heartland

Middle America, symbolically

Heartland refers to the central or most important part of a country or region, especially one considered essential to its character or identity.

In American usage, the heartland typically means the rural Midwest, evoking images of farms, small towns, and traditional values distinct from coastal urban centers.

Politicians love to campaign in the heartland.

The term can apply to any nation's core territory, or metaphorically to the essential center of anything: the heartland of conservative thought.

agriculture

farmland

Agricultural terrain

cropCultivated agricultural plants
harvestGathering mature crops
grainCereal plant's harvest unit

prairie · breadbasket · pastoral · rural · tillage · silo · tractor · irrigation · farmstead · pasture

region

Midwest

North-central American region

plainsBroad, level grasslands
countrysideRural area beyond towns
interiorInside area or region

grassland · backcountry · provincial · hinterland · flyover · rust-belt · small-town · America · central · mainland

central

core

Central essential portion

hubCentral connection point
nucleusCentral controlling part
epicenterPoint above seismic origin

interior · inland · pivot · focal · axis · foundation · bedrock · anchor · keystone · centerpiece

nostalgia

sentimentality

Excessive tender emotion

yesteryearTime not long past
reminiscenceRecalling past experiences
homesicknessLonging for one's dwelling

longing · memories · bygone · halcyon · wistfulness · yearning · old-fashioned · vintage · Americana · innocence

homeland

patriotism

Devotion to one's homeland

ancestryFamily line of descent
heritageInherited cultural legacy
birthplaceLocation of one's birth

motherland · fatherland · native · roots · identity · belonging · kinship · tradition · culture · citizenship

heartland

farmland

Midwest

core

sentimentality

patriotism

heartland

Opposites

Phrases

Categories

Family