Is Michigan In The Midwest? ‘Barely’

I've never really considered Michigan a 'Midwest' state, but some people would disagree. So is it, or isn't it?

YouGov Asked Readers What States Are Midwestern

What if you've called yourself a Midwesterner your whole life, but it turns out you AREN'T one?

The popular opinion web site YouGov asked its readers to define the boundaries of what is considered to be the 'Midwest', and Michigan did indeed receive some votes, enough to be considered 'barely' in the region.

What does that even mean? Are we in or out?

Considering That A 50% Vote Means You're IN, We're IN!

More than 50% of Americans said each one is at least partially in the Midwest.  Here are all 13 states, starting with the ones that got the most votes.

1.  Only five states are considered to be FULLY in the Midwest:  Kansas . . . Nebraska . . . Iowa . . . Illinois . . . and Indiana.  Iowa and Kansas were voted the MOST Midwestern.

2.  Five more made the cut pretty easily:  Missouri . . . South Dakota . . . Minnesota . . . Wisconsin . . . and Ohio.  At least 55% of people think all of them are at least partially in the Midwest.

3.  And the last three were barely above 50%:  North Dakota . . . Oklahoma . . . and Michigan.

Wait! What? This polling makes little or no sense. Minnesota is as far north as North Dakota, but gets more votes? At first I thought it was a north/south thing, but now I know it's not. It's more east/west. Or is it? Ohio gets more votes than us, and it's farther east.

People are weird. Or dumb. Or both.

Seven States Were Left Out, And Most People Think The Midwest Is 'Boring'

Seven more states were options but DIDN'T make the cut:  Only 43% think Colorado is in the Midwest . . . Arkansas, 39% . . . Kentucky and Wyoming, 38% . . . Montana, 35% . . . West Virginia, 20% . . . and Pennsylvania, 17%.

The poll also asked people what they thought of Midwestern people, and it appears we sacrifice fun for work:

YouGov also asked respondents in an open-ended question, "What do you think of the Midwest?" Many talked about its geographic location or its weather — the region is known for getting the full blast of all four seasons). Others described the Midwest as "boring," "fine," or "flat." Some referenced its conservative values, while others referred to it as "America's breadbasket" filled with hard-working people.

FYI -- I did an image search for 'Midwest' on the photo site Unsplash, and this photo of  Michigan's Porcupine Mountains popped up. So there's THAT.