Flyover Gets a Makeover: Small Cities in Middle America are Talking Big Game

A few years ago, the city of Des Moines changed its slogan. Officials ditched "Change Your View"–translation: "Not as Boring as You Think"–for the far jauntier "Des Moines. Do More." According to the marketing firm behind the shift, "it was time for Des Moines to stop apologizing for not being Chicago or Minneapolis and start challenging those metropolitan areas for not being everything Des Moines is." The switch may not seem like much of a challenge, but it does represent a newfound confidence among smaller cities in what’s condescendingly known as flyover country. As the nation’s metropolises struggle–of the 15 largest, 14 reported a decline in growth in the ’00s–smaller cities like Des Moines are on the upswing.

Full Story: http://www.good.is/post/flyover-gets-a-makeover/

***

Why Iowa is No Longer Flyover Territory

The startup culture popularized in places like Silicon Valley and New York is now starting to spread across America’s vast heartland.

Dominic Basulto

Full Story: http://bigthink.com/ideas/41536