It's not more or less west than Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas, which are all Midwestern states. It's part of the Great Plains, I'd say that merits inclusion.
I agree. Great Plains kinda makes you The West. Although I used to live southeast of Tulsa and it was very much Ozarks Foothills. The soil and even the trees subtly change and the hills start to roll. The land just looks worn and older. There are many more exposed outcroppings of chert, granite and shale. Besides, most Oklahomans place football conference above all. Are you with the SEC? Big Twelve?
Interesting question! I was going to say no, but then I looked at the map of Colin Woodward’s American Nations. The definiton of mid-west is relative to the early expansion of the country from the East Coast. Here in the northern part, we consider the Midwest to consist of the westward portions of Yankeedom and the Midlands.
But from a southern perspective, it was the Greater Appalachia nation that expanded into the middle portions of the continent. In that sense, Oklahoma might be seen as the Deep South’s own Midwest.