Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Imagine saying the home of the capital of the confederacy isn't southern.
And they aren't because of different settlement patterns by different people created a different culture. The Appalachians were difficult to cross a couple hundred years ago.
I would've been open to the idea of a combined North (as an official region, of course the North refers to the Northeast and Midwest combined no matter what) a decade and a half ago but the Midwest and Northeast have really shown their differences since then. Also, the North starts in Georgia now.
The Midwest is part of the North. Obviously Minnesota, Michigan etc are definitely Northern. So is Washington and Oregon. However the Midwest, and Northeast are quite culturally different and that is why we separate them.
When talking about civil war era sectionalism we really were talking about three sections. The northeast, the south and what was called the west back then (todays Midwest) Each had differing cultures and economic interests. Two sections fought together allied against the third. Even then the North was not seen as a monolithic cultural region of the US.
It is worth noting that the demographic makeup of the Midwest and Northeast are completely different. The Northeast was populated by mostly English, Irish, Italian and Eastern European immigrants while the Midwest is made up of largely German and Scandinavian settlers. To this day the accents are very different because of the differing cultures that founded these two regions.
I would've been open to the idea of a combined North a decade and a half ago but the Midwest and Northeast have really shown their differences since then. Also, the North starts in Georgia now.
Tell someone from North Dakota or Minnesota that the north starts in GA and youll be laughed at.
I'd say these days the Midwest is more closely connected to the South than the Northeast, politically and culturally. These two regions are heavily religious and rural.
The real divide in this country is between East and West though. The Midwest, Northeast, and Southern states are more traditional and the people more realistic, "stick with what works" mindset, and they are more connected as one cohesive region. The Western states are more liberal and the people more idealistic, "lets try something new" mindset. People who were considered outsiders or "weird" always headed West.
I've wondered this as well. The South extends further east and west of the midwest. Historically the midwest was "the North West". There are even some companies in Minnesota that still use "North West" instead of Midwest. The term Midwest has people confused and calling anything like Oklahoma and Colorado Midwestern. Us Minnesotans identify as northerners before midwesterners.
The Midwest is part of the North. Obviously Minnesota, Michigan etc are definitely Northern. So is Washington and Oregon. However the Midwest, and Northeast are quite culturally different and that is why we separate them.
When talking about civil war era sectionalism we really were talking about three sections. The northeast, the south and what was called the west back then (todays Midwest) Each had differing cultures and economic interests. Two sections fought together allied against the third. Even then the North was not seen as a monolithic cultural region of the US.
It is worth noting that the demographic makeup of the Midwest and Northeast are completely different. The Northeast was populated by mostly English, Irish, Italian and Eastern European immigrants while the Midwest is made up of largely German and Scandinavian settlers. To this day the accents are very different because of the differing cultures that founded these two regions.
The accents and culture of the interior northeast is arguably more similar to the Midwest than the East Coast cities.
There are a lot of similarities. Although the Midwest and the Northeast are also distinct. But from the Northeast through the Western New York, Western PA, Eastern Ohio transitional area through the Upper Midwest/Great Plains, there are a lot of similarities.
It's just that they aren't similar in the same way "The South" is.
But I do consider "The North" one region (Northeast- PA->Maine + The Upper Midwest/Great Plains).
Many people in the Upper Midwest/Great Plains will occasionally refer to this region as The North.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
