Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Living in Chicago, I used to think that Buffalo was Midwest because it reminded me more of the Midwest than the Bos-Was corridor.
Then I went to Syracuse and thought that felt Midwestern too.
Then I went to places like Columbia, New Jersey and Fogelsville, Pennsylvania, and I thought those places felt Midwestern too. But they can't be Midwest because Columbia is 60 miles from NYC and Fogelsville is 60 miles from Philly, and I felt stupid.
Then I realized that, in terms of American culture, the rural/urban divide makes a bigger difference than the Midwest/South/West/Northeast divide.
Columbia, New Jersey has more in common with Fond-du-Lac, Wisconsin than it does with Paterson, New Jersey, which is 30 miles down the road. Atlanta has more in common with St. Louis or Columbus than it does with Talbotton, Georgia.
So, yes, parts of Ohio will resemble parts of the South and parts of Ohio will resemble parts of the East; Cincinnati and Baltimore are very similar cities.
However, when was the last time Ohio got hit with a Nor'easter or a hurricane off the ocean? Never. How often does it get hit with Alberta clippers? All the time. Geographically, Ohio is solidly Midwest, and that's all that really matters.
Ohio is always going to be a crossroads state. The first Midwest state, East meets Midwest, meets Appalachia, meets South. Solidly Midwest with influences from all sides.
Cleveland- Midwest with a slight northeast/Great Lakes vibe. Pittsburgh/Buffalo offspring.
Cincinnati- Midwest with a slight southern vibe. Baltimore/Louisville offspring
Athens- outside of the students, the locals have a very apparent Appalachian vibe. Morgantown/Miami OH. offspring
Toledo- Midwest with a slight Great Lakes vibe Detroit/Akron offspring
Columbus- Midwest with a slight mash up of the rest of Ohio vibe. Indianapolis/sleeping with all of Ohio offspring.
Is it me or do some people have a Freudian-like "Northeast envy"? Why are people obsessed with this like it's some kind of geographic bragging right?
When your state is labeled as flyover, you are going to try and make fit in with somewhere that people recognize. The Northeast is not considered flyover and the Midwest wants recognition that it is more than flyover county.
When your state is labeled as flyover, you are going to try and make fit in with somewhere that people recognize. The Northeast is not considered flyover and the Midwest wants recognition that it is more than flyover county.
It only became 'flyover' because some self-absorbed media guy from California wanted to be cute by saying all that matters in cali and ny.
Anybody who repeats this is a troll, a hack or dumb.
People got tired of debating Maryland's socio-geographic status so now Ohio is getting the treatment.
If southern Ohio is the South, then most of Pennsylvania is the South. On other word, neither are. Both have a substantial Appalachian influence, though.
Logically, Ohio is midwestern. It borders on Michigan and Indiana for heavens sake. Even Western Pennsylvania feels more midwestern than Northeast. But the main thing that gives Ohio away is it is a critical political state, where it always seems to be right in the middle, and thus important every election year. Its major cities also feel midwestern, especially Columbus.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
