Fact: The U.S. Census Bureau officially categorizes 12 states as the Midwest: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. But let’s be honest, that doesn’t make much sense nowadays…
In the map above, clearly the yellow states are the Western states, the orange states are the true ‘Midwest’, the blue states are the middle states, the green states are actually the ‘Mideast’, and the pink states are the Eastern states. This is basic geography.
Most of the 12 states that the Census calls the Midwest aren’t located geographically in the ‘middle west’ of the country, they’re in the ‘middle east’. (Not to be confused with the perpetually war-torn region of the world.)
And four of those states (North & South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas) are obviously smack dab in the center—there’s no getting around that fact. So, why are they known as the so-called “Midwest”?
Short answer: It’s an old term.
Long answer: When the moniker was adopted, the country was young, and didn’t yet stretch from coast to coast, so anything west of the Appalachians was thought of as the Western frontier. Hence, the states currently in the middle of the country (like the Dakotas) were the actual far West back then. As the country continued to expand westward, the states formerly known as the West became the Midwest (because they were no longer truly West).
Fast forward to today, however, and this antiquated term no longer makes any sense. On the flip side, if people who live in the Mideast identify as Midwesterners, who am I to argue? They’re certainly allowed to choose their own geographical orientation. 🤷🤷♀️🤷♂️
Related Links:
Midwestern United States (Wikipedia)
Rethinking the Name ‘Midwest’: A Case for ‘Middle East’ (TikTok)
Why is it called the “midwest” when Indiana (where I live) is clearly in the “Mideast”? (Quora)
What is the Midwest? (Midstory)
