Is Iowa the most "Midwest" of all the Midwest states?

[Hoosierhawkeye]

I thought the map was good in general without nitpicking. If I'm going to nitpick, if you add Old Industry and Up North to the Midwest, it's basically the definition I gave the Midwest earlier. (North of I-70 between KC and Pittsburgh.) I'm not going to comment on anything in the West. I think you include Texas, but it goes up to Tulsa and OKC, and over to parts of Arkansas. I like the Gulf Coast, but probably stop around Gulf Shores. The Gulf Coast part of MS and NOLA are really "Cajun" I'd not have any category that is Florida. I'd have "Miami" in the south, and then the rest is just the South. I'd also have some different subcategories in the Down South area. I'd have the "Deep South" which is MS, AL, GA, and SC. Then I'd have the Mid-Atlantic which are those portions of NC and VA currently in the South. Then I'd have the "Mid South" Which is the South portions of TN, KY, OH, IN, northern Arkansas, Southern MO and Southern IL.

But in general, it's a decent enough map, that if you include Old Industry and Up North in the Midwest, has basically gotten it close to correct.

That's fair. I would say old industry and up north are sub-cultures of the midwest. There just isn't enough difference there IMO to say they are a full culture.

I would probably take it west a little further to eastern Dakotas and all of Minnesota.

I can see the argument against Southern Indiana due to the southern accents you sometimes see there but it's kind of a battle ground there as well as Cincinnati and even maybe Louisville.

Cincy to me feels very midwestern. Skyline chili doesn't seem like a southern food to me, seems like a midwestern idea. I still get a midwestern feel in Louisville but it disappears soon after that as I'm heading south.

 

[torbee]

WTH?

You've never been to Rockford?!

 

[WadeLookingbill]

This map sums it up pretty well, although I'd add the extreme southern portion of Illinois in the Southern category. I'd argue that there should be a added region of Pennsyltucky to include SW PA, North Kentucky and the bottom thirds of OH, IN,and IL. That region is a whole nother world unto itself.

Only thing I'd change is "Out West" would be "Mountain West." I think "Texas" is particularly spot on.

 

[DPUboiler]

That's fair. I would say old industry and up north are sub-cultures of the midwest. There just isn't enough difference there IMO to say they are a full culture.

I would probably take it west a little further to eastern Dakotas and all of Minnesota.

I can see the argument against Southern Indiana due to the southern accents you sometimes see there but it's kind of a battle ground there as well as Cincinnati and even maybe Louisville.

Cincy to me feels very midwestern. Skyline chili doesn't seem like a southern food to me, seems like a midwestern idea. I still get a midwestern feel in Louisville but it disappears soon after that as I'm heading south.

As someone who grew up on the IN/KY border, and now lives on the IN/MI border (In that Old Industry area), I can tell you that those portions of Southern Illinois/Indiana/Ohio south of I-70 are much more southern culturally than midwestern. Not only is it the dialects in those areas. In Evansville, IN, near where I grew up, it is only slightly longer to drive to Atlanta than Chicago. People drive south, they don't drive north, it's all focused south of those areas. And it feels more closely related to Atlanta than Chicago. Carbondale, Illinois is half as close to Memphis as Chicago. In Cincinnati you are going to find just as many UK fans as OSU fans as another example.

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

As someone who grew up on the IN/KY border, and now lives on the IN/MI border (In that Old Industry area), I can tell you that those portions of Southern Illinois/Indiana/Ohio south of I-70 are much more southern culturally than midwestern. Not only is it the dialects in those areas. In Evansville, IN, near where I grew up, it is only slightly longer to drive to Atlanta than Chicago. People drive south, they don't drive north, it's all focused south of those areas. And it feels more closely related to Atlanta than Chicago. Carbondale, Illinois is half as close to Memphis as Chicago. In Cincinnati you are going to find just as many UK fans as OSU fans as another example.

Where do you live near the IN/MI border, because I live there. I think my house is about 5 miles from the state line and about 5 miles on the eastern side of the eastern/central time zone line.

(Edit: Wow just checked this with google maps and I'm shocked how on my estimate was. 5.4 miles to IN/MI state line and 5.7 miles to the timezone line.)

 

[DPUboiler]

Where do you live near the IN/MI border, because I live there. I think my house is about 5 miles from the state line and about 5 miles on the eastern side of the eastern/central time zone line.

(Edit: Wow just checked this with google maps and I'm shocked how on my estimate was. 5.4 miles to IN/MI state line and 5.7 miles to the timezone line.)

Near South Bend, 2 homes away from the state line.

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

Near South Bend, 2 homes away from the state line.

I work in South Bend, live the country between New Carlisle and SB.

Terre Coupee, if you head west on 2 or 20 often you know where I'm talking about.

 

[mthawkeyes]

This map sums it up pretty well, although I'd add the extreme southern portion of Illinois in the Southern category. I'd argue that there should be a added region of Pennsyltucky to include SW PA, North Kentucky and the bottom thirds of OH, IN,and IL. That region is a whole nother world unto itself.

 

[Gimmered]

So old industry isn't part of the midwest?

Do you know how many corn fields on have just on my road alone?

This! When I hear Midwest, I think factories as much as ag.

Nebraska is Great Plains.

 

[Colonoscopy]

So what exactly makes up the criteria of what should be considered Midwest?

Culture, industry, topography and climate?

How much weight to each?

 

[cigaretteman]

This! When I hear Midwest, I think factories as much as ag.

Nebraska is Great Plains.

Most of Nebraska for sure, but there is a little bit of midwest overlap along its eastern shore.

 

[PoopandBoogers]

Near South Bend, 2 homes away from the state line.

Trivia question- Where's the RV capital of the world?

Last time I was in that area (Mishawaka) I saw a van full of Amish do a 360 skid at the entrance to the Ryan's Steakhouse one snowy and icy afternoon. The door opened and like 20 bonnets and beards hopped out ranging in ages from 3 to 300. They couldn't get out of that van fast enough!

 

[DPUboiler]

Trivia question- Where's the RV capital of the world?

Last time I was in that area (Mishawaka) I saw a van full of Amish do a 360 skid at the entrance to the Ryan's Steakhouse one snowy and icy afternoon. The door opened and like 20 bonnets and beards hopped out ranging in ages from 3 to 300. They couldn't get out of that van fast enough!

Yeah, Elkhart County is one if the most unique placed around, with a large white and AA populations, plus all the Amish. Plus a huge Hispanic base. Elkhart County alone has communities of Elkhart, Goshen, Dunlap, Jimtown, Nappanee, Wakarusa, Fairfield, Middlebury. That's 8 unique cities with their own HS.

 

[Gimmered]

Midwest Women.

Great Plains.

 

[PoopandBoogers]

So what exactly makes up the criteria of what should be considered Midwest?

Culture, industry, topography and climate?

How much weight to each?

Use the words Pop, Anymore, or Hotdish in normal conversation.

 

[Gimmered]

Most of Nebraska for sure, but there is a little bit of midwest overlap along its eastern shore.

That's because you want to claim Omaha. Cutoff is the Missouri River.

 

[Colonoscopy]

Use the words Pop, Anymore, or Hotdish in normal conversation.

Anymore is a Midwest thing?

 

[cigaretteman]

Use the words Pop, Anymore, or Hotdish in normal conversation.

Eh, lots of Wisconsin says Soda, an Hotdish is Minnesotan. Few Iowans use that term for a casserole.

 

[Whiskeydeltadeltatango]

You love being wrong Whiskey!

Here are some pics from the "non-Midwest" state of Ohio:

Dont care, not Midwestern. If you live east of Atlanta, ya don't get in.

 

[QChawks]

I like it

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

I like it

View embedded media

Subtract Missouri and it's correct IMO. Missouri is southern.

 

[franklinman]

who are these morons in Pennsylvania and Tennessee?

Pennsyltuckians, an area between Pittsburgh and Philly.

 

[Gimmered]

I like it

View embedded media

You could add Wyoming and Colorado east of the Rocky mountains to the Great Planes.

 

[QChawks]

Subtract Missouri and it's correct IMO. Missouri is southern.

Honestly if it was decision I’d only call parts of states Midwest.

East Nebby, West Ohio and northern Mizzo

 

[joelbc1]

Subtract Missouri and it's correct IMO. Missouri is southern.

Just ‘cause Mizzery thought slaves were a good idea?

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

Just ‘cause Mizzery thought slaves were a good idea?

Well my wife is a southerner, lived in the South all her life until we got married. She always thought of Missouri as being a southern state.

There are some states where you could argue parts of them are midwestern but I strongly believe that the only states that are entirely midwestern is Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. To the west are the great plains states, to the east is the Eastern seaboard/New England and to the south is the south.

 

[torbee]

There are some states where you could argue parts of them are midwestern but I strongly believe that the only states that are entirely midwestern is Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio..

Or, as I said in 2023 - any state that has an ORIGINGAL Big 10 University in it.