Chapter 8: The Great Lakes and Corn Belt

This week the topic is The Great Lakes and Corn Belt.  The Great Lakes and Corn Belt region encompasses Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and parts of, New York, Pensylvania, Missouri, Kansas,Nebraska, and South Dakota.  This region is often referred to as the "heartland" of North America.  Rehoboth Beach is not a part of this region, so this post will seek to compare and contrast the two regions.

The Great Lakes region is located to the west of Delaware.  Right away, there is an obvious difference.  Delaware is located on the eastern coast, and the Great Lakes region is much more inland.  The closest sizable body of water is the Great Lakes in the northern part of the region.  The region features a humid continental climate, with cool-cold winters, and hot summers.  Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year, and therefore is no real dry season.  Northern areas of the region tend to experience colder winters than the more southern areas as one would expected.  The Great Lakes region's climate is different from Rehoboth Beach, but it also shares some similarities.  For example, Rehoboth Beach experiences warm humid summers and rain distributed evenly throughout the year similar to the Great Lakes region.  Regions close to the Great Lakes experience some moderating effects similar to the moderating effects Rehoboth receives from the Atlantic ocean.  However, these places do not have the same climate.  For example,  the region gets colder in the winter, and as a result tends to receive much more snowfall than Rehoboth Beach.  Generally, Rehoboth Beach shares the most climate related similarities with southern states in the region, rather than the northern states.

The Great Lakes region is famous for its large corn growing industry, hence the tern "corn belt".

Corn Fields such as this one line the highways in Delaware, and the
surrounding area of Rehoboth Beach

A map of corn production shows the vast majority of corn is produced in this region.  However, Delaware, more specifically the lower portion of the state, is also a relevant producer of corn.  I have driven through many corn fields in Delaware, and enjoyed many cobs of corn purchased straight from the farmers who grew it.  Rehoboth Beach is not designed to grow corn, but the surrounding areas are filled with fields of corn.  Corn is popular with steamed seafood and crabs specifically at restaurants in Rehoboth Beach.  Despite being in different geographical regions, the two places are surprisingly linked by the production of large quantities of corn.

Next week the topic is The Inland South.  Once again, Rehoboth Beach is not part of this region; therefore we will once again compare and contrast the two regions.
Until next time,
William