Is Toledo/Northwest Ohio the epitome of the Midwest? (Columbus: homes, living)

[czb2004]

Just curious if anyone sees this region in the same why that I do? IMO Northwest Ohio seems to embody Midwestern stereotypes more than any other region of Ohio. Ultra flat farmland, lots of small towns, lots of blue collar factory workers, industrial decay, coldest winters in the state, down to earth people, the stereotypical nasally accent associated with the Great Lakes states, etc...It just seems like no other part of the state fits in with the image of the Midwest as much as Northwest Ohio. The Northeast is too urban/too hilly, Cincy/Dayton seem too southern/warmer winters, Central Ohio is too white collar, South East is too much like West Virginia.

I do not mean this in a negative way (I like flat open land, smalls towns can be cool, and cold winters can be enjoyable if you have the right attitude). It just seems like this part of the state is uber midwestern to me.

[Tobias C]

I would agree that were the most midwestern area of Ohio.


While I dont mind everything "midwestern", sometimes I wish we could strive a little harder to learn lessons from other regions of the country. We have a lot of decent size metro areas in Ohio, only two are connected by rail, Toledo & Cleveland (Amtrak). I just fear that if our state and region of the state dont find a way to progress into the future like the east and west coasts are, we will be completely left behind. Even if the State of Ohio wont budge when it comes to progressive action, our major cities still can.


Just my 2 cents.

[ryansmith]

When you talk to people from the more stereotypical parts of the Midwest they say Toledo is very East coast. Toledo does have pretty flat topography though. When I think Midwest, I think Wisconsin... it is debatable whether Ohio is Midwest or not... we are in the Eastern time zone. Just recently I have had people in Grand Rapids, Michigan comment on how East Coast Toledo seems to them.

I like the balance though. I like the polite, friendly, and wholesome nature of Midwesterners, but I can only take so much of it... especially in traffic.

I usually refer to the region as the Great Lakes basin or something along those lines to be more precise and to conjure up fewer images of places like Nebraska.

[Tobias C]

To me, our rural areas are pretty "Midwestern" but I agree that our cities, all of them in Ohio, should be called "Great Lakes". To me Great Lakes is between Midwestern and East Coast.

[grmasterb]

Originally Posted by ryansmith

When you talk to people from the more stereotypical parts of the Midwest they say Toledo is very East coast. Toledo does have pretty flat topography though. When I think Midwest, I think Wisconsin... it is debatable whether Ohio is Midwest or not... we are in the Eastern time zone. Just recently I have had people in Grand Rapids, Michigan comment on how East Coast Toledo seems to them.

I like the balance though. I like the polite, friendly, and wholesome nature of Midwesterners, but I can only take so much of it... especially in traffic.

I usually refer to the region as the Great Lakes basin or something along those lines to be more precise and to conjure up fewer images of places like Nebraska.

I've lived in various parts of the Midwest for 32 of my nearly 42 years, and I've never, ever heard anyone compare Toledo to an east coast city. And as a Toledo native, I find the comparison loony. And I believe pretty much every Toledoan I've ever known, as well as my Ohio-bred family, consider themselves Midwestern.

I think the OP is correct in noting that Toledo embodies much of the Midwestern stereotype. Whether that's a good thing can be a subject of debate.

[313 TUxedo]

The Northwestern and West Central parts of the Ohios (plural intended) are very Midwestern. Roads are true to the compass, terrain somewhat flat, every square inch that is not river, building, or road has some crop growing on it, and everybody loves their county fairs.

If "Great Lakes" qualifies as a US region on its own, than Ohio is in the Great Lakes area. I've always though that if you go by "Midwest" and "Northeast", than the Northwest Ohio is in the Midwest, Northeast Ohio is in the Northeast (many spoke roads, older cities, more industry, rolling hills), Southern and Southeast Ohio are in Appalachia (coal mines and forests - climate where being further north compensates for lower altitude, and residents who have the same relationship with God), and the rest (Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus) a unique region under the influence of all of the above.

Funny thought - when people used to ask me just where the Midwest ends and the Northeast begins, I used to say "The Humm Road Hill" (I-80/90 mile 125), as that is where the hills began and the towns start to have a more Northeastern appearance).

[Traveler87]

NW Ohio is much more like my homestate of Indiana. Flat, less diverse than the rest of Ohio. In SW Ohio you have the hilly regions and urban areas, in SE Ohio you are the front door of the Appalachians, and NE Ohio you have the rolling hills, lakes, and is urban as well.

[ryansmith]

In all my time in Toledo, I have yet to meet one single person that attends any county fair; I hope that I don't sense over-generalization and stereotyping here. NW Ohio is flat; if that is the sole measure of how Midwestern someplace is, Toledo is Midwestern for sure. But the fact that the AREA SURROUNDING TOLEDO is largely agricultural shouldn't hold so much weight in judging TOLEDO. I am not saying that Toledo dosen't have a Midwestern feel to it and I wouldn't have it any other way, but these insinuations just seem a little off to me. I think before you can even debate this you need to separate Northwestern Ohio and Toledo... they are not one in the same. I don't wear overalls... I don't go to the county fair... there is no agriculture for miles around where I live.

[grmasterb]

Originally Posted by ryansmith

In all my time in Toledo, I have yet to meet one single person that attends any county fair; I hope that I don't sense over-generalization and stereotyping here. NW Ohio is flat; if that is the sole measure of how Midwestern someplace is, Toledo is Midwestern for sure. But the fact that the AREA SURROUNDING TOLEDO is largely agricultural shouldn't hold so much weight in judging TOLEDO. I am not saying that Toledo dosen't have a Midwestern feel to it and I wouldn't have it any other way, but these insinuations just seem a little off to me. I think before you can even debate this you need to separate Northwestern Ohio and Toledo... they are not one in the same. I don't wear overalls... I don't go to the county fair... there is no agriculture for miles around where I live.

But that is not unlike any other Midwestern city -- you can be in the middle of the city and not see agriculture for miles. But you cannot completely separate Toledo from agriculture -- consider The Andersons in Maumee. There are many Midwest city-dwellers who could also claim to not attend county fairs or wear overalls.

The fact that Toledo has a good number of citizens with Polish and/or other eastern European backgrounds, along with the smattering of Middle Easterners, is not unique even within the Midwest. And you cannot just define the Midwest as solely agricultural. It is a mixture of agriculture, heavy industry, and rural and urban/suburban life. All of these are present in Toledo. When you further consider the history, architecture, layout and settlement patterns of Toledo, it is without a doubt a very Midwestern city, and proudly so.

[greenvillebuckeye]

Originally Posted by ryansmith

In all my time in Toledo, I have yet to meet one single person that attends any county fair; I hope that I don't sense over-generalization and stereotyping here. NW Ohio is flat; if that is the sole measure of how Midwestern someplace is, Toledo is Midwestern for sure. But the fact that the AREA SURROUNDING TOLEDO is largely agricultural shouldn't hold so much weight in judging TOLEDO. I am not saying that Toledo dosen't have a Midwestern feel to it and I wouldn't have it any other way, but these insinuations just seem a little off to me. I think before you can even debate this you need to separate Northwestern Ohio and Toledo... they are not one in the same. I don't wear overalls... I don't go to the county fair... there is no agriculture for miles around where I live.

having grown up in Lima, Ohio a city of a lil less than 40,000 (lil less than 50,000 when i was living there....sad) i can say i never wore overalls, i DID go to the county (boy did i ever haha) and once you got outside Lima it was flat dark soil for miles (beautiful site if you ask me). that being said a documentary was made entitled L.I.M.A. (Lost In Middle America) that discusses Lima, Ohio as your stereotypical Midwestern town and it's hardships as a stereotypical rust belt town as well.


Watch Sinbad's earlier stand ups where he talks about growing up in Detroit / Midwest. He talks about when you grow up in the Midwest you mow the lawn every week...."even if it's snowing out you mowing something" HAHA. almost true.