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The Midwest Is A Whole Different Place, And This Account Shows That Perfectly (30 New Pics)
We named most of the regions in America after the cardinal directions. There's the West, the South, and the East. Yet there's no North, is there? You never hear somebody from Indiana or Wisconsin saying, "I'm from the North." Only characters from Game of Thrones say that.
We call the North Central states the Midwest. And the Midwest is a special place: with its Great Lakes, gently rolling hills and plains, and its famous sayings and phrases. It's so special, in fact, that there's a meme page dedicated to it, titled "Midwest Vs. Everybody." So, here's a selection of a few we think you might like, even if you're not a Midwesterner yourself.
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#2
Huddo's sister 1 year ago
P-platers (permit licence) in my state have to have 0 blood alcohol and I could definitely see a similar problem occurring here!
You might think you know where the Midwest is, but, turns out, it's a pretty subjective question. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 12 states in the American Midwest. They include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
However, in a 2023 poll by the University of Nebraska and Emerson College, the people living in Oklahoma and Wyoming also said they think of themselves as Midwesterners. The most Midwestern state, according to the poll, turned out to be Iowa. 96.7% of the people there think of themselves as Midwesterners.
And in Ohio, which the U.S. Census Bureau officially counts as part of the Midwest, only 73.8% of the respondents said they "live in the Midwest."
#4
Geoffrey Scott 1 year ago
Michigan here: "Let's see...spend $600 on two round trip tickets then have no car and rent one, or drive 15-20 hrs each way for $200 and have MY car to use".
As Jon K. Lauck, editor of Middle West Review, notes, there are nuances to what is the Midwest. "The western parts of the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas are sort of the West. The southern tier of counties in Ohio, are Appalachia.
"The southern half of Missouri is quite southern. So there are some nuances it's important to take notice of. That's what the historians and social scientists involved in Midwestern history are sorting out and making more clear," he explained.
But wait a minute, what does "west" even have to do with this region? Isn't this technically the center of America, in between the West and the East Coast regions? Well, the term "Midwest" comes from the time when all the territories west of the Mississippi but in between the North and South were considered the West.
#11
Huddo's sister 1 year ago
I'm so glad we are not allowed to buy fireworks in my state in Australia. The stories from my dad when they had them for bonfire night (which we also don't have now) and my general knowledge of bogans and other idiots in my state tells me it's a good thing!
#12
pineapple87 1 year ago
There's a saying that Canada has two seasons: winter and construction. Guess it's the same in the midwest
Some claim that you'll know the Midwest when you see it. As Jacob K. Friefeld, a research historian at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum writes, "People may not agree on where to find the Midwest, but they generally agree on what you'll find there."
#13
Kelly H. Wilder 1 year ago
I don't live in either of those places, but I definitely accept compliments that way. 🤷♀️
And the idea of the Midwest in most Americans' minds is one of a pastoral paradise. A simple place where everyone knows their neighbors and farm fields sprawl as far as the eye can see. That's why people call it the Heartland of America: it helped form the agricultural and economic foundation that the country is built on.
But being from the Midwest is not just about geography. Being a Midwesterner is a cultural identifier too. Many say that state fairs are the quintessential part of the American Midwest. In 2015, USA Today named the Minnesota State Fair as the very best, with Iowa taking second place.
Then there's the food, like the classic Midwest hotdish. Although it's the unofficial state cuisine of Minnesota, you can find different iterations of hotdish in other Midwestern states as well. There are three main components in a hotdish: starch, protein, and vegetable. Food blogger Molly Yeh, who now lives in North Dakota, describes the hotdish like this: "If you were to place [the hotdish] on an x/y chart where x = how much it looks like barf, and y = how delicious it is, they would be maxed out on both accounts. That's the charm of a hotdish."
#22
#23
BunnyMommy 1 year ago
Small town Michigan, where I spent my summers with my Grandparents! Against which all towns have been measured, and have failed. It's been many years of measuring, I'm 73.
Midwesterners also have some interesting phrases you probably wouldn't hear in other regions of the U.S. One of them is "Ope" which the "Midwest Vs. Everybody" page has in its title as well. People describe "Ope" in many different ways (and it rhymes with "rope," by the way), but essentially it's somewhat a mix of "oh" and "oops."
Midwesterners say "Ope!" when they're surprised, when they want to squeeze past someone in line at the supermarket, or even when they accidentally spill wine on their or somebody else's shirt. Linguist Ben Zimmer explained to HuffPost that the word is a somewhat mix between "oops" and "welp." "It could also be thought of as the 'oh' interjection plus a final '-p,'" he explained.
#29
Have we got any Pandas from the Midwest here? Let us know in the comments if any of these identifiers fit the description of a Midwesterner. And if you're looking for more funny bits from the "Midwest Vs. Everybody" page, check out this article we did about their page back in 2021!
#31
Krisynda Austin 2 months ago
Also why most midwestern people have a survival kit in at least one of their nine vehicles
#34
General Anaesthesia 1 year ago
Preparation for the world's biggest fondue dinner when the sun engulfs the earth.
#37
Huddo's sister 1 year ago
Where I live that's the difference between Target and Target Country stores.
#40
Geoffrey Scott 1 year ago
Though with the planet warming, spring and fall are far shorter than` they used to be. Warm,warm,warm,..cold. Cold,cold,cold,warm. Not as gradual as it was.
#41
RagDollLali 1 year ago
To be fair the jello mold "salads" look like they can kill anyone anywhere 😵
#42
#43
Geoffrey Scott 1 year ago
Menards, if you are wondering, is a home improvement chain which is a toy store for adults.
#46
Robert Trebor 1 year ago
Chinese restaurant lady in Nebraska who said she wanted to move to Texas. I told her it was hot most of the year, and she said that's not a problem. Here, she said, the wind never stops blowing.
#47
sofacushionfort 1 year ago (edited)
Drinking while sitting in a tiny, floorless house, staring at a hole in the ice.
#49
#50
Huddo's sister 1 year ago
I don't think this would work about the d**k and balls graffiti people supposedly do around them in London
#52
Geoffrey Scott 1 year ago
Lived in Fla for a time. Cut 1/2 the back yard, in August, came in for some ice water. GF's Dad, visiting from Mich said "Can't do the whole thing at once? Huh".. one pass down, one back, and he DRAGs himself in and promptly pours a hot COFFEE. "Damn it's hot here". "Yup", go out, finish back and 1/2 the front.
#54
Robert Trebor 1 year ago
But there is a Kansas City, Kansas. Makes me want to say: Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas City, Kansas
#59
#61
Whoopsie_doodle 1 year ago
The song was playing on my TV in the background as I read this. I'm dead.
#65
#70
Rivet Gardener 1 year ago
Tuna or chicken salad sandwiches made with Ranch as a base are the ultimate! Don't knock it until you try it.
#74
Huddo's sister 1 year ago
Isn't this just the general historic building style for commercial areas? Most old shops where I live are attached and we also have a lot of inner city suburban homes are still row housing.
#77
#80
Carl Roberts 1 year ago
I assure you, this isn't just a midwest thing. Only thing missing is the shredded lettuce
#82
Sven Grammersdorf 1 year ago
Not sure that's the correct photo, but there's a park just like that two blocks from my house in Indiana
#83
Forrest Hobbs 1 year ago
Can anyone translate the caption into "Something a middle aged Brit understands"?
#84
Robert Trebor 1 year ago
To be clear, the 85 mph is one 45 mile stretch of a tollway, Texas 130. The rest of the tollway is only 80 mph.
#87
sofacushionfort 1 year ago
Actual definition: 1. In between the Rockies and the Appalachian’s. 2. Didn’t side with the Confederacy (so Missouri barely qualifies, and Oklahoma is excluded because the Cherokee sided with the South)
#88
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René Sauer 1 year ago
really, only 29 pics? The rest locked behind the premium curtain? God... makes me wanna drop this website sometimes.
Phantom Phoenix 1 year ago (edited)
Agreed. BP, cease this insanity or you will lose users
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John Louis 1 year ago
This article is 1) Funny! 2) A welcome change Bored Panda's ridiculous articles, AITA for getting into a situation that any sensible person could easily avoid.
René Sauer 1 year ago
really, only 29 pics? The rest locked behind the premium curtain? God... makes me wanna drop this website sometimes.
Phantom Phoenix 1 year ago (edited)
Agreed. BP, cease this insanity or you will lose users
Load More Replies... John Louis 1 year ago
This article is 1) Funny! 2) A welcome change Bored Panda's ridiculous articles, AITA for getting into a situation that any sensible person could easily avoid.
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