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Northwestern / Mar. 4, 2009 at 11:59 pm

Northwestern around the country (and the world)


Production by Ben Millstein and Tom Giratikanon / North by Northwestern.

News flash: Not every one automatically knows Northwestern University is located in suburban Chicago.

If anecdotal, as well as personal, experience indicates anything, a sizable number of us have been met with less-than-ideal reactions upon hearing that we are students at Northwestern University. Occasionally, either people ask something along the lines of, “Where’s that school?” or, depending on the geographic location of where the conversation is taking place, has gotten it mixed up with some other institution closer by with the word Northwestern in its name. This phenomenon happens quite often, it seems, despite the university’s nationally-renowned academics, lacrosse team and attempts at breaking the record for the largest group of people dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

Anyway, why do we attend a school called Northwestern located in the Midwest? In 1850, the founders of the university, wanted to build a school to serve the former Northwestern Territory, which covers present-day Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and part of Minnesota.

Beyond the bubble of our own Northwestern University, take a look at other Northwesterns around the U.S., as well as a number of them abroad.

[ Clarification: A production error caused Northwestern Michigan College to be misplaced on the map, and the description of Northwestern Health Services University to be incorrect. Thanks to commenter david for pointing out the error. ]

Also on NBN

Well, those other campuses probably don't have a sweet art gallery. Or you can return home.

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Comments

  1. I feel like the most common error I heard was people asking if I was going to Boston (NorthEASTERN), or to Oregon or Washington, which are located in what has now become the Northwest. I’m sad none of those places are represented on this map.

    Thor

    March 5, 2009 at 12:00 pm

  2. Is the graphic on the front page supposed to be misleading? We’re told about the Northwesterns in the US, but what about the one in China?

    China?

    March 5, 2009 at 2:50 pm

  3. Oh. Got it. I completely missed the orange button on the left. It looked so much like a key or something.

    China?

    March 5, 2009 at 2:51 pm

  4. I told my barber back home I was going to Northwestern and he asked if it was in Seattle!

    Ben

    March 5, 2009 at 3:29 pm

  5. Excellent article, very good and appropriate.

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