Would the T.V. series "Little House on the Prairie" (1974-1982) be considered a Western?

As many of you know, the series ran eight seasons, and the second/third season was the American Centennial (1876) to coincide with the 1976 American Bicentennial. The series is based on a series of books for young readers written in the early 1900s, and the setting is Walnut Grove, Minnesota.

I was having a discussion with a friend, and we agreed that the series qualifies in that it represents pioneer / frontier life between the American Civil War (1865) and the early 1900s. and the plots mostly revolve around a hero (Charles Ingalls) and the community, as written and remembered by his daughter Laura. Like a Western, it emphasizes the importance of honor, bravery, honesty, and sacrifice.

Unlike a Western, the pioneer setting is not as far Western as other series such as Dr. Quinn, Paradise, the Rifleman, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Rawhide, Bonanza, etc etc. It as no guns or desporados or pioneer gunslingers or rangers. It has ranchers but no cattledrives.

So, in that regard, it is more like the many Anne of Green Gables (Prince Edward Island, Canada) series, or later eastern U.S. settings such as The Waltons—which Little House has more in common with than a series such as Bonanza or Wanted Dead or Alive.

So, does Little House on the Prairie constitute a Western? What does constitute a Western and how does the series fit?

Feel free to discuss movie / T.V. shows and genres but please stay within related topics. We need more non-political discussions on Fluther.