In Answer to VERLYN KLINKENBORG's essay "Keeping Iowa's Young Folks at Home After They've Seen Minnesota" in the NY Times Today:

Verlyn, who left Iowa some time ago, has it right in terms of the main theme of his discussion today... The Iowa economy is sadly focussed on big agricultural farms, and the devil take the downwindmost.

However, the persistent idea that Iowa is a culture free zone is delusional, along with most cliches... New York City as a high pressure environment devoid of human compassion, California as a superficial veneer just begging for an earthquake, or Mexico as Tijuana...

The fact is that Iowa, as always, has charms that are immeasurably rich, uniquely divine, and as as lovely as any spot on the globe, if you know where and how to look...

And despite the apparent ascendency of Minneapolis in Verlyn's mind, and the a priori assumption among many urbanites of the superiority of any city environment over the rural, those of us who have experienced both can see tradeoffs in both worlds.

It's true that our access to really great opera requires serious travel. And good ballet in Iowa requires a visitation from a traveling troupe... the big one this year is Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (Hancher Aud., Iowa City, this month), plus of course the Joffrey doing the Nutcracker (every year....), but we DO have broadband, TiVO, WI-FI, and even the occasional Blueberry...

In addition, I'll bet that when you left the house today, you remembered to lock the door... Unlike at my house, where we never lock up during the day... (I don't actually have the key for my house. My wife has one, I think).

I also suspect that when you walked around the block (if you can), you may have seen another person... Which may not always happen where I am.

And something tells me that the rent on your 1000 square foot two bedroom apartment with a sunny East exposure wasn't $600 last month... (with the two car garage thrown in for another thirty).

Oh, and by the way, within three blocks of our place there are three Thai restaurants, three Indian, one Mexican, a French sidewalk cafe, two pastry shops, and 12 art galleries.... (but no sushi, I know... except at the Farmers market - one block away - on Wednesday and Saturday)

Sound like New York? Seattle? But no, it's Fairfield, Iowa.

Iowa ranks #51 in measures of stress, and has the highest literacy rate in the nation. And even though there probably is a brain drain in some parts of the state, there are a few entrepreneurs in my town doing some interesting things, including oil brokerages, laser stone cutting, online posters affiliate marketing, vision improvement seminars, Cold Fusion web business design and hosting, and the occasional oddity, like the panty of the month website... And, of course, there's always www.mum.edu, and, two miles away, maharishivediccity.com, and the award-winning Ayurvedic spa, theraj.com

As it turns out, creativity, insight, beauty and even significance are not confined to urban areas, and despite the prevalence of the Steinberg mind map in New York or elsewhere... every area on earth has it's charm, it's appeal, and it's deep, vital, constant connection to the continually manifesting field of infinite silence... even Iowa.

No matter where you are standing on the globe, you are on the top of the world. It's just that in Iowa you can occasionally find yourself driving down the freeway and not see another car or a single human from horizon to horizon.... and feel like you own the place, at least in terms of providing the only visible human presence.