As a Wisconsinite, I’ve always been confused why it’s considered “midwest”. Wisconsin is in the eastern half of the US, and at the very top. Should be called the “midnorth”
Well America used to be just a handful of colonies along the eastern seaboard, but then there was the whole manifest destiny thing. Going west meant heading out to the new frontier. Midwesterners are people who gave up midway.
“Midwest” was once called “West”. Like, Ohio was “The West”, with “The West” meaning anything west the coastal plain.
Then people went even further west, but they still wanted to call the west of the past “West” so they called it “Middle West”.
You kind of see the same thing in Asia. To Europe, Jerusalem was in “The East”. Heck, even Constantinople was in “The East?” Then people saw just how much East there was. So… Middle East?
“Midwest” was once called “West”. Like, Ohio was “The West”, with “The West” meaning anything west the coastal plain.
Officially, no it wasn’t. Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and 1/2 of Minnesota were originally part of the Northwest Territory, named such due to it’s position with with respects to the Ohio River. This territory was gained from Great Britain in the peace treaty that ended the Revolutionary War.
The culture of the Northwest Territory tended to just follow the rest of the country westwards as more states were added to the union, until we get to where we are today.
Is Idaho 25% dumbasses? I’ve never been
Higher percent then that considering how OBGYN’s are running from the state like its on fire due to post Roe stuff they’ve been doing.
Good point.
I’ll give the western Midwest states a pass but the really confusing part here is how anyone in Minnesota/Wisconsin/Illinois/Indiana/Iowa/Ohio can think they aren’t in the Midwest…
For Ohio, it’s important to remember that the southeast 1/3 of the state is Appalachian foothills. As for the other state, I have no fucking clue
Ohioian here. Its the name. Mid…west. We aren’t in the middle of the country, and we’re not west. If anything, Maine to Indiana should be called the “North East”.
The mid-west should be South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado should be the “Mid-west”.
This area might have been the mid-west in the early 1800s, but we gained a crapload of states since then!
wyoming and colorado are so high? like nah bro ur j west. also ohio being lower than illinois is nuts. maybe a lot of people in the appalachia region bc here in toledo we know where we are.
It’s probably the same confused souls in Kentucky
From the driver’s seat of a semi, Colorado feels like bits and pieces of its neighboring states smooshed together. You got Utahrado, New Mexirado, Wyomirado, and, yes, Nebraskarado, which is probably where the Midwestern Coloradans live. The only part where I really feel like I’m in a distinct state is the high mountain forests that shoot down the middle of the state.
Denver is probably where it is because it’s right at the intersection of quite a few of these biomes. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn it’s been a major trading center for about as long as humans have roamed the continent.
Yeah I can’t believe it. We are “mountain west” (as opposed to pacific west).
My bet with Wyoming is that most of the (admittedly small) population is in the Eastern part of the state, like Cheyenne and Laramie, if kinda makes sense they’d see themselves as more “Midwest”
Same for Eastern Colorado. It looks suspiciously like Kansas, but more desolate.
It really feels like there’s been some sort of movement in Ohio to disown being in the Midwest. I’m in north east Ohio and I know I’m in the Midwest.
I’ve definitely visited that 9% in Pensyltucky.
The Ohio River was once the border of the frontier. Some ways that border is still there.
Some ways that border is still there.
Yes, but flipped. Have any y’all been to West Virginia?