Day 14, Explanations

[fabrisse]

Yesterday, in reading the book on The Wicker Man, the British author identified Oregon as in "the Midwest." Now, in fairness, it is the middle of the states on the West Coast, but, just, no.

However, that got me to thinking about my parents and geography and how geography isn't really taught any more (tomorrow, I may talk about one of my colleagues at the travel agency who is an Ur example of this), hence, the poll.

Mom was born and educated in California. Her parents were originally Texans who had driven the wooden road from Gallup to the California border on their honeymoon so that grandpa could take a job in Imperial valley. Since Mom has always been concerned about being mistaken for an Okie (my apologies, this is a direct quote), I should add that this was several years before the Great Depression or the Dustbowl.

Dad was born and educated in Virginia. His family on his mother's side had been in Virginia since, no lie, 1607, and his father's family had been on the Eastern Shore of Maryland since the Constitution was signed.

I don't remember how we got on the subject, it was probably while I was learning US geography through a 50 piece puzzle in first grade, but there was a definite difference of opinion about what constituted the Midwest.

To Dad, any state west of Pennsylvania (i.e., no coast to its East), was Midwestern. Former Confederate states were, sort of, Southern, but, for instance, Dad tended to lump Kentucky into the Midwest rather than the South for most things. Arkansas and Missouri were also a little different. Florida was its own thing, a sentiment many, including me and Mom, share. Ohio was definitely in the Midwest.

For Mom, anything East of the Mississippi was back East, although it could also be the South. Ohio was not in the Midwest, though I think Indiana and Michigan were included, mostly.

They both agreed that the West began around the Rockies, Colorado being the major demarcation for it. The Southwest wasn't as much of a region then (far less populated until the late 1960s) and was part of the West. This is backed up by the way the Painted Desert was used in Westerns.

Oklahoma could go either way, West or Midwest, depending upon the story being told. The Dakotas were mostly part of the West -- see Deadwood, Calamity Jane, and Bill Hickock -- but were acknowledged to be geographically Midwestern. Actually, Dad's favorite description of North Dakota, originating with the DC DJs Trumbull and Core in the mid-70s, was "Baja Manitoba."

Looking at yesterday's answers, about two-thirds agree with Mom that Ohio is in the Midwest. Fewer agree with her and Dad's designation for Texas as Western. The majority agree with me that it's Southern, something I got from third grade social studies, but there are substantial divisions on Texas.

And my own confusion is also somewhat exposed. I don't think Ohio's in the Midwest, but I'm absolutely sure that Cleveland is. *G*

Comments

[eanja]

I occurs to me that I don't really think of Texas as being in a region at all. I just think of it as Texas- big enough to be it's own region, really. (Also, west Texas is southwestern, and eastern Texas southern, because the two areas are so geographically different.)

And you're right- I wouldn't blink at Cleveland being mid-west, but I don't put Ohio there. (I'd swear there was some separate grouping we did in school of 4 or 5 states that were basically all drained swampland- I thought Ohio fit into those, but can't for the life of me think what that was called now.)

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

I think, since we aren't really taught geography, we end up with incongruities.

[malnpudl.livejournal.com]

Texas is problematic for my brain to categorize -- mostly, I think, because it's so damn big. I think of Houston as being in the South, but El Paso unquestionably in the West (and specifically in the Southwest). All that stuff in between... kind of up for grabs? *g*

Actually, Dad's favorite description of North Dakota, originating with the DC DJs Trumbull and Core in the mid-70s, was "Baja Manitoba."

I LOVE that. :-D

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

As I said, the Western included Texas in the West, but to me the accent sounds Southern and they were part of the Confederacy.

[matildalucet.livejournal.com]

Texas is just its own place, like Florida. I think of Ohio as Midwest. Nebraska and the Dakotas are part of the Great Plains, which are west of the Midwest and east of the West. I'm not sure how far south either of these go.

Dad was from Montana, which was clearly western because we had cowboy boots when we visited. (child logic!) Mom was from Pennsylvania which was clearly eastern, though every so often a sort of midwestern pronunciation snuck in that made me turn and look at her. As far back as I can remember, I was mostly raised East Coast and have no memories living west of eastern Kansas. I been told I did, I just don't remember it.

I don't remember geography being taught as its own thing in schools. But maybe I missed it when I moved between schools. That's how I missed the whole Civil War in middle school.

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

I missed my 1-5 multiplication tables with moving between schools. I was taught some geography, mostly when I was in DoDDS programs, but I learned most of it on my own.

[matildalucet.livejournal.com]

I'm still learning it. I think I've finally got a grip on where each state is from doing online jigsaw puzzles.