a strange thing

Go for a drive in the country anywhere in the Midwest and you'll see this phenomenon. 

Look closely at these houses--these are located in central Iowa, but I've seen the same design in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan. 

Can you see it, reader?  Can you figure out why they do this?  What's your theory?

These country houses all have "front" doors, complete with stoops and steps and little "entrances" to nowhere.  In rural areas there aren't any sidewalks, in fact, each of these houses have garages and separate entrances located at the side or back.  Totally useless doors that don't lead anywhere, why build a house with a door you never use?

I can't believe thousands of folks kept building the same style of house without questioning the functionality (or lack) of this design.  Yet they did.  Were they optimistic that one day the city limits would reach their property and they'd eventually link into a sidewalk?  Were they unable to tweak the urban house design to better suit country living?  Was having a "front entrance" so deeply ingrained in the Midwest psyche?

Spill it, reader.  What do you suppose?

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