Where does the West begin? (estimate, transit, area)

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by imperialmog

One issue that is brought up is weather or not the Great Plains is more of a Midwestern or Western region? (personally I see it as both, though the southern parts of the plains are Southern and Western)[/

Very much agreed, Imperialmog.

I don't know all that much about the northern plains states, but I see them (as you seem to say) they are both western and Midwestern in the same way Texas (and most of Oklahoma) are both western and Southern.

I go back to something I brought up earlier and has always been a major foundation concerning this subject. That is, that there are two "wests". On is geographical and involves a frontier era, post-bellum settlement, and certain other loose characteristics that distinguish it from the "east".

The other west is the West of coherent regional definition (Census Bureau). States which are west of the "Frontier Strip" and share a strong common history and culture in the same way as do the Southern and Midwestern states.

Frontier Strip - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So the central and northern plains states are western in the former sense...but the historcial/cultural affiliation is Midwestern. Same as Texas (and Oklahoma) are western, but Southern in proper grouping.

This as compared with a Colorado or Arizona, which are western AND part of the West.

[MN55]

I would say the Missouri River divides the West and Midwest in the Dakotas. A similar line should be drawn somewhere through Nebraska and Kansas. I don't know enough about Oklahoma and Texas though.

[CharlotteNCRepublican]

West Coast / Pacific Coast

California
Oregon
Hawaii
Alaska
Washington
Nevada

Mountain West

Montana
Wyoming
Both Dakotas
Kansas
Nebraska
Idaho
Utah
Colorado

South West

Texas
Oklahoma
New Mexico
Arizona






Those are what I consider "West"


Here's mine for the east


Northeast

New Hampshire
Vermont
Massachusetts
New York
Maine
Rhode Island
Connecticut
New Jersey
Pennsylvania

Mid-Atlantic

Delaware
West Virginia
Maryland

Border South

Missouri
Virginia (Geographically)
Kentucky

The Boot South

Arkansas
Louisiana

Deep South

Both Carolinas
Alabama
Mississippi
Florida (Geographically)
Georgia



The Middle-east

Michigan
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Ohio
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa

[Kid Cann]

According to the Twin Cities...

Minneapolis is the first city of the West and St. Paul is the last city of the East..

However, that's before the odd term 'Midwest' was made up and became some crazy phenomenon

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by CharlotteNCRepublican

South West

Texas
Oklahoma
New Mexico
Arizona

Gotta disagree on this grouping, CharlotteNC.

Texas (and Oklahoma) do not belong in the same sub-region with New Mexico and Arizona. Very different history and cultures here.

All are western of course, but Texas and Oklahoma only in the sense they are not "eastern."

And yes, all can be properly called "Southwestern." But the former pair were very much and foremost shaped by the American South and are better described as "western South". While the latter are "southern West" Two very different "southwests."

[californio sur]

Originally Posted by CharlotteNCRepublican

West Coast / Pacific Coast

California
Oregon
Hawaii
Alaska
Washington
Nevada

Mountain West

Montana
Wyoming
Both Dakotas
Kansas
Nebraska
Idaho
Utah
Colorado

Kansas and Nebraska are hardly "mountain" states by any stretch. Also both North and South Dakota do not belong in the "Mountain West" though the Black Hills in far western South Dakota certainly qualify as mountains. Upper Plains states are a more precise description for the Dakotas and Nebraska or just Midwest including Kansas.

[greenbay33]

For me, it depends. Geographically, I would say the where the tallgrass prairie turned to shortgrass prairie was where the west began geographically, which is a line from near Grand Island Nebraska heading northeast to about Columbus and then follows highway 81 or there a bouts. Culturally though I would say say it begins somewhere between kearney and north platte. There is still a lot of farming out in Grand Island and Hastings and the western edge of northeast ne. This is where the culture starts changing from corn and bean farming and feedlots to ranching, and I don't really see ranching as a midwest business. Also, while the sandhills are certainly in nebraska, I've never felt they were the "Midwest". Living in eastern nebraska, I always felt we had more in common with Iowa and northern Missouri and central illinois than even Westenr Nebraska. Anyway once you get past North Platte NE, its the west. At least in NE. I would say the same for South Dakota, and anyone who says the Black Hills is in the midwest is crazy.

[Scotty011]

Virginia is not a border state. It is a Southern state.

[jtur88]

The west begins right here, at this sign:

Where the West Begins Sign | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

That's in Forth Worth, Texas. Which is a pretty good contender. It's pretty obvious that Fort Worth is in the west, and Dallas is in the east.

[eddie gein]

The west half of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota are basically the great plains. But the great plains region is more western than it is anything else.