Why Do Upstate New Yorkers Sound Like They’re From The Midwest?

My mother is originally from a tiny town in Upstate New York. Despite living in Florida for almost her whole life, she's kept an accent with her.

It's not what you'd expect from a New York accent, however. It's closer to something you'd hear in Michigan or Ohio, and there's a fascinating reason for that.

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It's Not a Midwestern Accent...

You may hear a strong Upstate accent and wonder if they're originally from the Midwest, but you'd have it backwards. The Midwest accent we all know is actually derived from an Upstate new York accent, and all because of travel restrictions in the late 19th century.

circa 1800: The Town of Lockport on the Erie Canal, New York

That restriction? The Eerie Canal. This is one of the most important developments to the north, as it allowed people to cross into the Midwest, and for crops to travel to the Northeast. This turned Upstate, specifically Buffalo and Rochester, into the thriving cities we know today.

How Did The Accent Travel?

As I mentioned, the main draw of the canal was the ability to move people into new areas of the Midwest in large quantities. Along with them, came their accent: Flat a’s, broad o’s, rounded i’s, and lowered e’s.

Anthropologists have noted that the accent is found from Syracuse to Minnesota, following the exact path of the Eerie Canal. Nowadays, it's simply known as the "Great Lakes Accent", as most of the areas that carry it are within a short distance of the Lakes.

Do you notice this accent on your day to day, or do you have one yourself?