Where would you draw the line between the upper and lower Midwest? (cities, humid)

[North 42]

I'm curious as to where most people would draw the line between the lower Midwest and the upper Midwest. I think the line would go through southern Michigan around Saginaw Bay over into southern Wisconsin, what do you think?

[Min-Chi-Cbus]

Interstate I-80....arguably I-70, but cities on I-70 would be "lower".

[SDPMiami]

Originally Posted by Min-Chi-Cbus

Interstate I-80....arguably I-70, but cities on I-70 would be "lower".

I think the 70 is too south, from her borders you only have several hours to Kentucky in Ohio, or even Tennessee when you're in Illinois. the 80 is better.

[cheese plate]

Yeah, 80 works pretty well. Separates the Great Lakes cities (Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland) out, as well, which is the right way to do it. Anything downstate in OH/IN/IL has a bit of a different vibe.

I personally think of the Upper Midwest as MN/WI/MI, but whatever. Throw in the Dakotas too, if you want, but they seem like Plains States to me.

[North 42]

I think southern Michigan has more in common with North and central Ohio than northern Michigan.

[fezzador]

I'd probably go with I-80 as well, but if you want to say I-90 I won't argue there either. The Upper Midwestern dialect doesn't dip much further south than I-90, and is roughly where the Humid Continental climate divides into Hot and Mild summers. Cities like Omaha, Des Moines, and Chicago exhibit qualities of both the Upper and Lower Midwest, thus can't neatly be associated with either classification.

[cheese plate]

Originally Posted by North 42

I think southern Michigan has more in common with North and central Ohio than northern Michigan.

Maybe, but would you really put Detroit in the "Lower Midwest?"

[North 42]

Originally Posted by cheese plate

Maybe, but would you really put Detroit in the "Lower Midwest?"

Absolutely, it's much closer to Ohio than Minnesota, and is south of the halfway point between North and south Midwest, and is only a four hour drive to Kentucky. Plus, the vegetation is broad leaf deciduous, not coniferous or mixed like up north.

[cheese plate]

Sorry, but Michigan is definitely part of the Upper Midwest, even though Detroit (like the Milwaukee/Chicago corridor) is part of a bit of a transistion zone.

[North 42]

Yes, the upper three quarters of Michigan would be upper Midwest, but extreme lower Michigan is more lower Midwest. Nothing about extreme southern Michigan is like the North, heavy industry and deciduous forests and farmland in southern Michigan is the same as Ohio and Indiana. Milwaukee would be the same as Detroit in that regard.