The Great State Debate
[photopress:StateDebateMap.jpg,full,pp_image]Not sure if you knew this, but Julie Mothergoosemouse and I were friends pre-Mile High Mamas. Before she even moved the Colorado. And during our lovely and long friendship, we have only had one disagreement. It’s now settled into a joke between us (basically because I WON), but Julie used to refer to Colorado as the “Midwest.” GASP!
Seriously? The Midwest? When everybody and their brother calls Denver a “cowtown?” When, before my wedding in 1996, we actually had friends ask us if large animals roam freely in the street? (I am NOT kidding). Colorado, the midwest? When the state just north of us has a cowboy on their license plate? And we hold a stock show and sell cattle for the whole region every January? And Buffalo Bill Cody is buried here? And! And! And…
WE ARE THE WEST, DAMMIT.
It *has* been interesting is where we Coloradoans (and other friends via email) think the borders of the other regions fall. Apparently we all have an opinion.
It came up a while back over lunch with coworkers and we ended up drawing a map right there at the table. It basically turned into a game of Monopoly. I insisted that Oklahoma was in the West because any state that sponsored land grabs was most certainly western. They felt West Virginia was a wild card and were’t willing to put it into the Northeast as I was wont to do, so I had to give them that to get Tennessee into the South as I felt it should be. Bryan declared Virgina had to be in the south since Richmond was the capital of the confederacy. We wavered on my home state of Maryland, because – even though the Mason Dixon line runs along the top border of the state, it has always felt like more of a northern state.
Here is what we ended up with after our negotiations. Where do *you* fall in the Great State Debate?
Colorado is in the west. Of course.
To me, “west” means mountains and a certain attitude inherent in the people. Midwest means thousands of miles of flatlands. It’s the breadbasket. I’d put Kansas and Nebraska in the midwest as well. The Dakotas are iffy and could go either way.
I used to work at the Grand Junction airport’s Hertz when I was in college. East coast charter plane passengers, in their ridiculous giant furry Sasquatch boots, would ask me the stupidest questions—”Are the roads out here paved?”
I always wanted to say, “Shucks, ma’am, we just started rentin’ out cars a few weeks ago. Before that, you’d be takin’ a mule and wagon up to yer fancy pants ski lodge!”
I agree.. we ARE the wild west. (Molly) Brown’s Palace still stands for crying out loud.
) Midwest just sounds so central..
Now, if we were in the south.. I mean deep south where grits are served with everything, “ya’ll” is singular and “all ya’ll” is plural, I do believe you would have a major battle on your hands over true southern states. I have close ties down yonder and have seen first hand the emotion over north and south. Thems are fightin’ words..
http://www.coloradodentons.blogspot.com
I used to live in N. Dakota, and it considers itself Midwest, or if you want to be specific, “Upper Midwest.” All states that fall under it (SD, NE, KS) would be Midwest as well.
I would place Missouri, Kentucky, and W. Virginia in the South, along with Texas.
I would place Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma in the West as well.
But that’s just my opinion!
I am West Coast, baby. All the way!
I have definitely revised my position regarding the classification of Colorado. West, for sure.
Virginia – depends where you are. NoVA is far different than the rural areas of southwestern VA.
Kentucky and Tennessee – south. No question.
We’re missing a category here! Growing up in Kansas, we called our state a “Great Plains” state and usually included the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.
The midwest has trees, for pete’s sake! The West has mountains! That strip of states down the middle is neither “west” nor “midwest”.
As for Texas, I guess you could call it “southwestern” but most Texans I’ve talked to think they deserve a category all to themselves.
Which reminds me of a Texas joke I love:
Q: What does Alaska have that Texas doesn’t?
A: Size and modesty.
I am originally from Virginia and never considered it a ‘southern’ state until I moved to Colorado. It’s for sure a southern state, no question about it.
http://andallthejonesmen.blogspot.com
sjones1026(at)hotmail(dot)com
Colorado is soo the west. Of this, there can be no debate.
Intermountain West is a term I think best used to describe our location. Learned that one teaching 5th grade geography.
Midwest never. West, kinda.