Ohio Is a Midwestern State, Not Mid-Atlantic

**Ohio is not a Mid-Atlantic state.** It is firmly in the **Midwest** (East North Central division).

Mid-Atlantic States (US Census)

• New York
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• Delaware
• Maryland
• Virginia
• West Virginia

(Sometimes DC included.) These states border the Atlantic or Chesapeake Bay.

Why Ohio Is Midwestern

• Geographic: West of Appalachians, Great Lakes drainage (Lake Erie).
• Historical: Northwest Territory (1787); gateway to the West.
• Economic: Industrial/agricultural heartland (steel, auto, corn/soy).
• Cultural: Great Lakes accent, "Midwestern nice," no coastal identity.

Border Confusion

Ohio borders Pennsylvania (Mid-Atlantic) and shares the Ohio River with Kentucky/WV (South). But its core identity, settlement patterns, and federal classification are Midwestern.

Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati = classic Midwest cities.