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I'd have to say probably South Dakota. It has a large metro that is arguably Western in character (Rapid City) and 50 to 60 percent of the state is semi-arid "High Plains", while western North Dakota is considerably more well-watered and Midwestern in character. It also has a very strong Native American influence which I think of as being more of a "Western thing".
It also has the Black Hills which are a classic part of Western history, ie the Deadwood gold mining era.
Nebraska is another possibility since it has a large Mexican population and most of the state is semi-arid in character, though it is most east-centric than South Dakota and most of its people live in the eastern, very Midwestern part of the state.
I voted SD because of the Black Hills and Badlands, which are probably the most significant "western" landscapes east of the actual Mountain West states.
Minnesota definitely feels more western than both of the Dakotas. This is undeniable. No contest. The sound of loons calling, Lake Superior, hardwood forests, the Boundary Waters, the Driftless, the Mighty Mississippi...very western.
Minnesota definitely feels more western than both of the Dakotas. This is undeniable. No contest. The sound of loons calling, Lake Superior, hardwood forests, the Boundary Waters, the Driftless, the Mighty Mississippi...very western.
Love South Dakota, but to me Western Nebraska feels more western than the other states. Once you get past North Platte the climate becomes a lot drier and cattle ranches are commonplace.
Western South Dakota doesn't feel like the Midwest at all, it's more like Wyoming or Colorado as opposed to areas in Eastern SD like Sioux Falls that are more similar to Minnesota or Iowa. In this case, I might go for South Dakota. Just visit Rapid City and the Black Hills.
I feel like Nebraska is cut from the same cloth as South Dakota, but I also feel like Nebraska is very similar to Iowa in the long run. So overall, more Midwestern than Western.
Kansas, I wouldn't say so, although some towns have that stereotypical "Western" image like Dodge City.
North Dakota, not too dissimilar from Minnesota IMO so I wouldn't say so.
Minnesota, definitely more similar to states like Wisconsin and Michigan so I wouldn't say so.
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