Point taken. I will qualify my statement vis:
I live opposite the Upper Penninsula of Michigan, where there exisists a great deal of Middle America.
Boy oh boy, this English language is great. All one has to do is add a qualifier. LOL
BTW, you certainly chose a beautiful place to live. The U.P. and nearby Canada are among the most beautiful places I've been--up there with the Greek Isles, Hawaii, the Georgia Coast, Greenland from the air, the Canadian Rockies, the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, the Alps, the Amalfi Coast, the redwood forests, etc.