Ch. 14 The Southwest Border Area

"The Southwest is a distinctive place to the American mind but a somewhat blurred place on American maps which is to say that there is a Southwest but there is little agreement to just where it is."--Donald W. Meinig

I think that this quote says a lot about American geographic knowledge in general, for I believe the same confusion regarding boundaries and location of region applies to the Midwest. One of the most widely used names for the agricultural core region, as well as for the Great Plains and Praries region, is the Midwest. "This term reflects the fact that Europeans settled North America from east to west. Midwest implies that the West begins at the Appalachians, with the closer Midwest gradually merging into the Far West somewhere in the general areaof the Rocky Mountains." When students are asked to identify the midwest they typically identify Kansas, Nebraska and the Dakotas rather than Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan. "Only habit and the sequence of European settlement and the sequence of European settlement prevent Oregon residents from referring to the region as the Middle East."

Some Nebraska quotes:
Anytime the president visits Nebraska its good for Nebraska.


Ben Nelson



But to this day I am convinced that the real reason we met was because Alexander is from Nebraska, and he was completely fascinated that I was about to go off and make a movie with Brando - perhaps the most famous Nebraskan of all.

Thomas Haden Church



I am very proud of the quality of public education in Nebraska, but I believe we have an obligation to continually assess whether our system is meeting 21st Century education needs.

Dave Heineman



I ended up being the governor of a very ag state, Nebraska.

Mike Johanns



I trust, that your readers will not construe my words to mean, that I would not have gone to a 3 o'clock in the morning session, for the sake of defeating the Nebraska bill.

Gerrit Smith



I, Lawrence Klein, was born in Omaha, Nebraska, as were my elder brother and younger sister.

Lawrence R. Klein



Living here in southern California, I'll miss hearing Rocky Top for an entire week at the end of December. I was actually looking forward to it. Tennessee has a better fight song than Nebraska.

Al Michaels



My first years were spent living just as my forefathers had lived - roaming the green, rolling hills of what are now the states of South Dakota and Nebraska.

Standing Bear



My sister said, You're making it hard for all us housewives in Nebraska.

Kate Millett



The openness of rural Nebraska certainly influenced me. That openness, in a way, fosters the imagination. But growing up, Lincoln wasn't a small town. It was a college town. It had record stores and was a liberal place.

Matthew Sweet



The University of Nebraska says that elderly people that drink beer or wine at least four times a week have the highest bone density. They need it - they're the ones falling down the most.

Jay Leno



When it comes to making decisions, I will come down on the side of Nebraska every time. If I have to choose between the White House and the farmhouse, I choose the farmhouse.

Ben Nelson



Yeah, I had a tremendous time shooting in Nebraska. I like that state a lot, all over it.

Sean Penn