10 coolest cities in the Midwest

America’s heartland too frequently gets labeled as flyover country -- the states you fly over to get between the East and West coasts. But take another look and you’ll notice that the Midwest harbors some of the country’s coolest college towns, hippest city neighborhoods, cheapest real estate, best cuisine and all-around greatest places to live and visit.

Text by Chelsea Lin | Photo editing by Mike Hipple

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Ham Iam
Jan 30, 2013 1:23AM
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Columbus ?? Really??
Columbus is the world's largest small town, and has been for quite some time. The sidewalks are rolled up at 5. It's all about Ohio State and Ohio State football and state capitol. If it wasn't for those three things, Columbus wouldn't even exist. A lot of kids I went to high school with attended Ohio State, and rhapsodized about how great Columbus is, yet every one of them couldn't wait to come home to the Cleveland area every weekend.

SoCalD
Jan 30, 2013 12:18AM
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And that is why I live in San Diego - America's Most Beautiful City!!!!
methos50834
Jan 29, 2013 11:55PM
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Indiana is a conservative state, and fort wayne although inexpensive, is a prison of working your **** off to spend time elsewhere. Indy is diffeent, but omly because t has more venues 
Super Fed Up
Jan 29, 2013 11:38PM
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Eau Claire, WI. The up and coming "dark horse" of this race. We are small on scale in comparison. But we are big on heart, ideas, and creativity. But as a whole, the Midwest is a diamond in the rough about to shine!
inimicaleagle.org
Jan 29, 2013 11:28PM
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I lived in St. Louis for a year. If they were going to give the world an enema they'd stick the hose in St. Louis.
I AMERICAN
Jan 29, 2013 10:50PM
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Ok really, all these cities pale in comparison to Chicago, in fact I can't even believe they would even compare these cities with there broke down food, nightclub scene and fashion industry.

The fact they forgot Indianapolis says that whoever wrote the article is an idiot.

Kansas City, really! Columbus Ohio! Minneapolis/St. Paul! Come on now.

Some cities were founded because at the time there was no where else to go and people got stranded there.

 

 

 

movedwest
Jan 29, 2013 10:41PM
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That photo of St. Louis has nothing to do with St. Louis and is actually about 90 min. away.   St. Louis may not be "hip" but it's a city I love with a lot of unique neighborhoods with character.......just​ visit them during the day. 
Alex Charmley (a charms)
Jan 29, 2013 10:37PM
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Kansas City by far is the best city to live in in the midwest. With the Country Club Plaza an outdoor mall that looks like Seville, I've heard New Yorkers say lots of good things about it. The Art Institute where Walt Disney studied and Hallmark Cards.  Not to mention the new venues of the Sprint Center and the new performing arts center. College sports rivals  KU and MU.  Weather changes so much, you really don't have to travel to get away from bitter winds of winter.
mommyoffour552
Jan 29, 2013 10:27PM
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I live in rural Kansas. It's pretty hip here. We wake up at around five so we can check the cattle then get the kids up and ready for their hour long ride on the school bus then we go to work for ten to twelve hours a day, check the cattle, come home, fix supper, homework with the kids, try to see if the well has enough water in it for a few showers and go to bed. Repeat that pattern for six days a week then on Sunday we check cattle, do laundry, do dishes, drive fifty miles to the nearest Hypermart to get food for a week, come home, sit down for a little bit to figure out how to stretch $27,000 a year (thanks, Master's Degree in business for teaching me how to successfully be poor!) then do some more laundry, more dishes, check the cattle again, see if the well is not too dry to pump a little out to flush the toilets...yep. Pretty happening place! 
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