flyover states

Coasts consider inferior

Flyover states is a dismissive term for the middle portion of the United States—the vast interior between the East and West Coasts that coastal elites supposedly only see from airplane windows.

The phrase carries connotations of cultural irrelevance and economic backwardness, implying these regions lack the sophistication of major coastal cities.

Politicians only care about flyover states during election season.

The term is sometimes reclaimed by Midwesterners with ironic pride.

Related

small town America · Main Street · cornfields · family farm · tractors · silos · prairie · perceptions · hinterlands · stereotypes · Rust Belt · Corn Belt · political polarization · Great Plains · middle of nowhere · open road · rural America · Americana

Categories
Opposites
geographic/cultural centrality

flyover statescoastal states

Territories bordering the sea

coastal elites · East Coast · West Coast · New York · California

travel destination status

flyover statestourist destinations

Places people visit recreationally

vacation spots

Family

over, state, flyover, flies, flying, flyer, overfly, overflight, states

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Mostly American · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G