How do you define the Midwest?

[kphoger]

Honestly, the terrain of Illinois surprised me.  I wasn't expecting so many farms that far east.

Coming back to this thought...  When I think of "Illinois countryside", this is what comes to mind first.  And, when I think of boring ol' I-55, this is what comes to mind.  Then there's stuff like this and this.  Eventually, I also think of more wooded areas, but that's not what comes to mind first.

[Scott5114]

National Geographic shaped my sense of United States regions as we had a set of paper maps that divided Great Plains from the Midwest.  So as NatGeo wrote, so as NatGeo does...

I think that largely influences how I divide the Midwest as well, lol.

Of course, they only divided it there because they had to print their maps on paper with edges.

I think another thing that might have shaped my perception is the old "Midwest/Great Lakes" board on the forum, since the rest of it is "Central States".  Even now, my brain still uses the old name for the board, despite Kentucky being merged in to make it "Great Lakes and Ohio Valley".

I recently stumbled across a draft map I made when we were trying to decide how to split things up originally. I think it underscores that any sort of understanding of the world based on those splits is folly.

[vdeane]

I have never heard of a mideast region being used in any situation.

So... where's Syria, then?

Middle East or Near East.

And the short form of middle is...

Honestly, the terrain of Illinois surprised me.  I wasn't expecting so many farms that far east.

Coming back to this thought...  When I think of "Illinois countryside", this is what comes to mind first.  And, when I think of boring ol' I-55, this is what comes to mind.  Then there's stuff like this and this.  Eventually, I also think of more wooded areas, but that's not what comes to mind first.

Yeah, what I was expecting turned out to be more like Michigan on I-94.  That last view is how I imagine Iowa.

[Roadgeekteen]

I have never heard of a mideast region being used in any situation.

So... where's Syria, then?

Middle East or Near East.

And the short form of middle is...

Fair enough, but nobody says "Middle West" so I wouldn't say Middle East and Mideast are the same.

[TheCatalyst31]

I have never heard of a mideast region being used in any situation.

So... where's Syria, then?

Middle East or Near East.

And the short form of middle is...

Fair enough, but nobody says "Middle West" so I wouldn't say Middle East and Mideast are the same.

People call the Midwest the Middle West every once in a while, even if it's not very common.

[Roadgeekteen]

I have never heard of a mideast region being used in any situation.

So... where's Syria, then?

Middle East or Near East.

And the short form of middle is...

Fair enough, but nobody says "Middle West" so I wouldn't say Middle East and Mideast are the same.

People call the Midwest the Middle West every once in a while, even if it's not very common.

Searched Middle West on Google, found this: https://middlewestspirits.com/. I guess this proves it, Ohio is Midwest or "Middle West".

[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.

[Big John]

^^ and Maryland?

[wriddle082]

^^ and Maryland?

Thanks, no Maryland either.  I keep thinking they're still an ACC school.

[Road Hog]

The Texas Heartland region is way too generic. There's the Hill Country, the Lost Pines, the Blacklands Prairie, the fairly expansive metro regions.

[Roadgeekteen]

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.

Pennslyvania overall is more east coast than Midwest, though the west has Midwest influences. Maybe Pittsubrgh Er

^^ and Maryland?

Thanks, no Maryland either.  I keep thinking they're still an ACC school.

Maryland should have stayed in the ACC. Nobody really cares about them in the BIG.