Off-topic - for any other non-Americans wondering why this eastern area is considered western: "The term West was applied to the region in the early years of the country. In the early 19th century, anything west of Appalachia was considered the West"
Right, but news flash: It's not 1840 any more. Chicago isn't the frontier. Chicago and anywhere east of there is east.
... at least geographically. Culturally, those places are midwest, just like everywhere from just west of Pittsburgh to just east of Denver. (Culturally, Pittsburgh is at least partly east, and Denver is at least partly west.)
Well, news-flashing whoever keeps using the name for places east of Chicago.
Related gripe: The University of Michigan's fight song calls them "the champions of the west". Once upon a time that sort of made sense, because they played in an athletic conference that had "west" in the name. But the name of the conference didn't make sense, because California already was a state.
... at least geographically. Culturally, those places are midwest, just like everywhere from just west of Pittsburgh to just east of Denver. (Culturally, Pittsburgh is at least partly east, and Denver is at least partly west.)