Minnesota is the Midwest, but Idaho? Survey says maybe
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Minnesota is safely a Midwest state, but the region's boundaries could extend as far as Idaho and Tennessee, depending on whom you ask.
Why it matters: We need a good definition of the Midwest. Otherwise, people from Colorado or West Virginia will walk around claiming Midwest credibility.
What they did: Emerson College and the Middle West Review surveyed 11,000 people in 22 states, asking them if they consider themselves to live in the Midwest. The results were published Wednesday.
What they found: Residents of states we typically associate with the Midwest —Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois, among others — resoundingly said yes to the question.
- But so did a fair amount of people in Oklahoma (66%), Colorado (42%), Idaho (25%), and Tennessee (10%).
My thought bubble: I will let the fine people of Michigan and Ohio define the eastern boundary of the Midwest. But I've always believed that on the western side, the Midwest ends at the Missouri River.
- There's a very clear landscape change when you cross the river in the Dakotas.
- Sioux Falls and Fargo feel like Midwestern cities, while Rapid City and Williston feel like the West.