Pittsburgh: is it northeastern, midwestern, or appalachian? (places, people, cons)
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Newark, NJ has a Rust Belt feel in parts. As does New Haven, CT. Are those Midwestern cities, too?
The Rust Belt is a Northern phenomenon, not Midwestern.
Drives me nuts! People on CD love to conflate Midwestern with Rust Belt. It's like saying Pittsburgh is either Appalachian OR Northeastern! The Appalachian Mountains stretch from Maine to Georgia! And the federal political designation of "Appalachia" covers territory from NY to MS, including parts of Northeastern, Midwestern and Southern states!
It is entirely possible for a city to be in two regions because regions can and do overlap.
Completely made up categorization. Have you guys ever been to Pittsburgh? Talk about overthinking things.
It's a comprehensive geographic descriptor. Nothing "made up" about it and it's pretty much the opposite of overthinking. Not sure why it seems to bedevil you as it does, but that's not my issue.
Yes, immigration is a notable difference between Rust Belt and East Coast. But even still, the primary feature of the so-called Rust Belt has nothing to do with immigration patterns and everything to do with formerly heavily industrual/manufacturing-based cities.
Cities like Newark certainly have not become as hollowed out as, say, Youngstown. But the economic decline is not completely dissimilar.
Agreed. The Rustbelt arguably extends to the East Coast even if the coastal cities have other identities that are more prominent.
Regardless, flatness tends to very much be the standard for the Midwest. And there's certainly no Midwestern city (except for maybe Duluth) where hilliness is one of its most defining characteristics like Pittsburgh.
Obivously not. None of these people have really been anywhere. But their opinions are unimpeachable.
Pittsburgh is basically Boston. Cincinnati is flat. There is a massive change in everything cultural, geographical, and otherwise the second you step over the border of PA into Ohio. As a northeastern state, PA is just so much more interesting.
I haven't but actually hope to by next year (have some extended family in that area). But yes, I do realize that was a glaring omission. Cincinnati for sure qualifies as hilly.
But even so, to underscore the point of topography, flatness does tend to be much more common in the Midwest. In comparison to states like Ohio (19th), Indiana (12th) and Illinois (3rd), Pennsylvania contrasts pretty strongly at 45th:
Great maps! Seriously makes a ton of sense of how to break down a complex and overlapping region.
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