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Both of these areas are close to the Dakotas, but I have never heard them mentioned in any context related to the Upper Midwest. Has anyone spent much time in either of these fairly obscure parts of the country?
In far-northeast Nebraska in particular (which is only 2 hours or less from Minnesota), are there any towns where the local accent is Upper Midwest-influenced or there's a significant Scandinavian influence, or something resembling "Minnesota nice"?
I’ve not been to either, but I will say western South Dakota feels a lot more Western than Midwestern. For that reason I’m doubtful Montana is at all Midwestern and probably not in Nebraska either.
Both of these areas are close to the Dakotas, but I have never heard them mentioned in any context related to the Upper Midwest. Has anyone spent much time in either of these fairly obscure parts of the country?
In far-northeast Nebraska in particular (which is only 2 hours or less from Minnesota), are there any towns where the local accent is Upper Midwest-influenced or there's a significant Scandinavian influence, or something resembling "Minnesota nice"?
I really don't know all that much about the Anglo population in NE Nebraska but there are a number of Reservations through the area and I'd say that it is known for that as much as anything else.
I haven't been to Eastern Montana, but based on Eastern Wyoming, Western South Dakota, and Western Nebraska I'm going to say it probably doesn't feel Midwestern.
My wife had family in Southeastern South Dakota. We traveled through part of Northeastern Nebraska to get there. I'd say it's a transition zone. It doesn't feel fully western or midwestern. It definitely has a Great Plains feel, though.
There's a little accent. It does feel midwestern in that agricultural is a big part of life.
One big plus on this part of the country is it's VERY clean and upkept, even if it is sparse. For whatever reason, if you go south into KS, rural areas get more grungy.
You're looking at it the wrong way. Instead of parts of the west that feel midwestern, there are places in the midwest that are far more western than midwestern (The Dakotas west of Missouri River, Nebraska Panhandle, Western Kansas).
You're looking at it the wrong way. Instead of parts of the west that feel midwestern, there are places in the midwest that are far more western than midwestern (The Dakotas west of Missouri River, Nebraska Panhandle, Western Kansas).
^^ THIS. The small Nebraska towns along US 20 feel more western to me ( I’m a 27-year resident of eastern Iowa with family in southeast South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming/Idaho/Montana border, and Southern/Northern California). The Missouri River is the transition point.
I traveled through eastern Montana (the very northern part along US Hwy 2, the 'high line') on Amtrak's Empire Builder (this was en route to Glacier National Park), and it definitely didn't feel Midwestern in eastern Montana. I will say it felt more Plains/western like, vs. Midwest.
Another poster said the Missouri River is an unofficial dividing point between Midwest and western culture. I get the gut feeling that he/she is right, from the little I've researched on those states. Though honestly west of Minot, ND on the EB train route, it started to feel very sparse and lightly populated to me. If it wasn't for the Bakken oil boom near Williston, I bet that town would still have little population.
They don't! (assuming you mean far *NW* Nebraska, not NE). Both of these areas definitely feel Western, the closest point that feels Midwestern is ~ 200 miles to the east, roughly the 100th meridian.
Northeast Nebraska is virtually identical both geographically and culturally to eastern South Dakota, western Iowa, and western Minnesota.
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