You think this is BS?
West Virginia isn't even the furthest west Virginia... And there are only 2 of them.
this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2025
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I'm not from the US and this thread is the first time I've understood why the phrase "the Midwest" never seemed to match up with where I thought "the Midwest" should be.
Once upon a time the USA promised various tribes we would not start settling their lands to the west so the "midwestern USA" did match that space until we violated treaties and later seized CA.
Basically we had more land that wasn't ours to the west when the midwest got it's name.
I didn't look up where Guam and American Samoa are. The centre could even be further west.
But new York is in the south.
Where's US Chad?
Wait until you see Upper Canada and Lower Canada.
We should rename it the "middle east"
This is because names are with relation to the center of power.
So to europeans, the middle east is well, middle east, from europe.
While to east coast americans, the midwest is well, the middle west, compared to the original colonies.
This is what happens when you use naming systems from the powerful instead of just using local names.
Sort of? The fact is when the midwest got its name there was land to the west America had not claimed/seized/stolen.
So to europeans, the middle east is well, middle east, from europe.
Europe splits it into "near east" (Turkey, UAE, Iran), "middle east" (Afghanistan, India) and "far east" (China).
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i was about to say that this its like calling West Asia the "Middle East".
or one of the easternmost indian states being called "West Bengal".
For the latter it is because the East Bengal is the independent country of Bangladesh
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Put the center of the compass in NY and it all works.
This. Our country was originally established on the east coast. Anything off the coastline was considered "west." But knowing just how massive our country is now, we have the true west (left half of the country) and then the mid-west (anything not on the east coast, but not on the left half of the country).
Our basis for cardinal locations is centered around the concept of our nation slowly expanding "out west" from the east coast.
You can also kinda see it in how we refer to regions directionally. Back east, down south, up north, out west while they're kind of relics these terms subtly show how folks view the US.
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Did Canada take back the top bit at some point?
Yup
Don't tell Trump.
Yes, let Canada maintain the element of surprise.
I’m assuming it was named that way because “the west” was basically anything past Oklahoma from the perspective of the east coast, where most of the population existed.
Everything past the Ohio Valley was considered the west.
yeah population wise the middle of America would be way more towards the east, making this indeed the mid west
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My favorite throwaway joke in Anchorman is Brick saying something like "and then the weather pattern will move over the Middle East" while gesturing to the Midwest and, oooh, chef's kiss
It was the west before the entire Continent was explored. For you youngsters there was a time when they didn't know where the other side of the landmass was.
And by "they", we mean invaders from Europe, specifically.
I highly doubt that Native Americans from the east coast knew where the west coast was, either.
They were just a bunch of ignorant savages, after all. It's as absurd as a medieval society having heard about China!
/S because you apparently literally believe that
I'm glad I don't live in a mind that immediately turns so hostile. Must be tiresome.
People on the east coast of what is now the United States did not have horses and were not very migratory. They probably did not travel far. I'm sure they had an understanding that there was a west coast due to interactions with other tribes. That doesn't mean they knew where it was.
Even if I'm wrong on any points, this is hardly a racist view.
There were East-West trade routes before European settlers showed up.
The Inca people of South America famously built a 25,000 mile long road, and they didn't have horses, so access to horses is not a prerequisite for long distance travel.
Fucking lol
Well you aren’t helpful. Quick google search says more than likely no. No complete maps of the continent exist prior to the colonial era, but trading between tribes close to each other did see some items travel across the continent and into mesoamerica. Certain artifacts from Florida tribes were found in California, and shells from California found in Alaska and Virginia.
Great, you admit I'm right.
We have a problem like that in Canada:
One of our regions in the middle claims to be the West. We even point out "uh, there's lots more West than you, just over those mountains". I think the Flatlanders get nervous when the land curls up, though.
Anyway, our actual West holds a number of opinions that don't match that from those who claim to be us. Like, the idea that they're the West is far from the only bizarre notion they have.
We don't have a solution. Were labeling it Flatlander Dementia. It's somehow related to fracking.
I guess I'm saying, let me know what you come up with.
So the "middle" is like, West Virginia?
Remember how the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds were in the Western Division of the National League? I remember it sticking out like a sore thumb. Same division teams, ATL vs LA or SD or SF on opposite ends of four, count 'em, four timezones.
EDIT: Then the Chicago Cubs were on the Eastern Division of the National League, while the White Sox were on the Western Division of the American.
It was really strange. Thankfully things were slightly better by the 90s when the central division was added, but that still had weird groupings like Houston/Pittsburgh (or Miami/Montreal).
Minus Iowa and Missouri, "Great Lakes Region".
I grew up in California, I remember being surprised when I learned there are actually four timezones in the U.S. Because, on TV they never mentioned Mountain Time, I guess since relatively few people live there, and they were just bundled in with one of the other zones? Did Mountain Zone get TV shows at Pacific time, or Central time?
Six time zones. We also have Alaska and Hawaii.
They weren't bundled in. We just had to do the math ourselves, heh
7/6 central meant 5 in Mountain time.
narrator: "eight. seven central and mountain"
program starts at 8pm on the coasts, 7pm in central and mountain. so airs at the same time for the eastern half of the country, is delayed an hour for mountain, and two more hours for the west coast.
I wonder how it would look in one of those maps that are stretched by population. Since the population density is so low between the Mississippi and the west coast, it might actually be mid...west
relative
Yeah as a Kansan I always just assumed I was Midwest since… well… I’m as mid as it gets…
I recognize that I’m Central and not west though , feels like Midwest should really be Colorado/Nevada etc. Certainly doesn’t make any sense for those northeastern states to be called Midwest though.
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