-Isms: Views on life in rural America

While speaking at a recent high school career fair, I outlined my high school plan following graduation: go to law school, move to Chicago and secure a job on Printer’s Row.

At the time, I’d never been to Chicago ... I’d visited other spots in Illinois and liked them. I wouldn’t arrive in Chicago until 20 years after I graduated high school. I was a grad student at Northwestern University; living in Evanston and taking the ‘L’ into Chicago proper cemented my choice to live in the Cornhusker state.

If you could live anywhere in the United States, where would you call home?

According to a study at “Forbes Home,” the top choice for Nebraskans choosing to exit the state is Iowa.

Iowa. Seriously? Who are the 7,454 Nebraskans crossing the border to the east?

Never in my life would I dream of becoming an Iowagen. I may be able to tolerate living in Iowa City or Des Moines. On second thought, no. You won’t catch me sporting yellow and black striped overalls, pining for a trophy in what, now, is an empty display case.

Ok, the hopeless romantic in me might like to live near the bridges of Madison County, waiting for my “Robert Kincaid” to drive down the road in his 1960 GMC pickup. I’m a sucker for a sappy love story starring Clint Eastwood.

ICYMI, I’m still wrapping my head around living in the state next door.

How did we arrive here, in Iowa? “Forbes Home” analyzed state-to-state migration data available from the U.S. Census Bureau. It looked at where people in states had lived one year prior, to learn the number of Americans on the move and where they’re landing.

Survey results show our western neighbor - Colorado - is the second most popular place to move too. Based on Census Bureau data, 4,861 Nebraskans moved to colorful Colorado. I have a suspicion our son and his fiancé are included in that number. They made the move to the Rocky Mountain state when Tyler received a job offer he couldn’t refuse.

Texas lands in third place, with 3,842 Nebraskans traveling south. I haven’t been to the Lone Star State since I was a college freshman. I enjoyed Austin and liked visiting the historic sites in San Antonio. Not sure I would want to reside there, though.

In fourth place: Missouri. Based on study numbers, 3,190 Nebraskans moved to the Show Me State. It’s a decent place to visit - and catch some Cardinal baseball - but you don’t have to show me the way home.

Georgia came in fifth place, with 2,881 Nebraskans setting up residence in the Peach State. My Georgia experiences are limited to a five-day press junket, visiting sites around Atlanta and “Gone with the Wind”-related places. The people were friendly, the landscape - a gorgeous green, even at the end of October. Home? Nope.

German poet Christian Morgenstern wrote, “Home is not where you live, but where they understand you.”

I bet Morgenstern never stepped foot in Iowa.

It’s a good thing I feel at home here, in God’s country, where neighbors are family and every inch of dirt says, “You’re rooted here.”