How do you define the Midwest?

[hbelkins]

If Michigan and Ohio aren't Midwest, what region are they in?

I had it in my head as a kid that there was kind of a Mideast region too, that included Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, western Pennsylvania. They weren't quite Midwest, but weren't obviously East Coast either.

I have never heard of a mideast region being used in any situation. My opinion, if they say pop its Midwest.

In the NCAA t6ournament, there was a mideast region, since replaced with the south region.

I was going to mention that. And the conferences were assigned specific slots in each region. The SEC, the Big 10, the Ohio Valley Conference were all assigned to the Mideast Region. (Plus Notre Dame, if they got an invitation). I'm not sure if the Missouri Valley Conference was assigned to the Mideast or Midwest.

But that was back in the 1970s.

[Scott5114]

Everyone is wrong.

The thread title is "How Do You Define the Midwest?" so anybody who provides their own definition has answered the question correctly.

Nah.  All are wrong.

Here is one that is demonstrably correct:

#define MIDWEST 1

[wriddle082]

Everyone is wrong.

The thread title is "How Do You Define the Midwest?" so anybody who provides their own definition has answered the question correctly.

Nah.  All are wrong.

Then tell us what is correct already!  The suspense is killing me!

[wriddle082]

Any state with a Big 10 school excepting NJ (Rutgers) and the former PAC 12 schools, but adding Missouri.  So I even count Pennsylvania (at least the western half), because they're about to get Meijer and possibly Menard's as well if they'd just break ground on their planned locations already.

This puts Missouri and Nebraska in the Midwest but not Kansas, which feels wrong. Kansas is a central state that grows food crops and was firmly on the Union's side during the Civil War (unlike slave state Missouri), so it's Midwestern to me.

Ok I will clarify further...

No Nebraska either.  I would consider Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas to be defined as Great Plains states, which do have their differences from the core Midwestern states I had previously defined.

In hindsight, I suppose using college sports conferences was a poor method of comparison (thanks, NIL!).

Anyway, as a Southerner who has been sent to Midwestern states on and off for the past two or three years for work, I know when I'm in one based on the personalities of the locals.  Ohio (where I've been working a good majority of this year) is nearly all Midwestern, exceptions being most WV border areas.  Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri, all very much Midwestern (and most of which I have worked in and spent enough time in).  NW Pennsylvania could possibly be considered Midwestern, or at least a Rust Belt extension thereof.  Buffalo too, though they would never admit it.  I feel like the people of NW PA and Buffalo have similar ideals to Midwesterners.

So Kansas City, Missouri is in the Midwest, but Kansas City, Kansas is not?

Sure, why not?  Those two states hate each other with a passion anyway.

[Roadgeekteen]

I think all states with a MAC school is Midwest. I will not elaborate.

[jlam]

I think all states with a MAC school is Midwest. I will not elaborate.

Massachusetts, my favorite Midwestern state

[Roadgeekteen]

I think all states with a MAC school is Midwest. I will not elaborate.

Massachusetts, my favorite Midwestern state

When NIU leaves for the MWC, Illinois will no longer be midwestern, and will instead be a mountain state. Fitting, because Illinois is not flat.

[TheCatalyst31]

I very much don't consider it to be midwestern, but the Memphis, TN, area honestly gives me midwest vibes in a way that no other southeastern city does. IDK entirely why, but downtown Collierville honestly feels like it was plucked straight out of Chicagoland to me for some reason.

The architecture feels southern to me, possibly because of the building with the big veranda. The Midwest does love a town square around a train station or courthouse, though.

[SEWIGuy]

Honestly, the terrain of Illinois surprised me.  I wasn't expecting so many farms that far east.  I thought stuff like that was mainly Iowa or the column of states starting with Texas and ending in North Dakota; I was expecting it to look more like this.  It's actually amazing how little travel west I got growing up; most trips were either to the Thousand Islands, though there were the years we went to Boston, Philadelphia, Toronto, and Washington DC.

I-88 west of I-39 to the Quad Cities may be the flatest, most farm-filled stretch of interstate east of the Mississippi.

[webny99]

I'm a little late here, but honestly this whole discussion can essentially be reconciled by just accepting that Great Lakes and Great Plains are two sub-regions of the Midwest.

[Roadgeekteen]

I'm a little late here, but honestly this whole discussion can essentially be reconciled by just accepting that Great Lakes and Great Plains are two sub-regions of the Midwest.

I mostly agree, but is Buffalo Midwest? It's in the great lakes region.

[CoreySamson]

I'm a little late here, but honestly this whole discussion can essentially be reconciled by just accepting that Great Lakes and Great Plains are two sub-regions of the Midwest.

I mostly agree, but is Buffalo Midwest? It's in the great lakes region.

I think if you can say that Cleveland is in the Midwest, then it's not that much of a stretch to say that Buffalo is also in the Midwest.

I would also say that if the US owned Canada, southern Ontario would also be solidly Midwestern. It seems to have affinities with states like Illinois and Iowa, and it's just across the border from Buffalo.

[Roadgeekteen]

I'm a little late here, but honestly this whole discussion can essentially be reconciled by just accepting that Great Lakes and Great Plains are two sub-regions of the Midwest.

I mostly agree, but is Buffalo Midwest? It's in the great lakes region.

I think if you can say that Cleveland is in the Midwest, then it's not that much of a stretch to say that Buffalo is also in the Midwest.

I would also say that if the US owned Canada, southern Ontario would also be solidly Midwestern. It seems to have affinities with states like Illinois and Iowa, and it's just across the border from Buffalo.

From what I've seen, Buffalo being Midwest seems to be the minority opinion for Buffalo residents.

[Plutonic Panda]

This is a trippy ass conversation.

One thing is for certain, Nevada is not in the Midwest. You don't get this stuff there.

[webny99]

I'm a little late here, but honestly this whole discussion can essentially be reconciled by just accepting that Great Lakes and Great Plains are two sub-regions of the Midwest.

I mostly agree, but is Buffalo Midwest? It's in the great lakes region.

No, because it's in New York state. IMO primary regions such as Midwest™ should be defined as entire states while sub-regions are more loosely defined and can cross state boundaries. So Buffalo can be Northeast-Great Lakes while Chicago is Midwest-Great Lakes.

[webny99]

Found another map that touches on this subject. Discuss!

Aside from the fact that the big five regions don't follow state lines, my biggest problem with this is that the West region is too broad. I just can't reconcile southeastern CA being in the same region as most of North Dakota. Southwest should really be its own region.

I do agree there is a cultural shift within the Dakotas/Nebraska/Kansas that roughly aligns with the shift from "farm country" to "ranch country", yet I still consider regions 28-29 to be part of the Great Plains.

[Scott5114]

I think we should require people to post their mob-rule maps to post in this thread, so we can point and laugh at the people with opinions about unshaded areas on them.

[CoreySamson]

I think we should require people to post their mob-rule maps to post in this thread, so we can point and laugh at the people with opinions about unshaded areas on them.

But, but, but, I have been to the Midwest! Granted, only like 6 counties of it, but I think that's enough.

[/s]

[Roadgeekteen]

I think we should require people to post their mob-rule maps to post in this thread, so we can point and laugh at the people with opinions about unshaded areas on them.

I've actually never been to the Midwest unless you count Buffalo and Pittsburgh as Midwest.

[webny99]

I think we should require people to post their mob-rule maps to post in this thread, so we can point and laugh at the people with opinions about unshaded areas on them.

Since this was immediately following my commentary, I am obliged to point out that my mob-rule map is actually fairly Midwest-centric, and my point about the West was intended to be anti-broad-brushing.

[TheCatalyst31]

I'm a little late here, but honestly this whole discussion can essentially be reconciled by just accepting that Great Lakes and Great Plains are two sub-regions of the Midwest.

That just leads to a separate argument about which states are Great Lakes and which states are Great Plains. You'd think that would be easy (states that border a Great Lake are Great Lakes) until you have to explain why southwest Minnesota is Great Lakes and northeast Iowa isn't, or why the Ozarks count as plains, or...

[Roadgeekteen]

I'm a little late here, but honestly this whole discussion can essentially be reconciled by just accepting that Great Lakes and Great Plains are two sub-regions of the Midwest.

That just leads to a separate argument about which states are Great Lakes and which states are Great Plains. You'd think that would be easy (states that border a Great Lake are Great Lakes) until you have to explain why southwest Minnesota is Great Lakes and northeast Iowa isn't, or why the Ozarks count as plains, or...

States can be split in separate geographical regions. Duluth is clearly Great Lakes, Moorhead is clearly Great Plains.

[JayhawkCO]

I think we should require people to post their mob-rule maps to post in this thread, so we can point and laugh at the people with opinions about unshaded areas on them.

Happily. I will note that I've also lived in four counties in the Midwest region of the map I posted that rekindled this discussion.

[JayhawkCO]

States can be split in separate geographical regions. Duluth is clearly Great Lakes, Morehead is clearly Great Plains.

And both are in the Midwest!

[Roadgeekteen]

I think we should require people to post their mob-rule maps to post in this thread, so we can point and laugh at the people with opinions about unshaded areas on them.

Happily. I will note that I've also lived in four counties in the Midwest region of the map I posted.

I feel like your next big road trip should be in the Seirra Nevada Mountains!