North America’s Heartland Farms and factories Dispersed, rural, white, Protestant population Clustered, urban, Black and immigrant population

Physical Geography Topography (relief/elevation) Gently rolling Resists erosion Enhances proper drainage Very few unused areas Conducive to large-area mechanization

Physical Geography Climate > 30 inches of precip/year Rainy season = growing season (~April to Nov) Limited precip variability Amounts, frequency, and timing all beneficial Growing seasons ~five months long Mainly “Continental” climate (D)

Physical Geography Soils Two major types: Alfisols Formed under moderate moisture and coniferous/mixed forests B horizon has not been leached Mollisols Formed under grasses Dark brown/black color rich in organic matter Deep surface horizon among most fertile soils in the world

Soils

Physical Geography Hydrology –Glaciation = Great Lakes! –Mississippi River and Tributaries –Chicago River reversal Chicago River On St. Patrick’s Day Normally

Historical Settlement Pre-1600 Native Americans French exploration British & Treaty of Paris American Government takes control , Tribal Lands ceded to US Hydraulic engineering of Erie Canal & Chicago River

Historical Settlement Late 19 th – early 20 th century = European immigration to cities –Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa –Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Ontario Post WWI = The Great Migration –African American; later, Arab

Canada Historical Settlement by Ethnicity

Population Settled by the late 1800s Predominantly white culture originating from Northwestern Europe –Germany, The Netherlands, British Isles, and Scandinavia Limited Black population Much of the agricultural core has declined in population since the 1930s

Political Economy Primary Sector Activities Secondary Sector Activities Tertiary & Quaternary Activities –Government centers, Indianapolis and Columbus –University communities: Ann Arbor, Iowa City, Champaign-Urbana –Mayo Clinic

Typical “Midwest” Farmscape

Agriculture: Corn Belt Feed grain & livestock farming Corn best suited for Midwest environment and ensured a good economic return Crop rotation systems in use by 1820 Advantages of corn –High grain yields –Can be grown closer together –One word: silage –Loves the Heartland climate and soil!

Agriculture: Dairy Belt Climate prevents feed grain maturation silage, oats, barley, and hay crops to support large dairy herds Large part of the country's dairy products: e.g., ½ country’s cheese

Agriculture: Fruit Growing Cherries Apples Grapes

Agriculture: Soybean Soil “reconditioner” Versatile crop Stable in world market

Industry Straddles the U.S.- Canadian boarder Heavy manufacturing concentrated throughout the Ohio Valley and along the southern shores of the Great Lakes –(Also around Megalopolis) The “agricultural” heartland (NW, W, & S) blends with the “manufacturing core” (NE, E)

Core Area Portion of a country containing the economic, political, intellectual, (and cultural) foci Often the center of creativity and change Accessibility Network

Heavy Industry Convert large volumes of raw materials into products of higher value Small acreages of HI = massive percentages of overall production Steel Production

Automobiles Honda manufacturing plant in Marysville, Ohio

A Manufacturing Core? Key advantages/needs of a manufacturing core: –Raw Materials –Labor –A Market –Transportation –Energy Availability

Contemporary Places: Canada Economic core, largest city, major industrial centers, and prime agricultural land The Golden Horseshoe –Toronto, Oshawa, Hamilton, St. Catherines-Niagra Toronto, Canada

Contemporary Places: America Chicago –An urban center which overcame unfavorable characteristics of its site and evolved to prominence based on its situation –Site Disadvantages Established on the swampy margins = pest habitat & bad water Chicago River too small to be effective transportation link Almost completely destroyed by fire, 1871 (Miss O’Leary) –Site Advantages Optimum transportation hub Regional rail hub of western manufacturing core

Rust Belt

Contemporary Places: Corn Belt

Discussion How is the fundamental economic transition away from primary economic sector to tertiary and quaternary economic sectors impacting the Heartland? Is the term “Heartland” an adequate description of this North American landscape?

Related Books Borchert, John R America’s Northern Heartland: An Economic and Historical Geography of the Upper Midwest. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. –Solid overview of the heartland Carney, George, ed The Sounds of People and Places: Readings in the Geography of American Folk and Popular Music. Lanham, MD: University Press of America. –One of the leaders in music Geography, this compilation edited by Dr. Carney is the authoritative work. Hart, John Fraser The Land that Feeds Us. New York: W.W. Norton and Company. –A classic work by a classically-trained geographer Lipset, S Continental Divide: The Values and Institutions of the United States and Canada. New York: Routledge. –A work of comparative political economy between the US and Canada. McCann, Larry D Heartland and Hinterland: A Geography of Canada. Scarborough, Ontario: Prentice Hall Canada. –Older, but still valid look at Canada’s overall geography.

WebSources Great Lakes Information Network National Corn Growers Association Explore the Midwest