A geographic and demographic overview of the Midwest

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/image:census_regions_and_ divisions.png

According to my research, the term Midwest, or "Middle West" originated in the 19th century and its territory is bound by the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys and the Great Lakes. The original Midwestern states included those in the Northwest Ordinance (which covered all of the modern states of Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and parts of Minnesota) and the other six states were acquired during the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

Currently the Midwestern States of America Include:

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, and Wisconsin. According to the 2006 U.S. Census, the estimated population of this region is 66,217,736

The largest city in the midwest is Chicago, followed by Detroit and Indianapolis. Other notable large cities within the region include: Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, De Moines, Kansas City, Madison, St. Louis, Wichita, Omaha, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee.