As it relates to the United State’ current territory, perhaps. I always assumed that name was an historical legacy from when our territory was much smaller. In the very earlier years of the republic, America’s western border was the Mississippi River. I believe back then most Americans would have considered everything west of the Appalachians to be The West. Then we added the Louisiana Purchase to our territory, and all that land became The West, and the stuff between the Appalachians and the Mississippi became the Midwest.
ETA: Wait, I may have misunderstood your question. I think you might be saying the Midwest is more a description of a region with a common culture, rather than a geographic description.
Actually, I was saying the Midwest is more a label for a region, rather than a geographic description. If that makes any sense.
But I think you (and others) are correct when you state that the ‘Midwest’ is a historical legacy from 200 years ago. And I guess if Ohio was in the Midwest in 1823, it’s still in the Midwest in 2023.
I grew up in far-eastern South Dakota, and always considered it part of the Midwest. I currently live in Minnesota farm country, and it’s similar to eastern SD. Since most residents of SD (and ND) live in farmable land within a hundred miles of MN, it’d make sense they would vote themselves into the Midwest. The arid western half of SD could easily be considered the start of the mountainous area. I suspect other states have geographic and population differences as well, such as Illinois.
My mother’s family had deep roots in northwestern PA, and none of them would have described it as “Midwestern.” In fact, my aunt moved from Cleveland when she married my uncle, and she was always treated as an exotic from way out west, even though her old neighborhood was only a two hour drive away.
Born and raised here in Ohio, although I’ve lived in Chicago and the twin Cities. I’ve always considered Ohio a state with different, fairly distinct regions.
The Cleveland and Toledo areas, along with Detroit and Chicago, are distinctly Great Lakes. Some will uncharitably call it the “Rust-Belt”. Cleveland Specifically is Great lakes with a historical and still tangible bit of New England. I feel that geographically and culturally, the Great Lakes is a region as just as “Midwest”, “Great Plains”, “New England”, etc. Southeast Ohio (East of I-77), Southern Ohio along the Ohio River, and Cincinnati is pretty much Upper Appalachia. Ohio West of I-77 (Including Columbus and Dayton), North of Cincinnati, and South of State Rt 30 is Midwestern Ohio.
I’d be interested to see a breakdown on a county level. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Pennsylvanians in Pittsburgh and Erie saying they live in the Midwest and Pennsylvanians in Philadelphia and Scranton saying they live on the East Coast.
I was listening to this interview with a chef and author who made an observation that I’d not heard before. He says that the Midwest is characterized by historical settlement by German immigrants. It’s a neat idea.
Given Wisconsin’s love of beer and bratwurst that is not surprising in the least. (I didn’t listen to the full 25 minute interview, so I don’t know if that was mentioned).
Of course that region has a lot of Scandinavian influence as well. I’d say Wisconsin is about equal parts German and Scandinavian, while if you head west to Minnesota the Scandinavian influence becomes stronger.
Actually, part of it does have its own culture.
The “Mormon Corridor” aka, the Jell-) Belt, where Mormon culture is a major influence. The map above is a little larger than what I would define it, but it gives the idea.
Growing up in a very Mormon Utah in the 60s and 70s, I was blissfully unaware of anything outside this cultural island.
Not that you’re wrong, but the quote above shows the problem. “Parts of it” to be specific. The same way that parts of Colorado show a strong Southwest influence. Or parts (the eastern plains) shows strong Midwest influence.
Not that I think any of us are strongly disagreeing. We’ve all made the points in other threads about the so-called red state vs blue state being a whole lot closer to blue-ish urban areas vs red-ish rural areas, with lots of individual exceptions. Like a lot of things, geographical regions can work as short hand for the areas, possibly cultures, but even a casual review shows that it isn’t that simple.
-le sigh-
But enough nit-picking, you’re correct that there’s a chunk of strongly Mormon influenced area roughly along the lines you cited, and it’s a shared culture. Although I tend to find strong divisions between the urban (mainstream?) Mormons, and the more-than-slightly crazed rural Mormons such as Bundy and his ilk that seem to predominate (or at least, get the most NEWS) outside of Utah proper. But that’s likely part of the earlier urban/rural split, or (just as likely) confirmation bias.
Ohio is as Midwest as they come. Like a previous poster, I was surprised only 76% of Ohioans realize they are the very definition of Midwest. (Interesting that another poster suggested older folks place the heart of the Midwest further east than younger folks do.)
ETA: I see our dear Chronos doesn’t fully realize he’s 100% Midwestern!
It’s a vernacular (cognitive) region — which usually means “fuzzy borders.” It is definitely a “geographic description,” once you realize that “geography” can include many things that are partly or entirely just in human minds.
Years ago I was in Jamestown, about as far west in Western New York as you can get, with a friend who grew up in Boston and had lived in Lansing MI for 25+ years. She said that the area struck her as very Midwestern.
Yeah, those are the ones I definitely would lump in with “Midwest.” I find Ohio interesting, as I do think of it as Midwest, there’s elements of the East and South, depending on where in Ohio you are. It’s basically a crossroads. But that said, despite the talk about Pennsylvania in no shape being Midwest, I do have to say parts of Pennsylvania do give me a distinct Midwestern vibe, so I can totally understand why some might consider it Midwest still.
I’m also open to including Kansas and Nebraska under the Midwest, though the Dakotas, for some reason, don’t really belong to me. But I don’t really have anywhere else to put them, and the self-identifying poll above has a greater percentage of its residents calling themselves Midwestern than in KS and NE.
