Can anyone please tell me Chicgao is considered the Midwest when it is closer 2 the East coast than it is the actual "mid" West?

Detroit is considered Midwest also, go figure.

I'm guessing because they were not in the first group of American settlements, which I suppose was considered the "East". Probably anything west of the original 13 colonies was considered "the West", and then Chicago, etc. became the "MidWest" when we truly did reach the western part of our country.

Just a guess.

These states were included in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and became known as the Northwest Territory. They were bounded by the Mississippi on the west, the Ohio River on the south, and the Great Lakes on the north.

[img:$uid]http://www.earlyamerica.com/image/maps/northwest/northwest.jpg[/img:$uid]

Genesia said:

These states were included in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and became known as the Northwest Territory. They were bounded by the Mississippi on the west, the Ohio River on the south, and the Great Lakes on the north.

[img:$uid]http://www.earlyamerica.com/image/maps/northwest/northwest.jpg[/img:$uid]

So the term "Midwest" must have stuck from way back then?

Graycap23 said:

Genesia said:

These states were included in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and became known as the Northwest Territory. They were bounded by the Mississippi on the west, the Ohio River on the south, and the Great Lakes on the north.

[img:$uid]http://www.earlyamerica.com/image/maps/northwest/northwest.jpg[/img:$uid]

So the term "Midwest" must have stuck from way back then?

I think it's like Rodeo said: Once U.S. expansion got past the Mississippi, this became the "mid" west compared to what came after.