The “Empty Midwest,” a section of land spanning Iowa, Wisconsin, and parts of neighboring states, seems like a paradox. It’s a very fertile region, but it’s home to few people, lacking major cities despite its agricultural riches. Geography by Geoff took a look at why this area is so comparatively empty.
During the last Ice Age glaciers flattened the Midwest leaving behind glacial till, a nutrient-rich soil perfect for farming. The Driftless Area, a rugged pocket in southwestern Wisconsin and nearby states, escaped this leveling, giving it steep valleys and bluffs. The Mississippi River and its tributaries tied the region together.
For millennia, Indigenous Americans lived here, taking advantage of the land and rivers. French traders arrived in the 17th century, followed by American settlers after the 1787 Northwest Ordinance and Louisiana Purchase. Eventually Wisconsin’s lead rush in the Driftless Area and Iowa’s fertile plains drove settlement.
Yet the region’s agricultural success led to its sparse population. Mechanization in the 20th century, bringing in tractors and harvesters, allowed fewer farmers to manage vast lands, shrinking rural communities as people moved to urban hubs like Chicago which thrived as transportation centers. The Midwest’s interior, lacking ports or industrial resources, fostered small towns and mid-sized cities like Des Moines and Madison, not metropolises. Today the Empty Midwest is home to around 9 million residents.
