# "Midwest" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 7, 2010, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247 "2010-06-07T04:46:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/1 "2010-06-07T04:46:29Z")
Attention: People of The United States. Ohio is not “midwest”. Michigan is not “midwest”. Midwest is an archaic term that was only relevant when 90% of the American population lived on the Eastern Seaboard. Take a look at the fucking map once in a while. I live in Minneapolis. We straddle the Mississippi river at the top center of our nation’s landmass. If anything, we are “north central”, not middle fucking west. Ohio is, to most Americans, EAST. Hell, to the people of Texas and California, is may as well be called the NORTHEAST. So let’s clear this shit up straight away, ok? ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/2 "2010-06-07T04:54:20Z")
Did you ever consider the midwest as a cultural thing rather than a specific geographical location? missred (native Hoosier, midwesterner) ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/3 "2010-06-07T05:04:47Z")
Then why does my school think we are the champions of the WEST, huh? Huh? Also, my BFF is French and doesn’t understand why Arizona isn’t part of the South. Is she right? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/4 "2010-06-07T05:11:52Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Attention: People of The United States. > > Ohio is not “midwest”. Michigan is not “midwest”. Midwest is an archaic term that was only relevant when 90% of the American population lived on the Eastern Seaboard. > > Take a look at the fucking map once in a while. I live in Minneapolis. We straddle the Mississippi river at the top center of our nation’s landmass. If anything, we are “north central”, not middle fucking west. Ohio is, to most Americans, EAST. Hell, to the people of Texas and California, is may as well be called the NORTHEAST. > > So let’s clear this shit up straight away, ok? Bah. Ohio and Michigan are all a bunch of damn yankees, and I hope they both lose. Preferably to an SEC school for the SEC/BCS Championship. Again. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/5 "2010-06-07T05:43:01Z")
“Midwest” is a general term to describe the region of the continental United States that is flat, yellow-brown, hot in the summer and cold in the winter, routinely flooded once or twice a decade, and in which all permanent homes have a basement shelter where you go when the tornado sirens go off. It also has bland Mexican food, boiled vegetables, deep-fried Chinese takeout, and a drive-in with soft serve ice cream (or frozen custard in Wisconsin) in every small town. People in the Midwest get all excited about cars going round and round in a circle really fast, but don’t understand all the excitement about football (which they call “soccer”). The TV programming in the Midwest is one hour earlier so they can go to bed quicker. People in the Midwest look at suspicion at any state that has a city named “Portland”, and are morally convinced that their Springfield is the one true Springfield. There are a lot of Civil War reenactments in the Midwest in which neither side wins, but the Indians always lose, and they still name their sports after terrorists and vanished native nations. In the Midwest, the gas is cheaper, the corn is taller, and the cows have the vote. The Midwest is full of pleasant, clean, generic mid-sized cities that are named confusingly after a potpourri of Romans, Greeks, Germans, Poles, Indians, and cities in other states. _Escape From New York_ was filmed in the Midwest. Sailing in the Midwest consists of towing your Sunfish out to the local reservoir and going around and around in circles until the wind dies, then skulling your way back to the boat ramp. People in the Midwest live in fear of some very odd things, such as (but not limited to) hummus, electric vehicles, sharks, New York-style pizza, Eastern Europeans, Donald Trump, arugula, Red Army troops hiding in salt mines under Lake Michigan, dark chocolate, Japanese tourists, and bug-eyed aliens mutilating their livestock. You may naysay me, but sir, I have lived in the Midwest. I know of what I speak. And as flat and uninteresting as it is, I’d rather live there than in the South. Especially Florida. That place is messed up. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/6 "2010-06-07T05:50:51Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > People in the Midwest live in fear of some very odd things, such as (but not limited to) hummus, electric vehicles, sharks, New York-style pizza, Eastern Europeans, Donald Trump, arugula, Red Army troops hiding in salt mines under Lake Michigan, dark chocolate, Japanese tourists, and bug-eyed aliens mutilating their livestock. hummus - good sir, I live in Southeast Michigan. We have hummus. If it’s from the Middle East, we have it here. electric vehicles - yes sharks - no? There are no sharks in the Great Lakes New York-style pizza - I know not of what you speak. Eastern Europeans - I think the fine people of Chicago would disagree with you. Donald Trump - who _doesn’t_ fear Donald Trump? arugula - who’s scared of a leafy green? Red Army troops under Lake Michigan - those are groundhogs. Easy to make that mistake. dark chocolate - a life without is a sad thing. Japanese tourists - truly, a trial we all much endure. bug-eyed aliens mutilating our livestock - I only learned about the danger of cattle mutes here on the SDMB. I now keep my eyes peeled, constantly aware of the danger. As should we all. ---
**Author:** ![2ply](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/b2d939/32.png) [@2ply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2ply)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/7 "2010-06-07T05:52:12Z")
I prefer to refer to the region by it’s original name, the Northwest. Any part of the country acquired after 1790 isn’t Real America anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/8 "2010-06-07T06:00:12Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > People in the Midwest live in fear of some very odd things, such as (but not limited to) hummus, electric vehicles, sharks, New York-style pizza, Eastern Europeans, Donald Trump, arugula, Red Army troops hiding in salt mines under Lake Michigan, dark chocolate, Japanese tourists, and bug-eyed aliens mutilating their livestock. You left out SEC defenses. Oh, and yankees love football, they just aren’t as good at is as SEC teams. Pretty much nobody here cares about soccer. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/9 "2010-06-07T06:00:57Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > “Midwest” is a general term to describe the region of the continental United States that is flat, yellow-brown, hot in the summer and cold in the winter, routinely flooded once or twice a decade, and in which all permanent homes have a basement shelter where you go when the tornado sirens go off. It also has bland Mexican food, boiled vegetables, deep-fried Chinese takeout, and a drive-in with soft serve ice cream (or frozen custard in Wisconsin) in every small town.[…] You forgot the Jello Salad. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/10 "2010-06-07T06:22:20Z")
I was given to understand that Pittsburgh is in the “Midwest”, which is obviously further east than Ohio. Didn’t make sense to me when I heard it, but neither does National League division alignment. I mean, the Braves in the East, and Pittsburgh in the Central? What up wit’ dat? BTW, you must have a GREAT life for this to rate as a pit topic. Can I be you? I’d be a good Chimera, Chimera. I would uphold the good Chimera name. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/11 "2010-06-07T06:27:15Z")
Okay, long shot but I’m taking it. Many years ago, someone started a thread about something that perplexed him, and I don’t think anyone else understood either. Or if they did, I don’t remember it. He and his wife had recently relocated to a place that was regarded as Midwestern, but I don’t remember where. At Christmas, he’d given token gifts to a neighbor couple and their two kids. The kids’ gifts were generic toys, and were returned with the explanation that the kids were not allowed to have toys. The guy’s wife, who was apparently from that general area, sighed profoundly and said, “It’s a midwestern thing, and try as you might, you’ll never understand.” That’s certainly the only time I’ve heard of kids not having toys as a “midwestern thing.” Anyone else? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/12 "2010-06-07T07:57:48Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > I was given to understand that Pittsburgh is in the “Midwest”, which is obviously further east than Ohio. Nope, “Northeast” and more specifically, “Mid-Atlantic” ( distinct from “New England” ). [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_regions_of_the_United_States). ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/13 "2010-06-07T08:15:08Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Nope, “Northeast” and more specifically, “Mid-Atlantic” ( distinct from “New England” ). > > [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_regions_of_the_United_States). Back at’cha > **[Midwestern United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwestern_United_States#Cultural_overlap_with_neighboring_regions)** > > The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland, the American Midwest, or, datedly, the Middle West) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It was officially named the North Central Region by the U.S. Census Bureau until 1984. It is between the Northeastern United States and the Western United States, with Canada to the north and the Southern United States to the s Th... ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/14 "2010-06-07T08:19:14Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Nope, “Northeast” and more specifically, “Mid-Atlantic” ( distinct from “New England” ). > > [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_regions_of_the_United_States). Only because it’s being lumped in with the rest of Pennsylvania in the linked-to categorization (the U.S. census bureau’s), which treats each state as a whole. But there’s definitely call to treat Pittsburgh as more akin in some ways with Ohio than, say, Philadelphia. It’s a point of nexus, but it’s not entirely unreasonable to consider it as right up against the Midwest. But, anyway, more to the point, even the linked-to U.S. census bureau classification treats Ohio and Michigan as part of the Midwest. ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/15 "2010-06-07T08:20:56Z")
I don’t get the toy thing and i am from Indiana. All my family and friends had toys, and i have no idea what she’s doing. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/16 "2010-06-07T08:52:32Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > Okay, long shot but I’m taking it. Many years ago, someone started a thread about something that perplexed him, and I don’t think anyone else understood either. Or if they did, I don’t remember it. > > He and his wife had recently relocated to a place that was regarded as Midwestern, but I don’t remember where. At Christmas, he’d given token gifts to a neighbor couple and their two kids. The kids’ gifts were generic toys, and were returned with the explanation that the kids were not allowed to have toys. The guy’s wife, who was apparently from that general area, sighed profoundly and said, “It’s a midwestern thing, and try as you might, you’ll never understand.” > > That’s certainly the only time I’ve heard of kids not having toys as a “midwestern thing.” Anyone else? You sure they didn’t say “Mennonite thing”? Because otherwise, the explanation is that they are insane. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/17 "2010-06-07T09:20:28Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > Back at’cha > > [Midwestern United States - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwestern_United_States#Cultural_overlap_with_neighboring_regions) Huh. My father’s side of the family is from Pittsburgh and its environs ( Export and Greensburg mostly ) and I can’t say I’ve ever considered it midwestern. It was always distinctly eastern to me. And I lived in Michigan for a time, which I did consider the Midwest. Just goes to show…something, I guess :). ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/18 "2010-06-07T09:58:51Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Huh. My father’s side of the family is from Pittsburgh and its environs ( Export and Greensburg mostly ) and I can’t say I’ve ever considered it midwestern. It was always distinctly eastern to me. And I lived in Michigan for a time, which I did consider the Midwest. > > Just goes to show…something, I guess :). I’m from Pittsburgh myself, and I’ve always been iffy with the idea of Pittsburgh as the Midwest. I guess I see the point of the Wiki article I linked to, as many things in life have no clearly defined borders. I suppose it all depends on what you use to base your “Midwest” definition on: historical, cultural, or as in the OP, geographical references. There are likely still other ways to define it. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/19 "2010-06-07T10:33:21Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > Back at’cha > > [Midwestern United States - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwestern_United_States#Cultural_overlap_with_neighboring_regions) Best. URL. Shortening. EVER. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247/20 "2010-06-07T11:44:59Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Take a look at the fucking map once in a while. I live in Minneapolis. We straddle the Mississippi river at the top center of our nation’s landmass. If anything, we are “north central”, not middle fucking west. If it makes you feel any better, we don’t think of Minnesota as the Midwest. We think of you as Baja Canada. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midwest/542247.md?page=2)