To solve our problems, more of us need to move to the middle… of the country

So-called political “experts” in Washington often talk about what “Americans think,” even though they rarely set foot outside the capital, never mind talk to the people they speak of with such authority. 

The same goes for much of the legacy news media. They may send the odd reporter to rural Michigan or Eastern Kentucky to talk politics to three people in a diner before heading back to New York or some other “safe” blue haven. But that’s about it. 

Subsequently, those we’ve come to rely on for insights and information are largely in the dark about who we are and what we’re about in Postindustrial America, further widening the “Great American Divide” tearing our country apart. 

[Read: What does it mean to be “Postindustrial?"]

This chasm, both politically and culturally, has led to a sharp increase in violence and vitriol, and fuels the growing extremes on both sides of the political aisle. 

Not only are we separated by how we vote and think, but we are also physically divided. 

Just look at this map of America indicating how we voted in the last presidential election – seas of red speckled with blue enclaves. 

This is not the map of a healthy democracy, where right and left, conservative and liberal, Republican and Democrat, can come together, face-to-face, to thoughtfully discuss their differences. 

Instead, it’s the physical manifestation of the toxic, ideological silos we find ourselves in, where we trade barbs online and reaffirm our stereotypes of one another. from safe distances. 

However, there is something we can do to start narrowing our divide and healing our fractured republic: 

More folks should move to Postindustrial Communities. 

With remote work now the norm, and housing costs running sky high in blue cities, there’s never been a better time for the aforementioned  “adventurous and open-minded” to settle in our neck of the woods, be it someplace already on the rise, like Columbus, Ohio, or a community still trying to find a new way forward, say Gary, Indiana. 

[Gary gets a bad rap for being crime-ridden and dilapidated, but we know some great people there working to reinvent their community.]

And I know that the skeptics will balk at the idea of giving up their comfy blue bubble. 

I’ve heard them balk when I suggest that living in a smaller town or city, or even a rural hamlet in Postindustrial America, has its advantages. 

There’s no coffee shop!  Where’s the nearest Whole Foods?

No coffee shop to your liking? Then start one yourself. It’d probably be cheaper than what you’re currently shelling out for your daily fix (The average price for a Grande Macchiato at Starbucks $6.25, plus a buck for tip, times 30 days a month, equals $217.50. And you know you spend more than that). 

Want fresh produce? You’re living at the source when you move to our rural neck of the nation – no longer gouged by those overpriced grocery overlords masquerading as farm-to-table do-gooders. 

Better yet, grow some of your own fruits and vegetables  – save money and the planet by cutting the carbon cost of transporting your $15 strawberries from far corners to the Whole Foods produce section. 

You can’t do that in Brooklyn, but you can in Kentucky. 

But who will I talk to? Aren’t all the people in those places close-minded? 

No. They aren’t, and shame on you for thinking that. 

We’ve met some fantastic people during our travels and adventures deep into the rural heart of Postindustrial America. 

[Get inspired by our ongoing “Postindustrial Explores” series.]

Yes, there are some people whose views will differ from your own. 

BUT THAT’S EXACTLY MY POINT!!!!!!

We need to mix it up with people whose opinions differ if we’re ever going to come to a greater understanding of one another. 

And along the way, we’ll relearn how to engage in civil discourse about our differences, away from the social media platforms that profit from our reflexsive hatred. 

So the next time you’re wondering why you spend tens of thousands of dollars a year on rent, with no hope of ever owning a home, consider whether you have the mettle to make a life-altering move someplace that will have your fellow blue-city captives scratching their heads, wondering whether you’re onto something.