Why is it called the Midwestern region?
The term Midwestern has been in use since the 1880s to refer to portions of the central United States. A variant term, Middle West, has been used since the 19th century and remains relatively common. Another term sometimes applied to the same general region is the heartland.
What cities are in the Midwest Region?
Chicago is the most populous city in the American Midwest and the third most populous in the entire country. Other large Midwestern cities include (in order by population): Columbus, Indianapolis, Detroit, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Omaha, Minneapolis, Wichita, Cleveland, St. Paul, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Lincoln, Madison and Des Moines.
What are the major rivers in the Midwest Region?
Major rivers in the region include, from east to west, the Ohio River, the Upper Mississippi River, and the Missouri River. A 2012 report from the United States Census put the population of the Midwest at 65,377,684. The Midwest is divided by the Census Bureau into two divisions.
Is Kentucky a part of the Midwest?
Kentucky is rarely considered part of the Midwest, although it can be grouped with it in some contexts. It is categorized as Southern by the Census Bureau and is usually classified as such, especially from a cultural standpoint.
What is another name for the Midwest region?
Midwest, also called Middle West or North Central States, region, northern and central United States, lying midway between the Appalachians and Rocky Mountains and north of the Ohio River and the 37th parallel.
Why is the Midwest so called?
“Midwest” was invented in the 19th Century, to describe the states of the old Northwest Ordinance, a term that became outdated once the nation spread to the Pacific Coast. “Midwest” is applied to a chunk of America that seems unclassifiable to the rest of the country: neither North, South, East or West.
Is the Midwest known as America's cereal bowl?
The Midwest region is known as “America's Cereal Bowl.” 3. Much of the steel used to produce cars and trucks comes from the Midwest region. The fertile soil makes it possible to grow many different kinds of foods, which are sold all over the rest of the country.
What are 3 fun facts about the Midwest region?
Fun Midwest FactsIt has the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.Columbus, Detroit, and St. ... Its nickname is “America's Heartland.”The Great Lakes touch six Midwest states.The region is rich in mining, including iron ore.The Louisiana Purchase included the Great Plains.The Midwest has over 34 million workers.More items...
When was the Midwest named?
The first recorded use of the term Midwestern to refer to a region of the central U.S. occurred in 1886; Midwest appeared in 1894, and Midwesterner in 1916. One of the earliest late-19th-century uses of Midwest was in reference to Kansas and Nebraska to indicate that they were the civilized areas of the west.
Why is the Midwest region called America's breadbasket?
The Midwest is called “America's Breadbasket” because Midwestern farmers grow a lot of the wheat we use to make bread.
What nickname is given to the Midwest region because of the amount of wheat and corn produced there?
The Midwestern states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin) are often called the “Corn Belt”. However, this region offers a diversity of agricultural production beyond corn and soybean.
What is the Midwest known for producing?
“There are more than 127 million acres of agricultural land in the Midwest, and in addition to 75% of that area in corn and soybeans, the other 25% is used to produce alfalfa, apples, asparagus, green beans, blueberries, cabbage, carrots, sweet and tart cherries, cranberries, cucumbers, grapes, oats, onions, peaches, ...
What defines Midwest?
Many people label entire states as either Midwestern or not—following the U.S. Census Bureau, which defines the Midwest as consisting of an “East North Central” division of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin, and a “West North Central” division of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, ...
What makes the Midwest region unique?
The Midwest has a rep for friendly people, cheap land, and a stress-free lifestyle that differs dramatically from other US regions. Many people are flocking to the Midwest because of its affordable cost of living, open spaces, and relaxed pace of life.
Who are Midwest kids?
Midwest Kids is a brand that reflects the soul of creatives from our region. That same soul carries the values that were implemented in us throughout our lives. That we take everywhere.
What makes the Midwest a region?
1 Answer. The Midwest is the vast central region of the U.S., a landscape of low, flat-to-rolling terrain, gradually rising up to more than 5000 feet above sea level in the area called the Great Plains. The region is for the most part relatively flat, consisting either of plains or of rolling and small hills.
What is the Midwest?
Midwest, also called Middle West or North Central States, region, northern and central United States, lying midway between the Appalachians and Rocky Mountains and north of the Ohio River and the 37th parallel. The Midwest, as defined by the federal government, comprises the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, ...
When did the Midwest join the United States?
The Midwest. The Northwest Territory entered the United States in 1783 at the conclusion of the American Revolution and was organized under a series of ordinances that set the precedent for the admission of future territories into the Union. The Great Plains entered the United States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase.
What was the Northwest Territory?
The Northwest Territory , created by the Northwest Ordinances of 1785 and 1787, with the Ohio Company of Associates' purchase (c. 1787) and township schemes. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Read More on This Topic. United States: The Midwest. There is no such self-effacement in the Midwest, that large triangular region justly regarded as ...
What were the major factors that contributed to Chicago's growth in 1890?
By 1890 Chicago, not even 60 years old, had become the second largest city in the country, and the Midwest accounted for 29 percent of the country’s manufacturing employment and nearly one-third of its value added by manufacture.
Is there self-effacement in the Midwest?
There is no such self-effacement in the Midwest, that large triangular region justly regarded as the most nearly representative...
What is the Midwestern region?
Cleveland. St. Paul. St. Louis. The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States.
Which city is the most populous in the Midwest?
Chicago is the most populous city in the American Midwest and the third most populous in the entire country. Other large Midwestern cities include (in order by population): Columbus, Indianapolis, Detroit, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Omaha, Minneapolis, Wichita, Cleveland, St. Paul, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Lincoln, Madison.
What states are in the middle ground?
This includes the modern Midwestern states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan as well as parts of Canada.
What were the illegal settlers in the Midwest?
Illegal settlers, called squatters, had been encroaching on the lands now the Midwest for years before the founding of the United States of America, pushing further and further down the Ohio River during the 1760s and 1770s and inciting conflict and competition with the Native Americans whose lands they intruded on every step of the way. These squatters were characterized by British General, Thomas Gage, as "too Numerous, too Lawless, and Licentious ever to be restrained," and regarded them as "almost out of Reach of Law and government; Neither the Endeavors of Government, or Fear of Indians has kept them properly within Bounds." The British had a long-standing goal of establishing an Native American buffer state in the American Midwest to resist American westward expansion.
What are the major rivers in the Midwest?
Major rivers in the region include, from east to west, the Ohio River, the Upper Mississippi River, and the Missouri River. The 2020 United States census put the population of the Midwest at 68,995,685. The Midwest is divided by the Census Bureau into two divisions.
Which states had the most interurbans?
In the period from 1890 to 1930, many Midwestern cities were connected by electric interurban railroads, similar to streetcars. The Midwest had more interurbans than any other region. In 1916, Ohio led all states with 2,798 miles (4,503 km), Indiana followed with 1,825 miles (2,937 km). These two states alone had almost a third of the country's interurban trackage. The nation's largest interurban junction was in Indianapolis. During the 1900s (decade), the city's 38 percent growth in population was attributed largely to the interurban.
What is the North Central Region?
It is between the Northeastern United States and the Western United States, with Canada to its north and the Southern United States to its south.
What is a regional nickname?
The list of regional nicknames used in English language includes nicknames for people based on their locality of origin (birthplace, place of permanent residence, or family roots).
Why are the residents of the Lower Peninsula called Upper Peninsula?
Residents of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan are called so by the residents of the Upper Peninsula, because they live "under the bridge ".
What is the meaning of "poor white trash"?
(US) Originally (mid-18th century) -- a Scots-Irish settler into the Virginia Piedmont; later (late 18th century) -- a term for "poor white trash"; still later (early 19th century) -- a term indicating independent small farmer in the Virginia/Carolina/Tennessee/Kentucky area .
What does "Hoosier" mean?
Hoosier. (US) A person from Indiana; also the nickname of the athletic teams at Indiana University Bloomington, and frequently used as an adjective for students or fans of that school. Also a term synonymous with hillbilly or redneck when used by those in the St. Louis area.
What does "auckland" mean?
(New Zealand) A person from Auckland, from Just Another Fucking Aucklander (or, more politely, Just Another Friendly Aucklander ). (UK) Borrowed by Londoners to mean an Australian, as in Just Another Fucking Australian.
Which States Are the Midwest?
The Midwest, sometimes known as America’s heartland, is a region in the United States that’s made up of 12 states:
Where Is the Midwest Located?
The Midwest starts in east north central in Ohio and stretches to the west north central in Nebraska, Kansas, and North and South Dakota.
Interesting Facts About the Midwest
The Midwest flaunts two major rivers: the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The great lakes also happen to have some significance in some Midwestern states, touching six of them: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.
FAQs About the Midwest
Michigan is the largest state in the Midwest in terms of geographical area but not landmass. It stretches up to 96,713 square miles. However, water covers 40,175 square miles (104,052 square kilometers), or 41.5 percent of the state.
Why is the Midwest called America's Heartland?
Why Is the Midwest Called "America's Heartland"? Early references to the American Midwest being called "America's Heartland" noted the area's strategic role as a centralized population of industrial production, as stated in The Newberry Library.
What is the heartland of America?
Conservative politicians felt that "America's Heartland" captured the political and moral high ground in their efforts to fight liberalism. ADVERTISEMENT.
Overview
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It was officially named the North Central Region by the Census Bureau until 1984. It is between the Northeastern United States and the Western United States, with Canada to its north and the Southern United States to its south.
Background
The term West was applied to the region in the British colonial period and in the early years of the United States. By the early 19th century, anything west of Appalachia was considered the West; over time that moniker moved to west of the Mississippi River. During the colonial period, the upper-Mississippi watershed including the Missouri and Illinois River valleys was the setting for t…
Physical geography
The vast central area of the U.S., into Canada, is a landscape of low, flat to rolling terrain in the Interior Plains, ideal for farming and growing food. Most of its eastern two-thirds form the Interior Lowlands. The Lowlands gradually rise westward, from a line passing through eastern Kansas, up to over 5,000 feet (1,500 m) in the unit known as the Great Plains. Most of the Great Plains area i…
History
Among the American Indians Paleo-Indian cultures were the earliest in North America, with a presence in the Great Plains and Great Lakes areas from about 12,000 BCE to around 8,000 BCE.
Following the Paleo-Indian period is the Archaic period (8,000 BCE to 1,000 BCE), the Woodland Tradition (1,000 BCE to 100 CE), and the Mississippian Period (9…
Economy
Agriculture is one of the biggest drivers of local economies in the Midwest, accounting for billions of dollars worth of exports and thousands of jobs. The area consists of some of the richest farming land in the world. The region's fertile soil combined with the steel plow has made it possible for farmers to produce abundant harvests of grain and cereal crops, including corn, wheat, soy…
Culture
Like the rest of the United States, the Midwest is predominantly Christian.
The majority of Midwesterners are Protestants, with rates from 48 percent in Illinois to 63 percent in Iowa. However, the Catholic Church is the single largest denomination, varying between 18 percent and 34 percent of the state populations. Lutherans are prevalent in the Upper Midwest, especially in Michig…
Politics
The Midwest has been an important region in national elections, with highly contested elections in closely divided states often deciding the national result. In 1860–1920, both parties often selected either their president or vice president candidates from the region.
One of the two major political parties in the United States, the Republican Party, …
See also
• Cuisine of the Midwestern United States
• Repopulation of wolves in Midwestern United States
• Territories of the United States on stamps