Upper Midwest
The Upper Midwest is a region of the United States with no uniformly agreed-upon boundaries, but it almost always lies within the U.S. Census Bureau's Midwest region, which includes the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana. By some definitions, it extends into North and South Dakota and Iowa.
Historically, prior to about 1880, "upper Midwest" meant the region that includes Ohio, Indiana, and lower Michigan.[citation needed]
Definitions
 |
The National Weather Service defines its Upper Midwest as the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
The United States Geological Survey uses two different Upper Midwest regions:
- The USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center considers it to be the six states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, which comprise the watersheds of the upper Mississippi River and upper Great Lakes.
- The USGS Mineral Resources Program considers the area to contain Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
The Association for Institutional Research in the Upper Midwest includes the states of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and the upper peninsula of Michigan in the region.
Climate
The region has the most extreme variation between summer and winter temperatures in the continental United States. Summers are very hot and winters very cold. For instance Sioux Falls averages 25 days each year with temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit and 45 days each year with temperatures below 5 degrees. [1] Mitchell, South Dakota has a record high of 116 and a record low of -50.
The growing season is shorter, cooler and drier than areas further south and east.
The region's western boundary is sometimes considered to be determined by where the climate becomes too dry to support growing non-irrigated crops other than small grains, or hay grass.
Politics
The Upper Midwest was the heartland of early 20th century Progressive Party politics, and the region continues to be favorable to the Democratic Party of the United States and moderate Republicans, with Minnesota and Wisconsin favoring each Democratic presidential candidate since 1988 (Minnesota narrowly supported native Walter Mondale in 1984 in an election where Ronald Reagan won every other state). Michigan, Illinois, and Iowa also often favor Democratic candidates. By contrast, the lower Midwest includes swing states such as Ohio and Missouri, and (until 2008) solidly Republican Indiana. The Plains States to the west are heavily Republican in most presidential contests.[citation needed]
See also
External links
- The History of the Upper Midwest: An Overview
- USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
- U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Upper Midwest Mineral Resources Program
