Exploring the Midwest

Exploring the Midwest — page 3 — E N W S THE MIDWEST REGION NORTH DAKOTA MINNESOTA Duluth marck SOUTH DAKOTA WISCONSIN Saint Paul Minneapolis Pierre MICHIGAN Lansing Detroit Cleveland Chicago Gary ILLINOIS INDIANA Columbus Sioux Falls Milwaukee Madison IOWA Rockford NEBRASKA Des Moines Omaha Lincoln Springfield Kansas City Jefferson City KANSAS Saint Louis MISSOURI Indianapolis OHIO Cincinnati Topeka Wichita Chapter One describes the landscapes of the Midwest The map above shows the states capitals and some of the largest cities in the region Does this map match your understanding of the region from the text Why or why not also comes from the people's reputation for being friendly and down to earth The Midwest is made up of 12 states Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Michigan Minnesota Missouri Nebraska North Dakota Ohio South Dakota

Exploring the Midwest — page 4 — and Wisconsin Much of the nation's corn wheat and livestock come from this region In the summer hot weather is common in the Midwest Temperatures can get up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit 38°C The Midwest has no ocean breezes to cool the air Winter is also harsh Temperatures often fall below 0 degrees Fahrenheit 18°C in winter PERSPECTIVES THE WINDY CITY Many people call Chicago the Windy City This nickname is often linked to the strong breezes that blow through the area But some people insist the nickname has another source New York Times writer Jeff Zeleny explains If you had always assumed that Chicago earned its nickname as the Windy City from the chilly gusts coming off Lake Michigan you would be wrong The city is windy according to most local legends because of the hot air bellowing from politicians CITIES AND TOWNS The Midwest's largest city is Chicago Illinois It is the third largest city by population in the United States

Exploring the Midwest — page 5 — SMALL TOWN ATTRACTIONS Other large cities in the Midwest include Columbus Ohio Detroit Michigan and Minneapolis Minnesota The The towns of Elk Horn and Kimballton are in lowa They have a combined population of approximately 950 people But these tiny towns are the two largest rural Danish settlements in the United States The only working Danish windmill in the country is in Elk Horn It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in lowa Midwest also has many small cities and towns Bayfield is a small town in Wisconsin It is named after its harbor on Lake Superior Just off the coast of this small town lie the Apostle Islands People can kayak through caves or explore the islands lighthouses Mackinac Island in Michigan is a small but popular city to visit On the island cars are not allowed People explore the area on horse drawn carriages and bicycles With so many places and landscapes to see it's no wonder why millions of people choose to visit the Midwest each year

Exploring the Midwest — page 6 — STRAIGHT TO THE SOURCE New York Times journalist Curtis Sittenfeld and her husband moved to Saint Louis Missouri in 2007 Sittenfield was surprised by the kindness of complete strangers She wrote It may take a year and a half to be invited to a dinner party but the checkout clerk at the grocery store greets you as warmly as your grandmother What I like best of all is that the size of St Louis means we now run into people we know at the playground and the post office and the farmers market In several instances we've developed friendships after we bumped into the same people in more than one setting Now I consider myself a St Louis local Source Curtis Sittenfeld Loving the Midwest New York Times New York Times June 8 2013 Web Accessed May 12 2017 What's the Big Idea Read the primary source above carefully What point is the author making about living in a small city Make a list of two or three details that support this point

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