Geographically, the Midwest encompasses the corn and grain belt and it's associated heavy industries. Roughly, it spans the territory from the Ohio valley to approximately Cairo, Illinois on the east to the 98th meridian on the west, and from the 37th parallel on the south to the Canadian border and the Great Lakes on the north. In short, we're talking about the area of Chicago's direct economic sphere of influence, including its commodities markets and transportation/distribution networks. I'm a native of Illinois, and from where I stood, there was certainly a measure of cultural, geographical, and economic kinship within those bounds to justify its singularity as a region. I hope I did not offend anyone, particularly my colleagues here in the Mountain-Plains region, who are glad that we include Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas among our member states. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Henry B. Crawford v Curator of History v Museum of Texas Tech University v Box 43191 v Lubbock, TX 79409-3191 v 806/742-2442 v FAX 742-1136 v [log in to unmask] V All opinions expressed are mine v <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<