Harbinger-anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign. Real estate agent walking the fields of the heartland? Harbinger of cul de sacs, an ominous sign.
The part of a region considered essential to the viability and survival of the whole, esp. a central land area relatively invulnerable to attack and capable of economic and political self-sufficiency.--Dictionary.com
Sing the rain on the roof on a summer night Where they still know wrong from right. Sing a song about the heartland. Sing a song about my life.--George Strait
There's a place where mornings are an endless blue And you feel mother nature walk along with you, Where simple people living side by side Still wave to their neighbor when they're drivin' by.--George Strait