But Midlanders point to signs of growing cosmopolitanism, including a planned 110-unit, loft-style apartment building downtown.

WSJ: Office Tower Sets Off Gusher of Opinions

Large bow windows, hardwood floors and contemporary furnishings make for loft-style living.

BBC: Mini Guide to Buenos Aires, Argentina

Inevitably, its fine modernist headquarters have been converted to expensive loft-style housing.

ECONOMIST: Why I love Peckham

See my photo of Gary at his loft-style Shanghai office.

FORBES: Timing not on Tudou's side

On the Disney Dream, pre-teens (ages 11 to 13) have access to Edge, a loft-style space on deck 13, distinctly separated from the other kids' areas eight floors below.

BBC: Keeping Disney magic afloat

The trend toward New York-style loft living is transforming many old warehouses and office buildings in what was once a desolate area, and as NPR's Luke Burbank reports, the city's newest urban pioneers are bumping against the ones who were there first, the homeless.

NPR: Redevelopment in L.A. Affects Homeless Population

"This loft is what I would consider all mine, my style and everything I wanted to put into it, " Ms. Herrington says.

WSJ: Looking Out for No. 1 - WSJ Mansion