Which "coast" term do you prefer for the Great Lakes region? (neighborhood, suite)

[OyCrumbler]

I've seen a number of terms thrown around for the Great Lakes region in a way to sort of fit the schema people use for referring to the West Coast and the East Coast.

The most popular ones seem to be the North Coast, Fresh Coast, and Third Coast with various organizations and/or festivals taking place in the area taking one of those names.

Of these, which do you like best? Are there other notable ones you've heard used before? Do you think it makes sense to sort of unify the identity of the region using any of these terms (rather than say using the Midwest or Upper Midwest)?

[SDPMiami]

The third coast to me is the Gulf coast (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, western Florida). Not the great lakes.

I guess "Fresh Coast" makes the most sense though to me, a lake can never have a coast.

[JoanCrawford]

Fresh Coast just sounds stupid. I'll go with North Coast.

[jennifat]

Ugh. Why does the Great Lakes region have to be a "coast"?

"Coast" generally implies saltwater ocean frontage, not inland lakes several hundred feet in elevation and hundreds of miles from the sea.

[SDPMiami]

Originally Posted by JoanCrawford

Fresh Coast just sounds stupid. I'll go with North Coast.

North Coast is better suited for the northern shores of Alaska that touch the Arctic Ocean.

[JoanCrawford]

Originally Posted by SDPMiami

North Coast is better suited for the northern shores of Alaska that touch the Arctic Ocean.

Yeah, that's true... I don't really know then. Maybe the "lost coast"?

[mjlo]

Originally Posted by jennifat

Ugh. Why does the Great Lakes region have to be a "coast"?

"Coast" generally implies saltwater ocean frontage, not inland lakes several hundred feet in elevation and hundreds of miles from the sea.

Hydrologically speaking they are fresh water seas. Very coastal in orientation given their size. Id call them the Inland coast.

[OyCrumbler]

Originally Posted by SDPMiami

North Coast is better suited for the northern shores of Alaska that touch the Arctic Ocean.

Though by that measure, should West Coast be just the domain of Hawaii since it's a state way farther out than California, Oregon, or Washington? Maybe then we can start calling California, Oregon, and Washington the Midwest Coast just to keep things super clear.

[PerseusVeil]

I realize we have the North Coast music festival here in Chicago, but these all sound rather weird considering we just refer to Lake Michigan as the lake. Hence Lake Shore Dr, the lakefront trial, the Lakeview neighborhood, etc.

[rnc2mbfl]

I didn't know that this subject was a thing.