[parennoob]

> We can walk to a swanky wine bar, and afford drinks rather than drive 45m to one

To be fair -- if you live in Iowa, it is much more likely to be the other way round. People drive everywhere in the US countryside and there are no sidewalks or even unpaved foot-paths.

This is not even taking into account the weather.

[maxerickson]

Most people living in the Midwest still tend to live in higher density areas that do have sidewalks, not off by themselves in the countryside.