Native Iowan, here. And my first post, long-time lurker.
I sincerely believe your "anti-intellectual" comment to be misguided and uninformed. For a quick and entertaining rebuttal, I'd direct you to this NPR youtube video titled "Iowa Nice": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLZZ6JD0g9Y
If you'd rather not watch the clip, here are a few things you might not have known about Iowa that may cause you to revise your previous assumption (or not, and they may/may not be extrapolated to other midwest communities):
- Iowa has voted Democratic in 5 out of 6 presidential elections (now 6 out of 7).
- Iowa was the second (or third) state to legalize gay marriage.
- First woman lawyer in the US emanated from Iowa.
- 4 out 5 Iowans live in cities.
- Des Moines was ranked 1st richest metropolitan area and 2nd happiest in the country (not sure by what metric or source here, my apologies)
I feel pretty good about the intellectual capacity of my neighbors.
Disclaimer: I've lived outside the state for 4 years now, primarily in Chicago and now South Florida. If the weather was nicer, I'd consider making it my permanent home.
Anyone have similar exercises or think this is practical?