Midwest

[Peter A. McGraw]

One has only to drive from east to west across the Great Plains to see that
state boundaries are inadequate to define the Midwest.  The first time I
drove across South Dakota, the boundary was striking: the Midwest extended
as far as the Missouri River, and the West began on the other side.  All
the way to the east bank of the river it was the same cornfields and farms
you saw in Minnesota, Iowa, etc.  Starting on the other bank, it was
ranches instead of farms, and the land was arid except where irrigated.
The same transition occurred at about the same longitude in North Dakota,
even though the Missouri there doesn't divide the state into two halves.

Years later I drove across SD again and watched for the phenomenon.  This
time I didn't notice the same stark division, but it was still clear that
Sioux Falls was in the Midwest and Rapid City was in the West.

Peter Mc.

--On Sunday, February 24, 2002 1:57 PM -0500 Frank Abate
<abatefr at EARTHLINK.NET> wrote:

> 8. That gives the following for Midwest: certainly OH, IN, IL, MI, WI, MN,
> IA, NE, SD, ND.  Probably KS, and (perhaps less) probably MO.



****************************************************************************
                               Peter A. McGraw
                   Linfield College   *   McMinnville, OR
                            pmcgraw at linfield.edu