Is Michigan Truly Midwest? Redditors Weigh In On Geography

Ask someone to define the 'Midwest' of the United States and you'll likely likely get a different definition from everyone you ask. Depending on your perspective and where you live the answer could vary greatly.

So when a Michigan resident took to the Geography subreddit on Reddit recently and outlined the American Midwest some felt it was perfect and others took issue.

Have a look yourself and see how this description of the Midwest looks to you.

Map of the Midwestern U.S. from the perspective of a Michigander
byu/cleggy_14 ingeography

The OP states,

I was born in West Michigan, and this is the area in which I currently reside. That being said, I have lived in and have visited a number of Midwestern states. From my experience, this is the area that I believe to be culturally consistent with the Midwest as a whole.

It's as interesting to see what is considered part of the Midwest and what is not. In: all of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. Not all of Ohio, Indiana or Illinois are part of the Midwest and just a smattering of Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota.

Walking through the parts of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois not included: Eastern Ohio is too closely aligned with Pennsylvania and the East Coast - after all, drive east from Cleveland on Interstate 80 and the guide signs are all for New York City.

Southeast Ohio is Appalachian while locations south of Columbus and Dayton are 'The South.' The 'South' is also what catches the areas of Indiana south of Indianapolis and Illinois south of Springfield.

Perhaps it's worth considering as you look west on the map, where the influence of Chicago wanes. Southern Illinois, for example, is drawn to St. Louis while western Nebraska starts to the pull of Denver.

Several comments on the thread further the discussion:

This is fair as someone who grew up in Iowa, the Midwest really isn’t as big as people think it is.

I think people who haven't lived in more than one part of the Midwest fail to understand that the Midwest has subregions that are fairly distinct. The Great Plains, the Northwoods, the Corn Belt, and the Rust Belt are all Midwestern but all somewhat different.

Southern Illinois, Southern Indiana, and a large portion of Missouri are, in my experience, very culturally different from the Midwest, especially when accents are taken into consideration.

Great Plains is just a segment of the Midwest, which reaches North of Canada and South to North Texas. Kansas, Nebraska, Dakotas -- all that is the Midwest.

As a Michigander I agree with this map BUT I also agree with you that Midwest is Great Lakes and Plains. I think the problem is that people hear Great Lakes and assume Iowa and Saint Louis are Great Plains when in my experience, culturally the people seem to be more like Michiganders where as people from Kansas City most certainly are more "western" or really Great Plains.

Just how large or small is the region we define as the Midwest? The map one West Michigander laid out is pretty solid, but you be the judge.