53 maps that explain the Midwest

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The Midwest, explained by maps, data, and history: in this video I hunt for the most Midwestern state. I compare classic census definitions with shifting cultural borders, then test “Midwestern-ness” using population density, basements and frost lines, snow-day cancellation thresholds, flatness, and Great Lakes proximity. I bring in corn and soybean maps, E85 stations, and Dairy Queen per-capita locations to capture food, farming, and everyday life. Along the way we talk pop vs soda, duck duck gray duck, and regional dialects that make the Upper Midwest sound the way it does.
History and identity matter too. I pull quotes from Timothy Flint (1833) and Abraham Lincoln’s “great interior region” to show how the Middle Western idea started. We look at Census Bureau regions, USPS operational maps, Interior/NPS watershed regions, and how agencies slice the country differently. I overlay modern surveys (FiveThirtyEight, YouGov) that ask Americans which states are Midwest, and map how groups shaped the region: German ancestry, the Great Migration, Hmong and Somali communities in Minnesota, Arab Americans in Michigan, and more.
Then I run a 10-round tournament ranking states by the most persuasive maps and the poll you all answered. Geography, climate, agriculture, turnout, slang, and chains all count. Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska rise and fall as each round lands, and we end with a data-driven winner for “the most Midwestern state.” If you like map-based explainers about regional identity, language, and history, this is the definitive Midwest breakdown. Share your tweaks, argue in the comments, and check the newsletter for sources and extra maps.

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Written by Phil Edwards