The Midwestern United States is also referred to as the American Midwest or simply the Midwest. It is one of four geographic regions in the USA. Geogrpahically speaking, this region occupies the northern-central part of the United States of America.

The Midwest region consists of 12 states, though the area is traditionally defined in a number of ways. These include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Illinois has the highest population of the states, while North Dakota has the lowest. The population spread is usually thinly dispersed with a higher concentration around bigger cities.

Things To Do In Midwest

The area can be further divided into two regions: East and West. The East includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, all of which are also part of the Great Lakes region.

The West includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Except for Iowa, Missouri, and Minnesota, all are at least partially located within the Great Plains region.

Many major rivers are here. From east to west, include the Ohio River, the Upper Mississippi River, and the Missouri River.

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Chicago has the highest population of any city in the American Midwest. Chicago forms the largest metropolitan area. It is also the third most populous in the nation, which is home to over 9.8 million people.

Other largely populated cities include Indianapolis, Detroit, Milwaukee, Omaha, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Cleveland, Columbus, Wichita, and St. Louis.

History Of Midwest

The term Midwestern has been in use since the 1880s to refer to portions of the central United States. Middle West is a variant term in use since the 19th century. Another term sometimes used is The Heartland. Other designations for the region that are no longer as popular include Northwest or Old Northwest (from the name Northwest Territory) and Mid-America.

Jobs and Economy

Economically, the region balances heavy industry and agriculture. Large sections of this land area make up the United States’ Corn Belt). Other popular industries include finance and services such as medicine and education. Its central location makes it a transportation crossroads for river boats, railroads, cars, trucks, and airplanes. The region swings back and forth between political parties. During elections, it is often the deciding factor.

The Midwest region has a higher employment-to-population ratio than the Northeast, the West, or the South as of 2011.

October 3, 2016 1:25 pm Published by Salil Jha