What is Midwestern USA like to live in?

[Bacle]

Oklahoma is not part of the midwest. It's right next to Texas.

Calling Missouri part of the midwest is pushing it and someone from Missouri calling somene "a Hoosier" is not going to be met with a friendly response by a midwesterner who knows what they're implying.

'Midwest' starts just east of Denver and goes till about Cleveland, depending on how you define it.

 

[Robovski]

So, the term "Midwest" is bit up for interpretation. Pictures from here: 12 Ways to Map the Midwest - Aaron M. Renn

 

[bintananth]

'Midwest' starts just east of Denver and goes till about Cleveland, depending on how you define it.

I'd define the midwest as the states adjacent to a Great Lake and the Mississippi River or Ohio River plus Iowa.

EDIT: Some other ways to look at it:

- A corn field or horse ranch within the city limits of the state capital is not brain-meltingly out of place.
- Will trees start growing if I don't mow this yard for a year? (y/n)

 

[VicSage]

Oklahoma is not part of the midwest. It's right next to Texas.

Oklahoma is the unloved, red haired, step-middle child of the United States. The Midwest and West say they aren't part of them, the US Census Bureau defines it as part of the south (and if you say that to an actual Southerner there's a good chance of getting a fat lip), and it's CERTAINLY not the North.

 

[bintananth]

Oklahoma is the unloved, red haired, step-middle child of the United States. The Midwest and West say they aren't part of them, the US Census Bureau defines it as part of the south (and if you say that to an actual Southerner there's a good chance of getting a fat lip), and it's CERTAINLY not the North.

Oklahoma is the 46th state. Only New Mexico, Arizona, Hawaii, and Alaska were admitted after Oklahoma.

 

[VicSage]

Geolocationally middle child, not age-wise. My point isn't a "we're young" or "we're old", it's that even though no one (besides Texas) really seems to have any kind of dislike of Oklahoma, they don't really want them in their in-group either.

 

[bintananth]

Geolocationally middle child, not age-wise. My point isn't a "we're young" or "we're old", it's that even though no one (besides Texas) really seems to have any kind of dislike of Oklahoma, they don't really want them in their in-group either.

Iowa sorta gets that treatment too but the 45 Iowa regiments raised during the US Civil War (including a colored regiment) says "yup, you're one of us".

 

[Battlegrinder]

20% of people don't think IL is midwest? Where do they think the Midwest is?

 

[Robovski]

20% of people don't think IL is midwest? Where do they think the Midwest is?

IKR! Seriously, you don't get more Midwest than Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. But I linked that picture to give an idea how this is a muddled term.

 

[Buba]

Where do they think the Midwest is?

They don't know what the Midwest is.

Oklahoma is the 46th state.

Forsooth!
This explains everything!

 

[Bacle]

Oklahoma is the unloved, red haired, step-middle child of the United States. The Midwest and West say they aren't part of them, the US Census Bureau defines it as part of the south (and if you say that to an actual Southerner there's a good chance of getting a fat lip), and it's CERTAINLY not the North.

It's part of the Southwest, not South East.

 

[Bear Ribs]

Oklahoma is kind of its own thing due to its history. Until it became a state it was "The Indian Nations" and basically one giant reservation. Even today it's got a ludicrous percentage of its land as reservations (I live on the Pottowatomie Nation Reservation myself), and 2.6 million people live on them, by land area and percentage of population it's the most Indian-centric state by far and that influences its culture quite a bit and leaves it fairly distinct compared to the rest of the west.