The North Central States

The north central states are North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, Michigan, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Some of these states are farm states, and some also produce steel and cars. The land in this part of the country is flat.

Flat land is good for farming corn, soy beans, spring wheat and winter wheat. These crops need vast plots of land to grow, which is why Iowa is one of the leading growers of corn, producing a little over 2.5 billion bushels of corn per year!


While some north central states are big farm states, Michigan is famous for making cars. The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village are in Dearborn, Michigan. Henry Ford set up a museum that shows what it was like in the 18- and early 1900's. Thomas Edison's entire workshop is there, and loads of dirt were moved from NJ to Michigan so the workshop could still stand on NJ soil! The Wright Brothers' home and bicycle shop from Dayton, Ohio are also there.


A good way to get the automobiles, corn and other products made in the north central states out to other parts of the country is by boat. The Great Lakes are like a major highway for boats. The Saint Lawrence River connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, allowing goods from the area to be shipped around the world.