There are various parts of small-town life in the Midwest that really stood out to city transplants...

"For example, when you bring over a casserole, they call it a hot dish. Or car tags are called tabs. Or when they say 'oofdah' — first time I heard someone say that I thought they were having a stroke lol. It was an experience living in the Midwest, but ultimately, I felt like I didn’t fit into their white suburbia because I stood out as one of the few minorities. I worked for a school with close to 100 employees, and I was one of four minorities. Beautiful weather, but not for me."

"You also have to work a lot harder to build community around you. A lot of people there had never lived further away than Chicago and had their set friend groups. You have to really put yourself out there because few people will invite you into their groups. On the flip side, when you do find your community, like I did, it's the best. People care about close friends here the same way most people reserve for family members."

"Also, learning 'take your tractor to school day' was like...a normal thing for high school students. Wild."

"I can actually afford a house here, and despite what people think, Nebraska actually isn’t the least diverse state in the country. Especially living in the college town, my community is diverse and politically active, and really strong. I have a better/more diverse group of friends here than I did in Seattle."

"It is also much less diverse. Therefore, it’s pretty taboo to talk about race or social issues. There are fewer choices when it comes to places to go for fun and much fewer cuisine choices when it comes to restaurants. Since there isn’t a whole lot to do, sports are everything. Whenever people make small talk, they always bring up sports!"

"I was also surprised that coworkers were uncomfortable when I wore my BLM shirt."

"I didn't realize how much of a toll the unpredictable traffic was taking on my mental health until I didn't have to deal with it anymore. My new version of a traffic jam is getting stuck behind farm equipment on a back road."

Note: Responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.