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The Middle West is also known as the "heartland of America" due to its important role in industry and agriculture.
Regions
One-fifth of the US population lives in the following 8 states in the Midwest:
places
- 1 Chicago
- third largest city in the USA. - 2 Cincinnati
- 3 Detroit- Capital of the automobile.
- 4 Indianapolis- Capital of Indiana.
- 5 Kansas City
- "City of Fountains". - 6 Milwaukee- City of brewers.
- 7 Minneapolis- forms together with St. Paul the "Twin Cities".
- 8 St. Louis- Gateway Arch.
- 9 St. Paul
Other goals
- 1 Boundary Waters - A long chain of lakes, rivers and marshes, bordering on the border between for their remoteness and natural beauty Minnesota and Canada are known.
- 2 Cuyahoga Valley National Park - one of the most popular national parks in the country, along the Cuyahoga River south of Cleveland.
- Driftless area - A hilly area that is between Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois and is known for its tourist destinations and skiing. .
- 3 Great Lakes - the "north coast" of the United States and the largest group of freshwater lakes on earth by total area and volume.
- 4 Indiana Dunes National Park - beautiful dunes and beaches tucked away on the industrial northwest coast of Indiana.
- 5 Isle Royale National Park –A beautiful, wild island on the northern tip of the Midwest.
- 6 Ozarks - the famous lakes and hills in the area between Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
- 7 Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - enormous dunes in a wild part of Northern Michigan.
background
The states that are part of the Great Lakes adjoin (Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin), are also often counted on a "north coast", as an alternative to the east and west coast.
language
Mostly English, in the big cities also Spanish. In the country you sometimes meet Amish people who speak a German dialect.
getting there
By plane
Several of the largest airports in the United States are located in this region: Chicago O'Hare (ORD), Minneapolis – St. Paul (MSP) and Detroit (DTW). This can also be reached with direct flights from Europe. Chicago is a hub for United and American Airlines, Minneapolis and Detroit for Delta Airlines, and Detroit also for the budget line Spirit Airlines. Other large airports in the region, which are mainly of national importance, are Chicago Midway (MDW; mainly used by Southwest Airlines), St. Louis (STL), Kansas City (MCI), Cleveland (CLE) and Indianapolis (IND).
By train
Chicago is the start or end point of several routes of the largest American long-distance railway company Amtrak. These include both shorter routes and routes that connect to Los Angeles or Seattle on the west coast or New York or Washington on the east coast. There are no high-speed trains in the Midwest as we know them from Europe. You can travel a whole day from New York, Washington or Dallas to Chicago, and from Los Angeles or Seattle even two days. For longer distances, traveling by train is therefore an option for travelers who have a lot of time and want to see something of the landscape, are rail enthusiasts and / or are afraid of flying. With wide armchairs or sleeping and dining cars, this is a thoroughly comfortable, but not cheap, pleasure. To make the tickets reasonably affordable, you should book well in advance.
mobility
Several Long-distance trainlines of the railway company Amtrak lead from Chicago from across the midwest, e.g. B.
- Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited: Chicago–Toledo–Cleveland and on towards Pittsburgh / Washington, D.C. and Albany / New York City
- Cardinal: Chicago–Indianapolis–Cincinnati and on towards Washington / New York
- Empire Builder: Chicago–Milwaukee–Saint Paul / Minneapolis and on towards Portland / Seattle
- Texas Eagle: Chicago–Springfield–St. Louis and continue towards Dallas / San Antonio
- Southwest Chief: Chicago–Kansas City and on towards Albuquerque / Los Angeles
- California Zephyr: Chicago–Omaha and continue towards Denver / San Francisco
The trains usually only run once a day and are slow but expensive. That is why it is primarily an adventure for rail enthusiasts and travelers who want to experience the vastness of the country, but not the fastest - and certainly not the cheapest - means of getting from A to B. But if you have the necessary change or book in good time and thus get savings, it can be very comfortable to sit in a comfortable armchair, move around on the train, dine in the dining car and look out of large picture windows instead of being cooped up in the car for hours to be.
Much cheaper, but not quite as comfortable and usually even slower Long-distance buses. The market leader, with the densest network and the most destinations, is Greyhound.
Away from the big cities, you are almost always on one in the Midwest automobile reliant. There are a large number of car rental companies in every major town.
The Midwest stretches for more than 1,000 kilometers. That is why you can think of it, also within the greater region too to fly. Even smaller cities often have an airport with at least connections to the hubs Chicago (ORD or MDW), Minneapolis – St. Paul (MSP) and Detroit (DTW). With low-cost lines like Southwest Airlines, even short routes are quite affordable.
Tourist Attractions
activities
kitchen
nightlife
security
Strongly dependent on where you are. Probably very safe in the country. In the cities you should find out which districts to avoid.
climate
The climate is continental. That means there are hot summers and cold winters. In summer you can expect temperatures around 40 degrees, in winter temperatures around -20 degrees Celsius. Temperatures are generally reported in Fahrenheit. 100 Fahrenheit is around 40 degrees Celsius, 0 Fahrenheit is around -20 degrees Celsius. In the United States, almost all enclosed spaces have air conditioning. That's why the heat is usually easy to bear.
It depends a lot on the place how much snow falls. In general, the weather warnings on television are very good, even if they seem a bit excessive at times. Blizzards can make the streets impassable.
In the summer, cyclones (tornadoes) can occur, it is important to follow the weather forecast. In the event of a tornado, one should go to houses. The safest place is either a bunker or a cellar and if you can't find that, usually the bathroom in the house. If you are outdoors at the time of a tornado, you should lie down.
