Things like The Great Gatsby paint a colorful picture of what it was like in New York during this era. Most of the popular culture and texts seem to focus on what was going on in the east, things like the Scopes trial and KKK shook up southern headlines. But what was going on out west? I've always loved old western movies, but I know the "old west" kind of died in the teens. So was the west going through the same kind of cultural transformation that happened in the east?
Hello! There is definitely a strong historiography leaning towards the 'Roaring Twenties' and all its changes, especially on the East Coast. Generally there was social change and urbanisation, as well as a growth in the middle class. However, the Lynd studies of Middletown show a different story. Using sociological methods, the Lynds found that in more Western states the traditions of pre-WW1 society still dominated. The majority of townsfolk were working class, part of a nuclear family, and went to church regularly. New technologies such a radio and home appliances did not have the same effect in smaller towns than the big cities. Largely there was little access to the bright dance halls and theatres, and small town life was reserved and quaint. Car and house ownership did increase which gave a stronger sense of space to townsfolk, but loyalty was strong to the area. Youth also had access to better education though this was less outward-looking than today's popular culture makes out.
Politics and economy were prosperous until the 1929 crash, and as Kyvig has pointed out there was a general stability to daily life. This sense of comfort can be attributed to the Harding's concept of 'back to normalcy' after WW1. International isolation also developed a strong sense of internal focus for the USA, instead of committing to foreign loyalties. Of course, the era was fraught with racial prejudices, which the Lynd research fails to study. The Middletown Woman concept also shows that women were not as liberated as believed, with majority committing to housewife duties or smaller employment.
In short, life in the 1920s for the average town was fairly ordinary and against the booming urban society of 'bright young things' and flappers. The sign of this almost crippling boredom can be found in the novel Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis, about middle class complacency and boredom. Of course, 1929 would change everything, and western towns and farming communities would be decimated by Depression and poverty.
Sources are: Helen and Robert Lynd, Middletown: A Study in Contemporary American Culture (1929) David Kyvig, Daily Life in the United States 1920-39 Lois Scharf and Joan Jensen, The American Housewife between the Wars George Soule, Prosperity Decade
Hope this helps!