Flyover
Flyover country is an idiomatic expression denoting the central expanse of the contiguous United States, encompassing the Midwest and Great Plains regions between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, areas typically traversed at altitude during nonstop transcontinental air travel without descent for landing or exploration.[1] The term encapsulates a perception of these locales as peripheral or unremarkable to coastal urban centers, often implying they merit only aerial observation rather than direct engagement.[2] First documented in a 1980 Esquire article by novelist Thomas McGuane, who opened a piece on painter Russell Chatham with the line, "Because we live in flyover country, we try to figure out what is going on elsewhere by subscribing to magazines," the phrase crystallized attitudes shaped by the postwar expansion of jet aviation, which enabled routine bypassing of interior routes established in earlier rail and early flight eras.[2][3] Its roots trace to deeper historical coastal disdain for the American interior, viewed since the 19th century as an uncivilized frontier lacking sophistication compared to Eastern establishments.[4] The designation highlights a persistent cultural and perceptual divide, wherein coastal media and intellectual hubs—concentrated in New York and Los Angeles—predominate national narratives, marginalizing the heartland's roles in agriculture, energy production, and manufacturing that underpin the broader economy.[4] While frequently wielded pejoratively to underscore supposed provincialism, the label has been appropriated by some interior residents to affirm resilience and self-reliance against external condescension, underscoring tensions in regional identity and influence within American society.[2]Definition and Etymology
Core Meaning
Flyover country, also known as flyover states, refers to the central expanse of the contiguous United States lying between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, encompassing regions such as the Midwest, Great Plains, and parts of the Mountain West that are typically bypassed by ground travel and only glimpsed from aircraft during cross-country flights.[1][2] The phrase underscores a literal geographic reality: major commercial air routes from hubs like New York or Boston to Los Angeles or San Francisco pass over these areas without intermediate stops, reflecting population and economic concentrations on the coasts where over 60% of U.S. air passengers originate or terminate as of 2023 data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The term carries a connotative layer, frequently invoked to denote cultural dismissal or condescension by coastal urbanites toward interior America, portraying it as homogenous, rural, or politically conservative in contrast to the diverse, cosmopolitan seaboard cities.[2] This usage emerged prominently in media and political discourse, as evidenced by its application during the 2004 U.S. presidential election when commentator Keith Olbermann described non-coastal voters as residing in "flyover country" on MSNBC, amplifying perceptions of elite detachment.[4] Empirically, the region includes states like Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas, where agricultural output—such as 30% of global corn production in 2022 per USDA figures—sustains national food security, yet garners less cultural attention than coastal tech or finance sectors. In broader American English, "flyover" can denote an aerial passover event or, less commonly, an overpass structure, but the socio-geographic sense dominates discussions of regional identity and divides.[5][6] Its core implication remains tied to experiential neglect: a 2016 linguistic analysis traced the phrase's pejorative edge to longstanding Eastern prejudices against the "uncivilized frontier," persisting into modern aviation-era lexicon despite the area's contributions to energy production, with states like North Dakota yielding 1.3 million barrels of oil daily in 2023 per Energy Information Administration records.[2][4]Historical Origins
The term "flyover country" first appeared in print in 1980, coined by novelist Thomas McGuane in an Esquire magazine article profiling artist Russell Chatham.[2] McGuane, a Michigan native who had relocated to Montana, employed the phrase self-referentially to describe rural, inland regions of the United States that commercial air travelers typically bypassed en route between coastal hubs like New York and Los Angeles.[2] This usage reflected the practical realities of mid-20th-century aviation, where nonstop transcontinental flights, which became routine around 1950, rendered vast interior landscapes invisible from the air.[2] The Oxford English Dictionary cites this 1980 instance as the earliest recorded attestation of the full phrase.[2] Etymologically, "fly-over" itself dates to 1921, denoting an aircraft passing overhead without landing, a concept that gained salience with the expansion of commercial air routes post-World War II.[2] Initially, the term carried a playful, self-deprecating tone among residents of the Midwest and Great Plains, rather than originating as a pejorative dismissal from coastal elites, as later popularized in media narratives.[2] Lexicographer Ben Zimmer has noted that early adopters, like McGuane, used it to highlight overlooked locales, drawing on prior regional descriptors such as "Middle America" (first attested in 1924).[2] While the phrase's modern form emerged in the late 20th century amid rising East-West polarization, its conceptual underpinnings trace to 19th-century Eastern attitudes toward the frontier, viewed as uncivilized and peripheral to urban sophistication.[4] Historian Nicole Etcheson observes that these prejudices framed the Midwest as an "uncivilized frontier," a perception that persisted into the mid-20th century despite the region's earlier prosperity and cultural prominence.[4] By the 1970s, as U.S. intellectual discourse increasingly emphasized coastal cosmopolitanism, the term began evolving into a shorthand for geographic and cultural divides, though its origins remained grounded in aviation logistics rather than overt political rhetoric.[2][4]Geography and Demographics
Geographic Scope
The geographic scope of "flyover country" primarily encompasses the interior regions of the contiguous United States, excluding the Atlantic and Pacific coastal areas and their immediate vicinities. This includes the Midwestern states, the Great Plains, and portions of the Mountain West, characterized by vast agricultural lands, prairies, and lower population densities compared to coastal metros. Common exemplars are Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming, where transcontinental flights often pass overhead without landing due to limited major international airports relative to overflight volume.[7][2] Boundaries remain informal and debated, with some definitions extending to southern states like Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kentucky, or even Appalachia, reflecting perceptions of cultural and economic detachment from coastal hubs. Empirical assessments using air traffic data, such as flyover ratios (overflights divided by arrivals/departures), highlight states including Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia as frequently overlooked by direct commercial routes.[8] These ratios, derived from FAA flight statistics, underscore geographic centrality: states proximal to high-traffic destinations like Florida or California experience more en-route traffic but fewer stops, reinforcing the "flyover" label for areas spanning roughly 1,500 miles east-west and 1,000 miles north-south.[8] Urban centers like Chicago or Denver may fall within this scope geographically but often escape the pejorative connotation due to their aviation hubs and economic prominence, illustrating how the term blends physical location with perceptual dismissal. Overall, the region covers about 40% of U.S. land area but houses roughly 20% of the population as of 2020 Census data, emphasizing its role as the sparsely settled "heartland" in national geography.[2][7]Population Characteristics
The populations of flyover regions, encompassing the Midwest and Great Plains states such as Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and others, total approximately 69 million residents as of 2023, accounting for about 20% of the U.S. population.[9] These areas feature markedly lower population densities than coastal counterparts, averaging around 89 persons per square mile in the Midwest due to expansive rural and agricultural landscapes, in contrast to over 400 persons per square mile in coastal counties.[10][11] Rural residents constitute a higher share here—roughly 20-25%—compared to the national rural proportion of 19%, fostering communities centered on farming, small manufacturing, and resource extraction.[10] Racial and ethnic composition reflects greater homogeneity, with non-Hispanic whites comprising 72% of the Midwest population per recent American Community Survey data, followed by Black Americans at 12%, Hispanics at 8%, Asians at 3%, and other groups at smaller shares.[10] This contrasts with coastal metros, where Hispanic and Asian populations often exceed 20% each due to immigration patterns and urban job concentrations. Native-born Americans predominate, with foreign-born residents at under 6% regionally, lower than the national 14% average, attributable to geographic isolation from major ports of entry and limited high-skill migration draws.[10] The median age is 39.4 years, marginally above the U.S. median of 38.9, signaling a balanced but aging demographic with out-migration of younger adults to coastal opportunities offset by stable family-oriented retention in smaller cities.[10] Household gender distribution is near parity at 50% female. Median household income reaches $72,763, with per capita income at $40,957, reflecting reliance on steady but moderate-wage sectors like agribusiness and light industry rather than high-tech salaries prevalent on coasts.[10] Poverty affects 11.9% of residents, aligning with national rates but more dispersed across non-metro counties.[10] Education attainment emphasizes practical skills, with 92% high school graduation rates among adults 25 and older—above the national 90%—and 34% holding bachelor's degrees or higher, trailing coastal states' 40%+ figures due to fewer elite universities and vocational emphases in trades.[10]| Demographic Metric | Midwest/Flyover Value (ca. 2022 ACS) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total Population | 68.9 million | ~20% of U.S. total; stable growth via domestic migration.[10][12] |
| Population Density | ~89 per sq. mi. | Vastly lower than coastal 400+; enables expansive land use.[10] |
| Non-Hispanic White % | 72% | Dominant group; lower diversity index than urban coasts.[10] |
| Median Age | 39.4 years | Indicates demographic stability amid youth outflux.[10] |
| Median HH Income | $72,763 | Supported by manufacturing (18% employment) and agriculture.[10] |
| Bachelor's+ % (25+) | 34% | Strong vocational training; HS grad 92%.[10] |