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Western Nebraska doesn't share much in common at all with the Midwest core and Great Lakes. Western Nebraska is the High Plains or Frontier West and has a semi-arid climate. Center pivot irrigators are common in Nebraska. They are quite scarce in the Midwest.
Dunno about those center pivot things, but everything else you said about western NE is spot on.
Im from Michigan, and when I drive east you can clearly tell by the style of the houses, accents and physical surroundings that western PA (pittsburg area) is part of the northeast. Obviously it is not the same as NYC ,Philly or any other costal town but clearly part of the northeast. I think some call that area the interior northeast, along with upstate NY and northern New England. Even parts of eastern Ohio start to take on northeastern qualities. Say east of I-77, that is where in my opinion northeast influence begins.
The word "Midwest" doesn't make sense anymore. Ohio isn't midway to the West, it's what people in the West would call "Back East". If you look at a map, Ohio is directly north of the Florida panhandle, Florida, an Atlantic coast state.
Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin should be called the Great Lakes region.
The word "Midwest" doesn't make sense anymore. Ohio isn't midway to the West, it's what people in the West would call "Back East". If you look at a map, Ohio is directly north of the Florida panhandle, Florida, an Atlantic coast state.
Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin should be called the Great Lakes region.
Youngstown, Ohio is actually further EAST than Savannah, Georgia. And Cleveland and Jacksonville have roughly the same longitude.
And if you take a closer look at the map, you'll see that areas of Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia are located further WEST than Detroit.
Western Nebraska doesn't share much in common at all with the Midwest core and Great Lakes. Western Nebraska is the High Plains or Frontier West and has a semi-arid climate. Center pivot irrigators are common in Nebraska. They are quite scarce in the Midwest.
The climate out there is different, but it doesn't change the fact that they are geographically in the Midwest. Even in central and western Nebraska they call themselves Midwesterners, all reference material used there is "Midwest". Midwest is not so much about landscape or climate, it's really just the geographical center/plains area of the country.
Youngstown, Ohio is actually further EAST than Savannah, Georgia. And Cleveland and Jacksonville have roughly the same longitude.
And if you take a closer look at the map, you'll see that areas of Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia are located further WEST than Detroit.
That is an interesting point. When I was living back in Nebraska and South Dakota we always wondered why people in Ohio considered their area to be in the Midwest, because they are nowhere near the middle of the country- heck, they're even in the Eastern time zone! :-)
That is an interesting point. When I was living back in Nebraska and South Dakota we always wondered why people in Ohio considered their area to be in the Midwest, because they are nowhere near the middle of the country- heck, they're even in the Eastern time zone! :-)
This is a very interesting topic to discuss! And it probably all depends where you're from, I suppose.
When I think of Midwest, I think of Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, parts of Indiana, etc. I never think of Nebraska, South Dakota etc.; even though all of these states are technically considered to be in the Midwest. NE, SD, ND, KS, OK....I would refer to this region as the Great Plains States.
I've never used the term Midwest to describe Ohio (I lived in Ohio for the first 22 years of my life, and still go home to visit family)....I tended to lean toward "Great Lakes" or simply "Northern Ohio." However, I don't think the people of Columbus, Cincinnati, and southeastern Ohio would describe their region as the "Great Lakes."
To me this is predominatly the topography of the Midwest: Flat to slightly rolling with a mixture of trees/plains, with enough rainfall to support a forest, but cool enough where Southern Magnolias can't grow. If you drive on Interstate 70 from Columbus to Western Pennsylvania, you can definately feel the transition out of the Midwest: Past Buckeye Lake, you can start noticing hills. Just west of Zanesville, Ohio, the terrain starts to get increasingly rugged, and by the time you hit the I-77 junction, you're clearly in Appalachia, and by the time you hit Wheeling, WV, the soybean/cornfields are a distant memory. The Appalachian Plateau physically represents where the Midwest ends on it's eastern edge. The western edge is also clear. The Midwest really ends in three phases:
1. The thining out of the Trees to tall grassland; this happens around the 95th meridian.
2. The transition from tall to short grassland; this happens around the 100th meridian. (Most people say the Midwest stops around here).
3. The front range of mountains.
-The southern boudary varies from the Midwest's west end to the east edge. (See other posts for more details).
-Of course the northern boundary is the Canadian border, but as mentioned, there are Midwestern elements throughout what is generally termed Central Canada, and even the eastern portions of Western Canada.
This is a very interesting topic to discuss! And it probably all depends where you're from, I suppose.
When I think of Midwest, I think of Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, parts of Indiana, etc. I never think of Nebraska, South Dakota etc.; even though all of these states are technically considered to be in the Midwest. NE, SD, ND, KS, OK....I would refer to this region as the Great Plains States.
I've never used the term Midwest to describe Ohio (I lived in Ohio for the first 22 years of my life, and still go home to visit family)....I tended to lean toward "Great Lakes" or simply "Northern Ohio." However, I don't think the people of Columbus, Cincinnati, and southeastern Ohio would describe their region as the "Great Lakes."
Who really knows....LOL
Refer to my post.
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