Chapter 9   The Midwest Today

A.   Great Lakes States

1.                States and capitals

a)                Illinois – Springfield

b)               Indiana - Indianapolis

c)                Michigan - Lansing

d)               Minnesota – St. Paul

e)                Ohio – Columbus

f)                  Wisconsin - Madison

2.                Major cities

a)                Chicago, Illinois

b)               Detroit, Michigan

c)                Minneapolis, Minnesota

d)               Cleveland, Ohio

e)                Milwaukee, Wisconsin

3.                Regional Culture

a)                In 1800s immigrants came from European countries.

b)               In 1910 African Americans began to migrate from the southern states.

c)                More recently there are immigrants from Mexico and countries in Asia.

(1)             Michigan has the largest Arab American community in the US.

d)               Immigrants affected culture in the Midwest by bringing religions, languages, foods, music, and holidays.

4.                A Changing Economy

a)                Many factories have closed down in recent years.

b)               Service Industries are now an important part of the economy.

c)                Tourism is growing in the region.

(1)             Chicago is famous for its skyscrapers.

(2)             Tourists come to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie Style architecture.

5.                Travel and Shipping

a)                The Great Lakes are important to our nation’s transportation system.

b)               Land, air, and water transportation make many cities in the Great Lakes Region hubs.

B.   Plains States

1.                States and capitals

a)                Iowa – Des Moines

b)               Kansas - Topeka

c)                Missouri – Jefferson City

d)               Nebraska – Lincoln

e)                North Dakota – Bismarck

f)                  South Dakota - Pierre

2.                Major Cities

a)                Kansas City, Kansas

b)               St. Louis, Missouri

c)                Omaha, Nebraska

d)               Fargo, North Dakota

3.                The Plains States are mostly flat lands, but there are some hills and mountains.

a)                The Sand Hills are in Nebraska.

b)               Forested mountains cover the Ozark Plateau in Missouri.

c)                The Badlands of South Dakota are filled of colored rock formations.

d)               In South Dakota’s Black Hills visitors see the Mount Rushmore National Memorial and the Crazy Horse Memorial.

e)                Thomas Hart Benton painted rural scenes of the Midwest.

4.                Technology has changed farming in the Midwest.

a)                Farmers can harvest and grow more crops in less time using farm machines.

b)               Computers are used to plan their farmwork.

(1)             What crops to plant

(2)             When to fertilize and harvest

(3)             Where to get the best prices

c)                Farms are larger today and less workers are needed.

5.                The shift of people from the rural areas to the cities is called urbanization.

a)                Many people now work in city industries.

(1)             Food processing

(a)       Use corn and wheat to make flour

(b)      Depends on farms and ranches

(2)             Meatpacking