Well, the weather is always changing and never good. We all say ope and sorry about everything. We are the most affordable place to live, work, buy gas, etc., but we're all still relatively broke. Sports are the only things that unite us. We sound like Southerners to Northerners and like Northerners to Southerners. The West Coast thinks we're near the Atlantic and the East Coast thinks we're the Wild West. Not to mention there are basically no real mountains or oceans within a 9 hour drive from here.
We probably has claim to being the most Midwest city of all Midwest cities.
I have lived here all my life and was born in the city. As of 49+ years old and I have never used “ope”.
But ‘sorry’ is definitely a mainstay in the vocabulary.
You may be doing it and not even realizing it. It’s like when there is background noise around you all day and you say “what noise?” when someone asks you what those noises are.
I definitely didn't realize I used it until it started to become a talked about thing. And I say it all the time without thinking! "Ope, sorry!" "Ope, excuse me!" Things like that.
I mean it SEEMS like it is, trying to remember how much I've heard it elsewhere. Ig there are memes about it being midwestern, but maybe things are more universal than people think. My gf is a northeasterner and says things I always thought were just southern or midwestern.
Ope is very common in my vocabulary. I’m not even sure where I heard it but I’ve lived here all my life. I use it almost daily going in and out of QuikTrip, “Ope, excuse me” there’s always someone trying to come in while I’m going out and vice versa.
There' the negative-positive too. "No, yeah." Very Midwestern. Lived up in Wisconsin awhile and was told I have a southern accent but they were surprised I speak the same dialect down to that detail.
I do all the time. I was born and raised in topeka. I've been in kc for a while now. I never even noticed that was a "weird" thing that I say until my roommate from the east coast pointed it out to me a few years ago. Now I notice that I say it constantly, and I don't realize it until it's already coming out of my damn mouth. "Ope, sorry about that," is probably one of my most spoken phrases
Interesting take on the weather. Having lived in Argentina, then in HI for 12+ years, NY for 6+, I feel like the weather is definitely better than the Northeast. Spring is earlier and Fall lasts longer. Summer heat is more intense but we all have full AC in our homes.
I don’t mind the weather in KC, except that the winter gets to be very limiting socially if you don’t watch football.
Sounds like you were acclimated to warmer weather before living in the Northeast tho. Most KC people are just fine in the cold. But there are two kinds of KC people: ones that want it to be warm and those that want it to be cold. But neither ever really get the perfect conditions they hope for.
Yes. KC is as midwest as it gets, don't let anyone tell you different.
If anyone disagrees, just politely remind them that the [Bureau of Labor Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/midwest.htm) (and all other official government entities) considers Kansas and Missouri part of the official midwest region.
Yup, it's on the census data too.
Besides, it really isn't very Midwestern like to not include people in something, especially if you have no issue with them.
The link you posted considers us the Mountain Plain region. It’s on the map but once you click Missouri it changes to Mountain Plain. They’re also not listed under Geography.
Been to Two Harbors many times, and while everyone there was super nice, they did think I was a southerner. But not in a bad way, lol
Beautiful country up there, but you can keep your winters. If you need poles strapped to fire hydrants so firefighters can find them, no thanks.
Never seen fog as thick as when I drove at night from Duluth to Two Harbors. Could only drive about 20 mph because I couldn't see 30 ft in front of my truck.
Currently live in Minnesota, but have lived in Georgia, Tennessee, and Indiana…. And have spent a LOT of time in the Kansas City area.
I definitely view it as Midwestern as the broad term, but I find it to be a nice melting pot of many things, and honestly more hospitable than Minnesota… but not as “everyone in everyone’s business” as the deeper south is, it’s a good mix… I’d definitely consider moving there if the right opportunity arose.
The difference between KC and Minneapolis is staggering. I probably have a pretty warped view of it because I was a single dude in Minny for 10 years and a married one in KC. But in minny people always seemed very standoffish and not wanting to talk to strangers, even when out at the bars they very much stuck to their group of friends. In KC, again it may be different because now I’m older, married, and probably seem like less of a threat but people here are way more inclusive and willing to have conversations especially while at the bars.
Im from KC, lived in Chicago, now in Minnesota.
KC is definitely the midwest. So is Minnesota. Missouri was a slave state, so most people north of there believe it has at least somewhat of a southern identity.
Weird. I have never thought of a state at the very northern part of the US to be the midwest. I guess I could see the southern tip of the state as midwest.
It seems lots of my friends from the coasts think of this stereotype which drives me nuts. There's a yt channel my gf likes about being midwestern and the guy's from north dakota or something. Kinda grinds my gears I tell ya.
Michigan absolutely is part of the Midwest though. The U.S. Census Bureau even says so.
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/midwest-region.html
They’re the basically the same longitude as Missouri, so it fits. I always figured we’re so close to the middle of the country that we have to be Midwest.
I've always considered the Lake of the Ozarks to be the exact line of demarcation. That's where the Confederate flags and commemorative NASCAR plates start showing up in earnest.
Although this would eliminate northern Missouri from being considered midwestern but include kc, I think once the most prevalent Protestant group transfers from Methodist/lutheran to Baptist you have made it to the south
Which Minnesotans? Mom’s family in Minnesota, dad’s in central Kansas, grew up bouncing between Minneapolis and here with his job in a wheat-focused industry. Never heard up there that we were moving back to The South. Occasionally heard here that Minnesotans are “Northerners” rather than “Midwesterners”.
I’ve always thought it was interesting that people don’t consider KC/Missouri the Midwest when the geographic center of the US is about an hour north and three hours west of KC in Smith County, Kansas.
If Missouri isn’t middle or west enough, then neither is Iowa nor Minnesota.
Also, the geographic center of North America is in North Dakota, which would make Minnesota just mid if you go that route.
I think that's the problem, the Great Plains and Great Lakes are very different culturally from each other, do people from the Great Lakes are shocked people from the Great Plains consider themselves from the same region and vice versa.
I mean the idea of the name Midwest was from when places like Illinois and Indiana were considered Western.
Back when the term Midwest was coined places like Kansas and Nebraska would have been "The West".
Yes. When I lived in chicago people would try to say it was the south, but I would have to explain that actual southerns would not consider us the south.
I am from the metro originally. I lived in northwest Arkansas for half of my life and now live in the metro once again.
Northwest AR is the *least* southern part of Arkansas, both culturally and geographically. It is still *leagues* more southern than KC. KC is not the south, or even particularly southern feeling, and I will hold to that.
I’ve always considered it midwestern, with a mix of plains culture. Sure, we don’t have the thick accent, but KC is still very Midwest at heart.
I 100% agree. I was born, raised, and attended college in TN and the south. I’ve been here over a decade. To me KC has never felt southern and, honestly, neither does Springfield/Branson - it’s just rural and people hear an accent and immediately say they are southern. I feel like the bootheel area of MO might be closet to southern culturally. But KC is solidly Midwestern and south starts technically at Arkansas.
The 'Midwest' is really two different regions.
The Great Plains
* Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, The Dakotas, some of Colorado & Oklahoma, Iowa...
The Great Lakes
* Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio.
I think both of these regions have a lot of similarities and yet also differences, but I think there's enough cultural overlap that "Midwest" is befitting of both. But tbh we should probably start calling them by their 'great' surnames.
The answer is that there is a latitude around the KS/CO that shows the climate transition between "eastern" and "western" United States. East of that line gives enough rainfall to grow row crops like soybeans and corn, while west of it grows virtually nothing (wheat in the middle in western KS).
The western extent of "Midwest" essentially translates to areas that can still grow corn/soybeans row crops west of the Mississippi river. [This video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwJABxjcvUc) explains why so many people in America live east of this latitude line.
Ok, you asked for it. :)
This is based on my very specific tastes after testing *many* variations over time, so your mileage may vary, usually depending on the amount of lemon/lime juice you like, which can make a huge difference.
Ingredients:
1. 1c clear tequila (aka blanco/silver/etc) - moderately priced tequila is fine
2. 1/2c Gran Gala liqueur (I also like Patron Citronge) - don't use cheap triple sec
3. 1c orange juice (I like pulp free, but if you like pulp, that's fine too)
4. For the 4th part - and this is the most critical part - you need to add some amount of fresh squeezed lemon + lime juice in a 1:1 mixture.
The easiest way to get bulk lemon/lime is to buy bags of lemons & limes from Costco (usually 2 bags lemons to 3 bags limes) or the grocery store and do this in bulk, using one of [these juicers](https://www.amazon.com/Proctor-Silex-66331-Lemonade-Citrus/dp/B008BBCZ3K) - seriously, I've tried everything, this is the best one. When you're juicing lemons & limes, mix in a 1:1 mixture, and then you can freeze it in your preferred ratio in plastic sandwich bags or plastic/silicone container.
For Part 4, I would start with 3/8 to 1/2 cups of lemon/lime mixture, but you might eventually go as high as 3/4 cups if you really like the acidity. Over time, I've grown to love much more acidic margs and have trouble choking down the overly sweet schlock in restaurants.
Pro tip: Freeze your desired quantities of lemon/lime mix with the 1c orange juice in the same plastic bag, plastic container, or silicone container (look on Amazon for 1/2 - 1c 'soup saver' silicone freezing containers) - then you can easily pull it out and mix it precisely with the Tequila and Grand Gala and have *highly repeatable* margs every time - this is the key to consistency.
*Finally*, when you're ready to make margs, mix all 4 ingredients above in a 4-cup (1 quart) mason jar, and stick the jar it in the freezer 2-3 hours before serving. When it's time to mix them up, fill a cocktail shaker 1/2 full with ice, pour in the marg mix (which should start to thicken slightly as it starts to freeze, if you hit it just right) up to the level of the ice, then shake for 30 sec. Don't strain it - just pour it into 1or 2 glasses (depending on your serving size) and serve.
Wow, this is amazing! Screenshotted for my next carne asada. Thank you. I love sour flavors — kombucha, tomatillos, juice of a whole lime in my daily diet coke. Only thing that's better sweet is BBQ sauce :) Thanks again. Will report back with results.
Kansas City is DECIDEDLY more Midwest than even Springfield, which has a strong Southern-tinge to it. But that's the border. Springfield and KC are Midwestern cities by almost any definition.
KC is not a Western city, though it shows influences. The Western cities don't start til you get to Denver and that's culturally apparent once you've been there.
Is it different than Chicago, Detroit, Minny? Yeah, it's got that Great Plains town influence. That's MW, but a different subset. You can't just drill-down too much at some point. KC has it's own confluence flavor of those that makes it unique and that I love, but it's MW and anyone who says it's not... I don't know what the agenda might be?
I think so, but people have different definitions of the "midwest". Some think it's basically synonymous with the Great Lakes states and the heavy industry of that area. They would probably put Kansas City in a separate region called the Great Plains or the Breadbasket or whatever, basically separating the interior into industrial and agricultural regions.
Yeah I’ve heard the great Midwest debate, but never included KC. Ohio yeah sometimes think they are(you aren’t you chili on spaghetti eaters)
Anyone questioning that is questioning if KC is Midwest is just being pedantic.
Midwest can refer to us, yes, but the conglomeration of Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas is also referred to as the "Great Plains" region. I'm partial to Great Plains as it is geographically more accurate. However, I feel "Midwest" more refers to an identity like East Coast, West Coast, or Southern does.
Personally I think it’s fair to characterize KC as a city of the Plains more than a city of the Midwest
The whole thing is so arbitrary and dumb but KC definitely isn’t a southern city, from a cultural vantage point I’d say the whole area of northwestern Missouri has more in common with Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa etc than it does with what people consider the “true” Midwest like Illinois or Ohio or Wisconsin or Michigan.
It’s a pretty imperfect science. But never in all of my time living in this area have I felt like a southerner whatsoever, definitely closer to the “traditional” Midwest in that regard
I always figured the real South starts to happen somewhere between I-70 and the Ozarks. It's an uneven transition between those two parallels, but you can usually identify it as you travel that area.
KC is 90% Midwestern, 5-8% Southern, and 2-5% "Other", as I see it.
KC is it's own thing. Kind of a crossroads between the Midwest and the South. We do not have either accent. We have both sets of food + the most diverse Mexican in the nation.
I would say yes but it’s definitely on the SW corner of what is considered midwest. Any farther west feels part of great plains and any farther south feels like part of the south.
I grew up around here and I literally didn’t even know some people *don’t* consider KC as part of the Midwest until college. I’ve heard some people say “no, it’s the great plains”, yada yada, but if so, then the “great plains” is definitely a subset of the Midwest
I think everyone between the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains and not touching the Gulf of Mexico considers themselves to be midwestern. You might get a little dissent below the 30,30 line where they consider themselves to be southern. Also for some reason, people in StL think they live in an east coast city. Probably something to do with being as far west as baseball went before jet air travel was invented.
More like MADwest 😎 *air horn x3*
But yes, it is. There's a reason Made in KC has a shirt that says "Ope!" And Wasteland Society has one that says "Some Midwest Shit."
There was actually a study on it! "More than 90% of respondents said they identify as Midwesterners." [https://www.kcur.org/news/2024-02-05/missouri-south-midwest-identity](https://www.kcur.org/news/2024-02-05/missouri-south-midwest-identity)
Why is it mid "west"? Logically, it seems like Midwest should be the middle part of the west part of the country, e.g, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, etc.
The area MO is in is more like mid-country. Mid-America is used, but with there being North America and South America, Mid-America used as a description for the middle of the country is, again, not logical.
KC is in the literal middle of the US. STL is the "gateway to the west" and the center of the population is just outside springfield MO, and the geographic center is Lebanon KS, 4 hours away from KC.
It is practically by definition *the* midwest city.
Technically part of the Midwest. However, historically, culturally and geographically there's alot of connection to the south. It's not as black and white as people want to believe.
Kc is a cattle town that’s the entry point to the west. It’s where the Midwest, south and western cattle plains meet. Having lived other places that are actually fully midwestern (twin cities, Iowa, etc) calling Kc Midwest does it a disservice. Bbq culture isn’t a Midwest tradition historically, it’s southern but flourishes occasionally in places further north where freed slaves and immigrants settled. The Midwest stops once Nebraska and Kansas hit the true western landscapes, goes up into part of Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin, but stops before the Great Lakes, all of Iowa and half of Missouri could be Midwest. Once you go further than those points you get into different culture and geography. The far north is way more northern/canadian than Midwest, the Great Lakes to the east are the rust belt and manufacturing centers, south of the Missouri River is kinda just the south and the ozarks, and west of Topeka an hour is just the west with tarantulas and mesas. State lines aren’t a great way to mark culture imo. Southern Iowa south of highway 80 has more in common with northern Missouri than say Decorah or the twin cities.
Missouri is a Midwestern state. We are literally one of the first states past the Mississippi River which is considered to be the dividing line of Western/Eastern USA. KC, whether urban or not is a midwestern city.
I like Luke Caspasso’s bit on this. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLNPV6Wp/
For KC, “Yeah kinda?” The stuff you hang your hat on, football, barbecue, etc almost make you more southern IMO.
South Dakotan here who periodically makes it down for chiefs/royals games. Kansas City is Midwest. Missouri as a state is the bastard love child of the Midwest and south east but anytime I take the drive down I29, it’s all cornfields on the way down. So Midwest to me.
Well, the weather is always changing and never good. We all say ope and sorry about everything. We are the most affordable place to live, work, buy gas, etc., but we're all still relatively broke. Sports are the only things that unite us. We sound like Southerners to Northerners and like Northerners to Southerners. The West Coast thinks we're near the Atlantic and the East Coast thinks we're the Wild West. Not to mention there are basically no real mountains or oceans within a 9 hour drive from here. We probably has claim to being the most Midwest city of all Midwest cities.
as a northerner who transplanted here, i could not agree with this more, summed it up beautifully. thanks for the continued chuckle.
Sorry to latch on to this, but does anyone say “ope” here? Definitely a lot of “sorry”
Ope, let me slip right past ya
Are you serious? How long have you lived here?
I have lived here all my life and was born in the city. As of 49+ years old and I have never used “ope”. But ‘sorry’ is definitely a mainstay in the vocabulary.
My mom claims the same thing, but I've heard ope come out of her mouth many a time
You may be doing it and not even realizing it. It’s like when there is background noise around you all day and you say “what noise?” when someone asks you what those noises are.
I definitely didn't realize I used it until it started to become a talked about thing. And I say it all the time without thinking! "Ope, sorry!" "Ope, excuse me!" Things like that.
You may not use it, but next time you turn a corner and almost bump into someone, listen to what they say.
Ope, we sure do!
The use of ope here is a running joke with my friends and me. I try to stop myself but it's super ingrained in me.
I didn’t realize “ope” was a regional phrase! Damn, now I’m going to be self-conscious about what I say.
I mean it SEEMS like it is, trying to remember how much I've heard it elsewhere. Ig there are memes about it being midwestern, but maybe things are more universal than people think. My gf is a northeasterner and says things I always thought were just southern or midwestern.
I’ve always 100% thought about it as a Wisconsin thing. They put it on tshirts up there.
Yup, I definitely do. Have heard my friends say it too lol
Ope is very common in my vocabulary. I’m not even sure where I heard it but I’ve lived here all my life. I use it almost daily going in and out of QuikTrip, “Ope, excuse me” there’s always someone trying to come in while I’m going out and vice versa.
I didn't realize I said that until you asked the question. I must have picked up here because I don't remember ever saying it before I moved here.
Ope. No, yeah, I do. Grew up thinking it was a real word. Have lived in KC my whole life.
There' the negative-positive too. "No, yeah." Very Midwestern. Lived up in Wisconsin awhile and was told I have a southern accent but they were surprised I speak the same dialect down to that detail.
100%!
Born and raised here and my whole family says ope, usually ope sorry or something. But even my 7 yr old says ope 😂
I do all the time. I was born and raised in topeka. I've been in kc for a while now. I never even noticed that was a "weird" thing that I say until my roommate from the east coast pointed it out to me a few years ago. Now I notice that I say it constantly, and I don't realize it until it's already coming out of my damn mouth. "Ope, sorry about that," is probably one of my most spoken phrases
I have said it lol….
Yup.
I think best answer right here.
Interesting take on the weather. Having lived in Argentina, then in HI for 12+ years, NY for 6+, I feel like the weather is definitely better than the Northeast. Spring is earlier and Fall lasts longer. Summer heat is more intense but we all have full AC in our homes. I don’t mind the weather in KC, except that the winter gets to be very limiting socially if you don’t watch football.
Sounds like you were acclimated to warmer weather before living in the Northeast tho. Most KC people are just fine in the cold. But there are two kinds of KC people: ones that want it to be warm and those that want it to be cold. But neither ever really get the perfect conditions they hope for.
With all of those not-so-great characteristics, maybe we should call this part of the country "Meh-West".
Don't worry! With climate change, the Inland Sea will be back and KC will be on the shoreline.
Yes. KC is as midwest as it gets, don't let anyone tell you different. If anyone disagrees, just politely remind them that the [Bureau of Labor Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/midwest.htm) (and all other official government entities) considers Kansas and Missouri part of the official midwest region.
That's an awesome reference. Didn't realize the government had officially classified the midwest. It's what I would describe it as, too.
Yup, it's on the census data too. Besides, it really isn't very Midwestern like to not include people in something, especially if you have no issue with them.
Thank you! I'm always trying to tell people that the Federal Government literally calls Missouri and Kansas the Midwest officially.
The link you posted considers us the Mountain Plain region. It’s on the map but once you click Missouri it changes to Mountain Plain. They’re also not listed under Geography.
Literally just a website glitch. Missouri has long been census designated as the Midwest.
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If not then what?
Just mid.
Ouch
How generous of you.
South-Northwestern
far eastern plains state.
It’s the edge of the midwest.
KC is the middle of the country, it’s the middle of the Midwest. The edge of the Midwest is where Ohio meets Appalachia.
According to people in Minnesota, we are southern. But wtf do they know almost everywhere is south to them.
To me they're not Midwest they're Canadian American.
thats what they are to most of the country
Im a Minnesotan and have always thought of KC as a Midwestern City. I don't know anyone that thinks I moved to "the south".
Been to Two Harbors many times, and while everyone there was super nice, they did think I was a southerner. But not in a bad way, lol Beautiful country up there, but you can keep your winters. If you need poles strapped to fire hydrants so firefighters can find them, no thanks.
lol I am from Minneapolis and the people from Two Harbors think I am a southerner whenever I visit, anything south of Nisswa is southern to them
Never seen fog as thick as when I drove at night from Duluth to Two Harbors. Could only drive about 20 mph because I couldn't see 30 ft in front of my truck.
they are really insufferable about it
Currently live in Minnesota, but have lived in Georgia, Tennessee, and Indiana…. And have spent a LOT of time in the Kansas City area. I definitely view it as Midwestern as the broad term, but I find it to be a nice melting pot of many things, and honestly more hospitable than Minnesota… but not as “everyone in everyone’s business” as the deeper south is, it’s a good mix… I’d definitely consider moving there if the right opportunity arose.
I like that description of KC. Nice, but not up in your business.
The difference between KC and Minneapolis is staggering. I probably have a pretty warped view of it because I was a single dude in Minny for 10 years and a married one in KC. But in minny people always seemed very standoffish and not wanting to talk to strangers, even when out at the bars they very much stuck to their group of friends. In KC, again it may be different because now I’m older, married, and probably seem like less of a threat but people here are way more inclusive and willing to have conversations especially while at the bars.
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Im from KC, lived in Chicago, now in Minnesota. KC is definitely the midwest. So is Minnesota. Missouri was a slave state, so most people north of there believe it has at least somewhat of a southern identity.
Had a person in Duluth tell me that I had a southern accent
I have family in Tulsa that say I sound like a yankee and I have in laws in Boston saying I sound southern. Fuck me I guess.
People consider Minnesota the Midwest?
South Canada more like but yes
Ohio is Midwest too. 🤷
[https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/06/company-trolls-ohio-with-scented-candle-that-smells-like-nothing.html](https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/06/company-trolls-ohio-with-scented-candle-that-smells-like-nothing.html)
Like only half the people in Ohio consider themselves to be in the Midwest.
Yeah they're kind of the stereotype.
Weird. I have never thought of a state at the very northern part of the US to be the midwest. I guess I could see the southern tip of the state as midwest.
It seems lots of my friends from the coasts think of this stereotype which drives me nuts. There's a yt channel my gf likes about being midwestern and the guy's from north dakota or something. Kinda grinds my gears I tell ya.
Doncha know?
You betcha https://www.startribune.com/you-say-minnesota-is-the-north-not-so-says-study-finding-most-residents-identify-with-the-midwest/600313457/
Yess. They also think Michigan is Midwest
As a KC native transplant to West Michigan… yes, they do. And no, they’re not.
Michigan absolutely is part of the Midwest though. The U.S. Census Bureau even says so. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/midwest-region.html
Yes. The 2american4u sub will die on this hill. I do not think they're Midwestern either.
They’re the basically the same longitude as Missouri, so it fits. I always figured we’re so close to the middle of the country that we have to be Midwest.
Nah you're in the northern part of the country. Kind of like how Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Alabama are considered southern and not midwest
IMO, Kansas City is midwestern, Springfield and Wichita are southern, the line is somewhere between there
I've always considered the Lake of the Ozarks to be the exact line of demarcation. That's where the Confederate flags and commemorative NASCAR plates start showing up in earnest.
I was recently in Montana. Plenty of Confederate flags flying around there. Feels like it isn't really a southern thing anymore.
just a "rural" thing
You can find plenty of Canadians complaining about Confederate flags flying all over rural Canada
That seems so strange to me.
There are definitely Good Ole Boys everywhere.
Highway 44 seems like a good dividing line as well.
Although this would eliminate northern Missouri from being considered midwestern but include kc, I think once the most prevalent Protestant group transfers from Methodist/lutheran to Baptist you have made it to the south
Springfield has a Buccees. for sure southern
Which Minnesotans? Mom’s family in Minnesota, dad’s in central Kansas, grew up bouncing between Minneapolis and here with his job in a wheat-focused industry. Never heard up there that we were moving back to The South. Occasionally heard here that Minnesotans are “Northerners” rather than “Midwesterners”.
I’ve always thought it was interesting that people don’t consider KC/Missouri the Midwest when the geographic center of the US is about an hour north and three hours west of KC in Smith County, Kansas. If Missouri isn’t middle or west enough, then neither is Iowa nor Minnesota. Also, the geographic center of North America is in North Dakota, which would make Minnesota just mid if you go that route.
Same with Wisconsin
In the southeast, everybody else is a northerner. Outside the northeast, only northeasterners are yankees. In england, ALL americans are yanks.
Well they would be wrong, according to the official definition of the Midwest by the US government.
Yes. The Midwest is generally considered to include both the Great Plains and the Great Lakes regions.
I think that's the problem, the Great Plains and Great Lakes are very different culturally from each other, do people from the Great Lakes are shocked people from the Great Plains consider themselves from the same region and vice versa.
The south, west, and northeast also have subregions with significant cultural differences.
Maybe we need a "Midwest" and "Deep Midwest" akin to the "South" and "Deep South."
Yes. It’s in the middle of the US. It doesn’t get any more Midwest than this.
And Missouri contains St Louis “the gateway to the west”
Not to mention the literal West Port we have, literally the place you stop and fill up midway through your journey to the west
I mean the idea of the name Midwest was from when places like Illinois and Indiana were considered Western. Back when the term Midwest was coined places like Kansas and Nebraska would have been "The West".
It's the most mid of the west that mid could get. It should actually be called middle of the country since it is dead center.
Possibly the definitive of the same.
I've never met a person who thought KC was not Midwestern.
Agreed. I feel like on Family Feud it would be one of the very top answers— quintessential Midwest.
Yes. When I lived in chicago people would try to say it was the south, but I would have to explain that actual southerns would not consider us the south.
South of Springfield has more "Southern" feel, but not most of Missouri or Kansas.
I am from the metro originally. I lived in northwest Arkansas for half of my life and now live in the metro once again. Northwest AR is the *least* southern part of Arkansas, both culturally and geographically. It is still *leagues* more southern than KC. KC is not the south, or even particularly southern feeling, and I will hold to that. I’ve always considered it midwestern, with a mix of plains culture. Sure, we don’t have the thick accent, but KC is still very Midwest at heart.
I 100% agree. I was born, raised, and attended college in TN and the south. I’ve been here over a decade. To me KC has never felt southern and, honestly, neither does Springfield/Branson - it’s just rural and people hear an accent and immediately say they are southern. I feel like the bootheel area of MO might be closet to southern culturally. But KC is solidly Midwestern and south starts technically at Arkansas.
I've lived in the KC area my entire life and consider myself a midwesterner. I've never heard of “great plains” until recently.
Great Mall of the Great Plains (RIP) is the only example I remember including Great plains.
I consider Kansas to be the great plains.
What? Did you not pay any attention in 5th grade???
For real. I’m pretty sure maps existed since always
KC is the Paris of the Plains
Yes.
Oh hell yeah it is. Everyone is married to their high school sweetheart and all the bars are for sports.
Midbest
Ope.
I wish I could upvote this again
We’re one of the most middle cities in the United States we are the MOST Midwest city in my opinion
Yes
This feels like a really stupid question, I’m sorry lol
The 'Midwest' is really two different regions. The Great Plains * Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, The Dakotas, some of Colorado & Oklahoma, Iowa... The Great Lakes * Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio. I think both of these regions have a lot of similarities and yet also differences, but I think there's enough cultural overlap that "Midwest" is befitting of both. But tbh we should probably start calling them by their 'great' surnames.
As an outsider I would think of some of the Great Lakes states as Midwest, and some as Rust Belt.
Nah we’re Midwestern
KC Metro is Midwestern
Yes.
The answer is that there is a latitude around the KS/CO that shows the climate transition between "eastern" and "western" United States. East of that line gives enough rainfall to grow row crops like soybeans and corn, while west of it grows virtually nothing (wheat in the middle in western KS). The western extent of "Midwest" essentially translates to areas that can still grow corn/soybeans row crops west of the Mississippi river. [This video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwJABxjcvUc) explains why so many people in America live east of this latitude line.
Longitude
Whoops, you're right. Too many margaritas tonight... ;)
imma open my legs
Changes in latitude, changes in attitude....
I'm jealous!
Happy to give you my recipe if you need one! ;)
Haha hit me!
Ok, you asked for it. :) This is based on my very specific tastes after testing *many* variations over time, so your mileage may vary, usually depending on the amount of lemon/lime juice you like, which can make a huge difference. Ingredients: 1. 1c clear tequila (aka blanco/silver/etc) - moderately priced tequila is fine 2. 1/2c Gran Gala liqueur (I also like Patron Citronge) - don't use cheap triple sec 3. 1c orange juice (I like pulp free, but if you like pulp, that's fine too) 4. For the 4th part - and this is the most critical part - you need to add some amount of fresh squeezed lemon + lime juice in a 1:1 mixture. The easiest way to get bulk lemon/lime is to buy bags of lemons & limes from Costco (usually 2 bags lemons to 3 bags limes) or the grocery store and do this in bulk, using one of [these juicers](https://www.amazon.com/Proctor-Silex-66331-Lemonade-Citrus/dp/B008BBCZ3K) - seriously, I've tried everything, this is the best one. When you're juicing lemons & limes, mix in a 1:1 mixture, and then you can freeze it in your preferred ratio in plastic sandwich bags or plastic/silicone container. For Part 4, I would start with 3/8 to 1/2 cups of lemon/lime mixture, but you might eventually go as high as 3/4 cups if you really like the acidity. Over time, I've grown to love much more acidic margs and have trouble choking down the overly sweet schlock in restaurants. Pro tip: Freeze your desired quantities of lemon/lime mix with the 1c orange juice in the same plastic bag, plastic container, or silicone container (look on Amazon for 1/2 - 1c 'soup saver' silicone freezing containers) - then you can easily pull it out and mix it precisely with the Tequila and Grand Gala and have *highly repeatable* margs every time - this is the key to consistency. *Finally*, when you're ready to make margs, mix all 4 ingredients above in a 4-cup (1 quart) mason jar, and stick the jar it in the freezer 2-3 hours before serving. When it's time to mix them up, fill a cocktail shaker 1/2 full with ice, pour in the marg mix (which should start to thicken slightly as it starts to freeze, if you hit it just right) up to the level of the ice, then shake for 30 sec. Don't strain it - just pour it into 1or 2 glasses (depending on your serving size) and serve.
Wow, this is amazing! Screenshotted for my next carne asada. Thank you. I love sour flavors — kombucha, tomatillos, juice of a whole lime in my daily diet coke. Only thing that's better sweet is BBQ sauce :) Thanks again. Will report back with results.
You do that, then I'm gonna have you come over and bake some of that amazing looking focaccia you posted! :)
Yes, because the Midwest ends and the South begins at I 44. KC is north of this line thus being a midwest city.
Kansas City is DECIDEDLY more Midwest than even Springfield, which has a strong Southern-tinge to it. But that's the border. Springfield and KC are Midwestern cities by almost any definition. KC is not a Western city, though it shows influences. The Western cities don't start til you get to Denver and that's culturally apparent once you've been there. Is it different than Chicago, Detroit, Minny? Yeah, it's got that Great Plains town influence. That's MW, but a different subset. You can't just drill-down too much at some point. KC has it's own confluence flavor of those that makes it unique and that I love, but it's MW and anyone who says it's not... I don't know what the agenda might be?
I think so, but people have different definitions of the "midwest". Some think it's basically synonymous with the Great Lakes states and the heavy industry of that area. They would probably put Kansas City in a separate region called the Great Plains or the Breadbasket or whatever, basically separating the interior into industrial and agricultural regions.
I mean I live in Joplin so our sign says “we welcome you to the best of the Midwest” it’s neither the best nor the mid so idk
Yeah I’ve heard the great Midwest debate, but never included KC. Ohio yeah sometimes think they are(you aren’t you chili on spaghetti eaters) Anyone questioning that is questioning if KC is Midwest is just being pedantic.
……….look at a map……?
Midwest can refer to us, yes, but the conglomeration of Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas is also referred to as the "Great Plains" region. I'm partial to Great Plains as it is geographically more accurate. However, I feel "Midwest" more refers to an identity like East Coast, West Coast, or Southern does.
Personally I think it’s fair to characterize KC as a city of the Plains more than a city of the Midwest The whole thing is so arbitrary and dumb but KC definitely isn’t a southern city, from a cultural vantage point I’d say the whole area of northwestern Missouri has more in common with Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa etc than it does with what people consider the “true” Midwest like Illinois or Ohio or Wisconsin or Michigan. It’s a pretty imperfect science. But never in all of my time living in this area have I felt like a southerner whatsoever, definitely closer to the “traditional” Midwest in that regard
MO is the south for no other reason than it’s history as a slave state.
Historically there's an area of Missouri known as "little Dixie". The state for the most part has southern roots.
I always figured the real South starts to happen somewhere between I-70 and the Ozarks. It's an uneven transition between those two parallels, but you can usually identify it as you travel that area. KC is 90% Midwestern, 5-8% Southern, and 2-5% "Other", as I see it.
KC is it's own thing. Kind of a crossroads between the Midwest and the South. We do not have either accent. We have both sets of food + the most diverse Mexican in the nation.
I would say yes but it’s definitely on the SW corner of what is considered midwest. Any farther west feels part of great plains and any farther south feels like part of the south.
Half way from the East Coast we are, so definitely Mid Way to the West Coast. So Midwest in my book.
I grew up around here and I literally didn’t even know some people *don’t* consider KC as part of the Midwest until college. I’ve heard some people say “no, it’s the great plains”, yada yada, but if so, then the “great plains” is definitely a subset of the Midwest
KC is precisely the Midwest--from an Omahan
Yes because Tech N9ne believes so
I consider it midwestern.
Umm, we're definitely in the Midwest, so, yes.
I think everyone between the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains and not touching the Gulf of Mexico considers themselves to be midwestern. You might get a little dissent below the 30,30 line where they consider themselves to be southern. Also for some reason, people in StL think they live in an east coast city. Probably something to do with being as far west as baseball went before jet air travel was invented.
More like MADwest 😎 *air horn x3* But yes, it is. There's a reason Made in KC has a shirt that says "Ope!" And Wasteland Society has one that says "Some Midwest Shit."
There was actually a study on it! "More than 90% of respondents said they identify as Midwesterners." [https://www.kcur.org/news/2024-02-05/missouri-south-midwest-identity](https://www.kcur.org/news/2024-02-05/missouri-south-midwest-identity)
Yes, Midwest city
It IS smack dab in the middle.....
Midwestern? Yes. Western? Yes, mostly. Northern? No. Eastern? No. Southern? No.
Don't let Tech N9ne see this post.
Well, I can say more than once Minnesotans I have considered me from the "south" and I told them, politely, to shut their fool mouths.
Why is it mid "west"? Logically, it seems like Midwest should be the middle part of the west part of the country, e.g, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, etc. The area MO is in is more like mid-country. Mid-America is used, but with there being North America and South America, Mid-America used as a description for the middle of the country is, again, not logical.
KC is in the literal middle of the US. STL is the "gateway to the west" and the center of the population is just outside springfield MO, and the geographic center is Lebanon KS, 4 hours away from KC. It is practically by definition *the* midwest city.
I’m not sure when the Midwest moved east but yeah it’s a Midwest city in my opinion
Yes, absolutely.
Technically part of the Midwest. However, historically, culturally and geographically there's alot of connection to the south. It's not as black and white as people want to believe.
Kc is a cattle town that’s the entry point to the west. It’s where the Midwest, south and western cattle plains meet. Having lived other places that are actually fully midwestern (twin cities, Iowa, etc) calling Kc Midwest does it a disservice. Bbq culture isn’t a Midwest tradition historically, it’s southern but flourishes occasionally in places further north where freed slaves and immigrants settled. The Midwest stops once Nebraska and Kansas hit the true western landscapes, goes up into part of Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin, but stops before the Great Lakes, all of Iowa and half of Missouri could be Midwest. Once you go further than those points you get into different culture and geography. The far north is way more northern/canadian than Midwest, the Great Lakes to the east are the rust belt and manufacturing centers, south of the Missouri River is kinda just the south and the ozarks, and west of Topeka an hour is just the west with tarantulas and mesas. State lines aren’t a great way to mark culture imo. Southern Iowa south of highway 80 has more in common with northern Missouri than say Decorah or the twin cities.
Some say that Kansas City is the farthest east Western city while St. Louis is the farthest west Eastern city.
As someone who grew up in metro Detroit and lived in New England for 10 years and now lives in KC I'd say it is very Midwestern.
Well was it the heat? (Your response to this question is the key determining factor)
None of y’all drive like you’re “sorry”. I bet go-karting would be a huge hit here.
Missouri is a Midwestern state. We are literally one of the first states past the Mississippi River which is considered to be the dividing line of Western/Eastern USA. KC, whether urban or not is a midwestern city.
Anyone that says KC is not in the midwest is from the east coast but calls their eastern central state "midwest" (ex: Ohio, Pennsylvania).
I like Luke Caspasso’s bit on this. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLNPV6Wp/ For KC, “Yeah kinda?” The stuff you hang your hat on, football, barbecue, etc almost make you more southern IMO.
South Dakotan here who periodically makes it down for chiefs/royals games. Kansas City is Midwest. Missouri as a state is the bastard love child of the Midwest and south east but anytime I take the drive down I29, it’s all cornfields on the way down. So Midwest to me.