Is Minnesota a Great Plains state or an Upper Midwest state?

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by ocsid

Great Plains is more of a topographic term, and yes, the southwestern part of the state, pretty much SW of Mankato, is definitely part of the Great Plains.

Upper Midwest is more of a geographic term, describing a vague area of the north central United States. I've always sort of struggled with the definition of the term "Midwest" simply because we're basically in the central part of the US and the North American continent.

We're also technically a Great Lakes state, since we have a large portion of shoreline on Lake Superior, and part of the Lake is technically within the boundaries of Minnesota, and we have the farthest inland ocean port in the US (and I think the world) in Duluth, but Minnesota isn't usually considered a Great Lakes state like Michigan or Ohio.

The really odd definition would be the Northwest, which isn't used much anymore (especially since NWA merged with Delta). That would date back to the founding of the US, when the part of MN that was part of the original United States was the Northwest Territory.

As late as the early 1980s the WCCO news station would refer to themselves as the "Northwest News Leader." This was part of the opening sequence.

[Beenhere4ever]

This Wikipedia article has a map. On the map, the plains start at the Minnesota-North Dakota boundary.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...eat_Plains.png

[glendog]

Minnesota is a GREAT LAKES state. Final. Like the Rocky Mountains or west or eat coasts the Great Lakes are the defining geographical feature of our area. It may seem funny to people inland in Minnesota, such as in the twin cities but it's true. So I say neither and have always known Minnesota as a very unique place, a Great Lakes state.

[Ghengis]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

As late as the early 1980s the WCCO news station would refer to themselves as the "Northwest News Leader." This was part of the opening sequence.

that was done in order to better relate to their core listening audience that could still recollect how this region came to be with the Louisiana Purchase

[Bhaalspawn]

Originally Posted by glendog

Minnesota is a GREAT LAKES state. Final. Like the Rocky Mountains or west or eat coasts the Great Lakes are the defining geographical feature of our area. It may seem funny to people inland in Minnesota, such as in the twin cities but it's true. So I say neither and have always known Minnesota as a very unique place, a Great Lakes state.

I tend to agree. Even though only a small portion of the state is close to the lake, arguably the state's internal geography is similar to that of Wisconsin and Michigan, having large amounts of small internal lakes. Also, the state is not completely flat nor treeless. In contrast, when you look at the Great Plains states, they tend to have few trees, few significant lakes, and are pretty flat.

[snofarmer]

The state is part of the U.S. region known as the upper mid-west and it's part of the Great Lakes Region of North America.

[RC01]

Coming from South Dakota, an actual Great Plains state, I can say without a doubt Minnesota is not a Great Plains state. It may be sort of "flat" in Southern Minnesota, but it is nothing like the prairie across South Dakota.

[badbrains]

a little of both I guess and culturally I'd say its great lakes.

[Siskiwit]

Originally Posted by glendog

Minnesota is a GREAT LAKES state. Final. Like the Rocky Mountains or west or eat coasts the Great Lakes are the defining geographical feature of our area. It may seem funny to people inland in Minnesota, such as in the twin cities but it's true. So I say neither and have always known Minnesota as a very unique place, a Great Lakes state.

What a ridiculous idea that it is one or the other.

Minnesota is indeed a Great Lakes state, by definition. It is also a Great Plains state, by definition. And a Midwestern state, by definition. I'm sure it falls into numerous other categories, too.

[tvdxer]

"Upper Midwest" is pretty much synonymous with Minnesota and Wisconsin, so I voted as such.

I would say a lot of Minnesota, however, lies in the Great Plains. In terms of politics (and by extension I would dare to say general culture), Southwestern Minnesota may have a lot more in common with Eastern South Dakota or Nebraska than it does with Northeastern Minnesota.