Growing up in Minnesota, a sense of the Midwest felt inherent, woven into the fabric of daily life. It was in the drawn-out vowels in local accents, Grandma’s cherished caramel roll recipe, and shared tales of the infamous Halloween Blizzard of 1991 – a storm that every Midwesterner seems to have their own version of. However, the true definition of the Midwest remained elusive until college broadened my horizons, placing me amongst people from every corner of the United States. Suddenly, St. Louis was being touted as the “Paris of the Midwest,” despite Missouri never registering as Midwestern in my personal geography – and cities like Detroit and Cincinnati seemed to have already claimed that title anyway.
This prompted a deeper exploration into the very essence of the Midwest. I decided to survey colleagues in Midstory’s internship program, a diverse group hailing from places as geographically disparate as Massachusetts and Beijing. Armed with a map, I asked them to delineate what they considered the Midwest, explicitly stating that state lines were merely suggestions, not rigid boundaries. The responses, gathered from 15 individuals, revealed a fascinating mix of adherence and deviation, particularly concerning states on the region’s edges.
Consistently, Minnesota and Wisconsin emerged on every single map. Closely following were Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, and Ohio, solidifying their core Midwestern status. The inclusion of other states, however, sparked considerable debate, with West Virginia and Kentucky often considered borderline. Some interpretations even stretched the Midwest’s reach to encompass parts of Pennsylvania eastward and Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana westward, highlighting the subjective nature of regional boundaries.
Dr. Matthew Cook, an expert in Historic Preservation and Cultural Geography at Eastern Michigan University, confirms this inherent ambiguity. “Applying strict boundaries to any region is inherently subjective,” he explains. “Even geographers themselves disagree on a definitive Midwest definition.” This lack of consensus underscores the idea that the Midwest is as much a cultural construct as it is a geographical one.
Adding to the complexity, the term “Midwest” is often mistakenly used interchangeably with other regional designations, further blurring its identity. Two prominent examples are the “Corn Belt” and the “Rust Belt,” each highlighting specific, yet incomplete, aspects of the region.
The Corn Belt, a term rooted in agricultural geography, offers one perspective. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture formally mapped the Corn Belt in the 1950s, references to this agricultural heartland date back to the late 19th century. Initially focused on corn for livestock feed, the Corn Belt shifted in the mid-20th century towards cash-grain farming, emphasizing corn and soybeans. This agricultural lens defines the Midwest through its fertile lands and farming heritage, but it’s a limited view.
The “Rust Belt” provides another, more industrial, interpretation. This term, applicable to industrial areas of the northern Midwest and even parts of the East Coast, gained prominence, particularly around the 2016 election. Nicknames like “flyover country” or “middle America” also emerged, often carrying derogatory connotations and reflecting a sense of national disconnect from the region. The Rust Belt designation highlights the Midwest’s industrial past and economic shifts, but it too, is a partial definition.
Despite these varied interpretations, an “official” definition does exist. The U.S. Census Bureau defines the Midwest as encompassing twelve states: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin (the Old Northwest), and North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri. This governmental classification provides a clear, albeit potentially rigid, boundary.
Dr. Jon Lauck, a historian and board member of the Midwestern History Association, readily lists these twelve states, adding nuance by noting the Great Plains influence in western Dakotas, the Appalachian character of eastern Ohio, and the Ohio River as a southern demarcation. He argues against simplistic dismissals of the Midwest’s definability. “People who haven’t really dug into the field kind of give up too soon,” Lauck asserts. “They’re like, ‘Oh, we don’t know what the Midwest is — who knows?’ and then just kind of abandon all hope.”
However, as the Midstory intern poll demonstrates, the government’s map may not fully align with the lived experiences and perceptions of the Midwest. Historians, geographers, and sociologists continue to explore and debate the region’s definition, recognizing it as a complex tapestry woven from history, culture, and geography.
Organizations like the Midwestern History Association, founded in 2014, are dedicated to illuminating this often-overlooked region. Through annual conferences and publications like the Middle West Review, they foster scholarly discussion and deeper understanding. Historians emphasize that the Midwest’s story is rich and diverse, extending far beyond simplistic narratives of European settlers and cornfields.
The emergence of the Midwest as a distinct region in the national consciousness occurred between the 1880s and 1910s. This period coincided with the decline of violent westward expansion and the perception of the region as a fresh start. However, this “blank slate” narrative often overlooked the deep history and presence of Indigenous peoples.
The land now known as the Midwest was, and remains, the ancestral home of Anishinaabeg peoples, including the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Boodewaadaamii, as well as other Algonquin and Siouan-speaking groups. Despite colonial encroachment, Indigenous communities actively resisted displacement, seeking to purchase land and maintain their presence. While forced relocation policies shifted towards assimilation through boarding schools and reservations by the mid-1850s, the enduring legacy of Indigenous peoples is an integral part of Midwestern history.
Prior to the Civil War, the Lower Midwest (Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois) held closer ties to the South. The war, however, forged a distinct Midwestern identity, separate from both the South and the East Coast. Intellectuals, artists, and writers played a crucial role in articulating this evolving regional identity, shaping a sense of place through language and narrative.
Regionalism itself, the study of regional identities, has roots in the Midwest, according to Dr. Michael Steiner, an Emeritus Professor of American Studies at California State University, Fullerton. Figures like Frederick Jackson Turner, a Wisconsin historian, championed the “frontier thesis,” arguing that the westward expansion and frontier experience were central to the development of a unique American identity, distinct from European roots. Turner saw the “Middle West” as embodying values of “equality, freedom of opportunity, and faith in the common man,” contributing to a shift in national perception from “Northwest” to “Middle West.”
Turner was not alone. John Wesley Powell, Jane Addams, and Hamlin Garland, among others, further explored and popularized the concept of a distinct Midwest. Their diverse fields of expertise reflect a growing self-awareness and regional identity among Midwesterners in the late 19th century. As Steiner notes, “Unless you have a word for something, you can’t really know what it is. It’s when a word is created and shared by people [that] it becomes real to them.”
While the initial conceptualization of the Midwest was largely shaped by white intellectuals, the region’s identity was profoundly impacted by the Great Migration of Black Americans from the South, particularly after the Civil War and continuing into the 1970s. This demographic shift significantly influenced Midwestern culture, though not always without tension.
The Great Migration brought about social and political changes, including suburbanization, the emergence of a white working-class identity defined in opposition to Black workers, and persistent racial hostility. However, it also fueled social activism, artistic expression, and the growth of radical media, particularly in urban centers like Chicago. The Midwest became a complex space, simultaneously representing hope and opportunity and grappling with the realities of racism and inequality.
Today, the Midwest, like the United States as a whole, continues to negotiate its identity in the 21st century. Political discourse often centers on “middle America,” highlighting issues of race, class, and power. In a divided nation, the Midwest occupies a liminal space, straddling diverse geographies, histories, and cultural influences. While a singular, definitive answer to “What Is The Midwest?” may remain elusive, ongoing exploration and re-evaluation of its past and present are actively shaping its future.
Ultimately, despite the ambiguities and complexities, most Midwesterners intuitively understand that there’s a unique essence to their region. It’s a feeling that transcends state lines and official definitions. As the editors of Finding a New Midwestern History suggest, “If Midwesterners still doubt whether or not their regional identity is real, they simply need to leave the Midwest to find it.” Perhaps the true definition of the Midwest isn’t found in maps or census data, but in that intangible sense of belonging that resonates with those who call it home.
