating. Are you sure you can't divide between the parts of Australia that feature ports, particularly seaports, and the inner parts? After I wrote this, I realized that another name people have for our inner states is "the heartland." That's much more flattering, isn't it? But you know, I wonder what the excitement is in the heartland, I get the excitement on the coasts.

      I get the joking argument with New Zealand. But how another state of Oz, are they run by a wizard who is really just a little guy behind a curtain?
      • thumb

        Kate Blake 50+

        • +1
        Jan 26 2013: Sorry Greg Oz is our slang for Australia, we are called ozzies whilst those from NZ are called kiwis. All done with great affection and no slur meant.

        Our centre is called just that 'the centre', the outback and I must say I love the life there. People are very down to earth and we made our own excitement eg bush dances in the wool shed, tours of the big stations (some are bigger than your states), a 3 hour trip to the cinema. Everyone knows each other and that community spirit is often lost in the coastal areas.

        My little coastal town has no port or planes only tornedos ... but again it is a nice small community but growing way to fast.

        • greg dahlen 20+

          • 0
          Feb 9 2013: Although if it's growing that has a good side, right, more people to meet and things to do?
      • thumb

        Kate Blake 50+

        • 0
        Feb 9 2013: Sure Greg there is that on the positive side but on the down side because there are so many vying for very limited accom. It means that real estate and rental prices are going through the roof. The prices are nearly equivalent to those in a major city. Some cope with this by sharing but I prefer my own space ....

        And although there are buses running they are not always every hour and last bus home is 5pm, so that limits work and social life.

        • greg dahlen 20+

          • 0
          Feb 10 2013: well the buses were always that way, no, that doesn't have to do with the town growing?

          Are you a renter? Has landlord raised your rent?
      • thumb

        Kate Blake 50+

        • 0
        Feb 10 2013: Greg I have just returned home to oz after 9 years absence, and the rents have doubled, and sometime more, in that time. So any rent is outrageous!
  • thumb

    Mark Kurtz 10+

    • 0
    Jan 26 2013: It feels OK Greg. Some people like excitement? Where there is plenty wherever you live! There are people who are happy and satisfied to live in states-regions between coasts. One could learn alot by driving between coasts and stopping along the way to view new scenes and to chuckle with the locals!

    Do people of coast states think less of people in other states? The "jokingly" comments suggests ignorance of what is between the coasts and it smacks of smugness. ! I drove my car from the Mid-West of USA to three west coast states and back a few years ago and that was the most rewarding vacation ever! I saw much to be excited about. Those persons who live between coasts have nothing about their location to be ashamed. The "coastal folks need the mid-states' votes to get anything done, and their money, and their friendship, and more.

    • greg dahlen 20+

      • 0
      Jan 26 2013: Yeah, Mark, after I wrote this question, I realized we have another nickname for the inner states, "the heartland." That's much more flattering.

      As I wrote to Kate above, I think much of the stimulation people associate with coasts is the ports, seaports and airports, for they bring in people and goods from farflung places, and along with the people and goods come new ideas and ways of looking at the world. Do you think there's any sort of excitement that is unique to the non-coast states, something that they have that the coasters don't?

  • george lockwood 20+

    • 0
    Jan 26 2013: Good at times
  • thumb

    W. Ying 10+

    • +1
    Jan 26 2013: .
    Based on the definition of happiness ---- The feeling of a-step-better for keeping our DNA alive:
    (1) To live there long enough will certainly be happy.
    (2) To live there will be unhappy if you often compare there with the cost area.

    (See also: On “Dan Gilbert: "The surprising science of happiness”)
Showing all 19 comments