14 Percent of Michiganders Don’t Think They Live in the Midwest

Let there be no confusion - Michigan is a state in the Midwest. That's not a statement of wishfulness or ambition. It's a fact. Ask the US Census Bureau, it places 12 states in the 'Midwest' and one of them is Michigan.

Despite that fact, a study from the Census Bureau's Midwest Review and compiled by the Wall Street Journal and shared to Reddit, a somewhat staggering 14% of Michiganders do not think they live in the Midwest. Only one Midwestern State, Ohio, has a lower percentage of people who consider themselves Midwesterners.

The states the US government says are in the Midwest other than Michigan and Ohio: Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South and North Dakota. In each of those 10 states, over 90% of the residents classify themselves as Midwesterners with the highest percentage - 97% of Minnesota and Iowa residents see themselves as being in the Midwest.

READ MORE - Embark On A Journey Of Discovery: Exploring All of Michigan's Byways

The lowest percentage, 78% of Ohio residents may be explained by the state's connection to other parts of the country. The areas of northeast Ohio that border Pennsylvania and are less than an hour from New York may certainly see themselves more geared towards the east. Southern Ohio in Cincinnati and the Ohio River region of the state would likely identify with the south or Appalachia.

So just what region of the country would the 14% of Michiganders who do not see themselves as Midwesterners identify with? Perhaps they would classify themselves as a micro-region like Great Lakes. It wouldn't make sense for the Upper Peninsula residents to feel less than Midwest, after all if they align more with Wisconsin than Lower Michigan, Wisconsin, 94% of Wisconsinites consider the Badger State to be in the Midwest.

There's an argument to be made for the Great Lakes sub-region. Many would point to a cultural distinction between Great Lakes Midwest and Great Plains Midwest.

Consider, looking east for an example of Great Lakes unity. Buffalo in Western New York could be argued to culturally feel more like other Great Lakes cities like Detroit and Cleveland than New York City on the other side of the Empire State.

So the question stands, 14% of Michiganders who don't view themselves as Midwesterners: who are you and where exactly do you think are you?