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You forgot to include St. Louis, Columbus, and Cincinnati as examples of Midwestern cities. All-in-all, I think the best way to describe places like Kansas City, Fargo, and Omaha are "Western Midwest."
Well I guess in terms of geography, it would seem that the MO portion of the KC metro is 100% midwest, because of all of the trees and hills that you see... while the further you go west into the KS side, it becomes more flat, less trees.... aka plains. It's divided down the middle imho which makes it pretty cool. Oh and I think the whole KC BBQ "culture" if you will really makes it a western/southern type of city -- kind of reminds me of TX.
Well I guess in terms of geography, it would seem that the MO portion of the KC metro is 100% midwest, because of all of the trees and hills that you see... while the further you go west into the KS side, it becomes more flat, less trees.... aka plains. It's divided down the middle imho which makes it pretty cool. Oh and I think the whole KC BBQ "culture" if you will really makes it a western/southern type of city -- kind of reminds me of TX.
Having lived there, no doubt in my mind - KCMO - midwestern. I love Kansas City! And just for the record - Kansas City, KS has changed tremendously over the last 5 or so years and no longer deserves the "dump" reputation it has had for decades - big improvements there economically.
Having lived there, no doubt in my mind - KCMO - midwestern. I love Kansas City! And just for the record - Kansas City, KS has changed tremendously over the last 5 or so years and no longer deserves the "dump" reputation it has had for decades - big improvements there economically.
What are the exact reasons that you consider Kansas City to be a Midwest city instead of a Great Plains city?
I have lived in E Kansas near the KC metro for over 20 years and it just feels more like a Plains city compared with Minneapolis, Madison, Chicago, Columbus, etc.
Well I guess in terms of geography, it would seem that the MO portion of the KC metro is 100% midwest, because of all of the trees and hills that you see... while the further you go west into the KS side, it becomes more flat, less trees.... aka plains. It's divided down the middle imho which makes it pretty cool. Oh and I think the whole KC BBQ "culture" if you will really makes it a western/southern type of city -- kind of reminds me of TX.
Well, I definitely consider Olathe, KS SW of the KC metro to be a Plains city It does not have very many trees and has a lot of paved areas everywhere
One of the key differences between the Midwest and the Plains is that more trees were removed in areas of the Midwest for farming compared with areas of the Plains. An example would be areas of Illinois.
Western Missouri where Kansas City is does not look like the Great Plains to me, it is definitely the Midwest. It looks just like Iowa. You have rolling hills, lush green countryside, plenty of cornfields, and above all, trees....it's not incredibly vast, flat, golden-plained and open like Kansas. I have driven on I-70 throughout all of Kansas...by the time you reach Kansas City, it does not have a Great Plains feel to it. Also, barbecue culture is not a Southern thing per se...it is often associated with the South, but the truth of the matter is that every region loves barbecue. Chicago, Milwaukee, the Twin Cities, St. Louis, and KC are all big on barbecue. I've always figured barbecue to be both a Midwestern and Southern thing. Usually, I think these days it is not good to separate the Great Plains from the Midwest or the South. Oklahoma and Texas could be classified as the "Western South," whereas Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota could be classified as the "Western Midwest." However, the problem with this boils down to politics. Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota to my knowledge are decidely conservative states. This separates them from Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan, which do not always take on the same political stance every time...Missouri and Ohio in particular have a big history of supporting the winning candidate for presidential elections. But maybe that complication could be explained away by the fact that Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota are largely rural states. I've found that generally rural areas tend to lean more conservative vs. the cities. The other thing about KC's barbecue that makes it different from "Southern" barbecue is that beef is used generally, whereas most Southern cities generally use pork.
Western Missouri where Kansas City is does not look like the Great Plains to me, it is definitely the Midwest. It looks just like Iowa. You have rolling hills,be classified as the "Western Midwest."
I guess I would say that areas of E Kansas near the Kansas City metro area have more of a Plains flavor. What is interesting is that you will generally find more trees on the Missouri side of the metro compared with the Kansas side.
Also, most trees along the Kansas side of the metro were planted as the suburban areas were developed. If you closely examine old photos from the late 1800s and early 1900s those "urban" areas of E Kansas had far fewer trees than today. In general, most of the deciduous trees are concentrated along rivers and streams the further west you go in the Plains.
I didn't vote because it is both! The Great Plains is a region of the US that geographers have defined by its landscape. The Midwest is a region that geographers defined by its political boundaries.
So I'm confused, in my Geography classes I learned about the Great Plains, and then the Interior Plains which were East of that.... anyone familiar with the term Interior Plains? I found this graphic which defines the Interior Plains. I'm guessing the Great Plains are within this.
Last edited by metro223; 02-06-2008 at 10:49 AM..
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It does not have very many trees and has a lot of paved areas everywhere
