What area of the country do you identify western / southern Minnesota as? (Mankato: live)

[northstar22]

Yes, this is a copy of another poster's threads in the ND, SD, KS and NE forums.

There's a thread on the General US forum about the Great Plains states and where they belong: in the Midwest, the West or as their own region. While I know that large portions of Minnesota (including the Cities) are more Great Lakes, at least a third of the state (approximately areas west of a line from Roseau to Fosston to Fergus Falls to Willmar to Waseca to Albert Lea) are prairie-covered and part of the Plains.

For Minnesotans who live or have lived in this area (if you have never lived in this region, then please don't vote), what region do you identify with?

[audadvnc]

Northern Plains.

[Ghengis]

Other: West Midwest

[Minnesota Spring]

I think most of us in SW Minnesota consider ourselves part of the Midwest. I have lived in this area for over 20 years and never really heard it called anything else. Its corn and soybeans, hot/humid summer, cold winter, farms, exactly the same as it is in Iowa. Extreme western Minnesota like western Pipestone and Lincoln Counties (buffalo Ridge) are more like South Dakota (great plains like I suppose) but we are more similar to Iowa (midwest like) than South Dakota and much more like Iowa than northern Minnesota. Once you get north of Alexandria (Red River Valley) I think its more wheat up there so they seem more similar to Manitoba/North Dakota than anything else, in my own little mind anyway.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

All of Minnesota = Midwest

[northstar22]

I definitely think of western/southern MN as part of the Midwest. Like another poster, I also consider it part of the Northern Plains (a subset of the Great Plains), along with the Dakotas, Nebraska and much of Iowa. South Central MN (Mankato / St. James area) is very similar to Iowa, as is Southwest MN. It's also very similar to eastern South Dakota. This area is very different from Northern MN and the Twin Cities area. NW Minnesota is more like North Dakota and the Canadian Prairies.

All of the state is Midwest.

[stockwiz]

it's no different then eastern SD in appearance in most of the central and southern parts... In fact the whole southern tip of the state on I-90 is very similar in appearance up to about 30 miles from the WI border, where signs of the driftless area and trees are present. Once you get past about Mitchell, SD, however, there is less farmland, and more ranchland, as there is less reliable precipitation there.

If anything I'd say that would make eastern SD more 'midwest' with the dividing line around Mitchell or so, where farming fades into cattle ranches. Either way, it's flat and featureless.

[Camden Northsider]

this was talked about in this thread:
Is Minnesota a Great Plains state or an Upper Midwest state?

I don't think Great Plains and Midwest are mutually exclusive- Great Plains and Great Lakes, yes, but there are a number of Midwest/Upper-Midwestern (geographic region) Great Plains (topography) states.