A HUMAN PERSPECTIVE America’s back roads were the beat ofreporter and author Charles Kuralt for more than 20 years. Beginningin the 1960s, he traveled by van through every region of the country. Inhis “On the Road” series for television, he reported on the uniquenessof the lives of ordinary Americans. He said that he wanted to makethese trips off the beaten path because most people traveled across thecountry on interstate highways without seeing the “real” America.Whether he visited Minnesota’s lake country or a small New Englandtown, Kuralt spotlighted America’s regional diversity. In fact, one of the key strengths of the United States is the variety of life in its subregions—the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, and the West.

The NortheastAs you can see on the map on page 134, the Northeast covers only 5 percent of the nation’s land area. But about 20 per cent of the populationlives there. The six northern states of the subregion—Maine, Vermont,New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut—arecalled New England. The other three—Pennsylvania, New York, andNew Jersey—are sometimes referred to as Middle Atlantic states.(Maryland and Delaware, which are included in the South in this book,are sometimes included in the Middle Atlantic states.)

AMERICA’S GATEWAY Because of its location along the Atlantic coast,the Northeast contains many of the areas first settled by Europeans. Theregion served as the “gateway” to America for millions of immigrantsfrom all over the world. Many people still engage in fishing and farming,

Subregions of the United States

Philadelphiapop. 1,452,300

Bostonpop. 559,100

Washington, D.C.pop. 523,800

New Yorkpop. 7,405,400

90 minutes

Average Airplane Travel Times

60-90 minutes60 minutes

60 minutes35 minutes 60 minutes

Highly urbanized areas

0

0 75 150 kilometers

75 150 miles

Urbanization in the Northeast

Main Ideas • The United States is divided

into four major economic andcultural subregions.

• There are both similaritiesand differences among thesubregions of the UnitedStates.

Places & Terms

Connect to the Issuesdiverse societies Whilediversity can be a strength, ithas also been the cause oftension and conflict amongregions.

New England

megalopolis

the Midwest

the South

metropolitanarea

the West

SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting GraphicsANALYZING DATA Which cities are within 60minutes of each other by air travel?

145

LOCATION BosWash is the namegiven to the highly urbanizednortheastern seaboard of theUnited States.

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Azimuthal Equal–Area Projection

More than 30%

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Azimuthal Equal–Area Projection

146 CHAPTER 6

Using the AtlasRefer to the

map on page 106.What economicactivities areshown for theNortheast?A. Answercommercial farm-ing and fishing,forestry, and manufacturingand trade

Population Increase by State, 1990–2000

SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting MapsPLACE Which states had population increases of more than 30 percent?

REGION Which region had the lowest increase in population?

as the Northeast’s early settlers did. But the region’s coastal and inlandwaters turned it into the heart of trade, commerce, and industry for thenation. In fact, the Northeast is one of the most heavily industrialized andurbanized areas in the world. The Atlantic seaboard cities of Philadelphia,Boston, and New York City serve as international trade centers.

Coal, iron ore, and oil—found mainly in Pennsylvania—fueled theindustrialization of the region. Traditional industries, such as iron andsteel, petroleum, and lumber, still play a role in the region’s economy.But most Northeasterners are now employed in such manufacturingand service industries as electronics, communications, chemicals, med-ical research, finance, and tourism. Pennsylvania, New York, and NewJersey have rich farmlands, but much of New England is too hilly orrocky to grow crops easily.

Parts of the Middle Atlantic states are often referred to as the “rustbelt” because of their declining and abandoned traditional industries.They share this term with some of the states of the Midwest. In recenttimes, many “rust belt” industries have moved to the warmer climatesof the “sunbelt” in the South and West.

GROWTH OF THE MEGALOPOLIS The nation’s first megalopolis devel-oped in the Northeast. A megalopolis is a region in which several largecities and surrounding areas grow together. You can see the extent of the“BosWash” megalopolis, as it is called, in the illustration on page 145.

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Subregions of the United States 147

It stretches through 500 miles of highly urbanized areas from Boston inthe north to Washington, D.C., the national capital, in the south. It con-tains one-sixth of the U.S. population. New York City, the country’s cul-tural and financial center, is located here. Rapid road, rail, and air linkshave been vital to its economic development and expansion into theSouth. You will read more about urban growth in Chapter 8.

The MidwestThe subregion that contains the12 states of the north-centralUnited States is called theMidwest. Because of its centrallocation, the Midwest is called theAmerican heartland. It occupiesabout one-fifth of the nation’sland and almost one-fourth of itspeople live there. Since the Revo-lutionary War, immigrants fromall over the world have made ittheir destination. Many early set-tlers came from Britain, Germany,and Scandinavia. Vast, largely flatplains are a distinctive feature ofthe region. So are numerouswaterways, including the GreatLakes and the Mississippi Riverand its many tributaries.

AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL HEARTLAND The Midwest is thenation’s “breadbasket.” Fertile soil, adequate rainfall, and a favorable cli-mate enable Midwesterners to produce more food and feed more peoplethan farmers in any comparable area in the world. Among the main prod-ucts are corn, wheat, soybeans, meat, and dairy goods. Agriculture also isthe foundation for many of the region’s industries, including meatpack-ing, food processing, farm equipment, and grain milling. Other tradition-al industries are steel and automaking.

Its central location and excellent waterways make the Midwest a trade,transportation, and distribution center. Chicago, Illinois, which is locatednear the southwestern shores of Lake Michigan, is the cultural, financial,and transportation hub of the Midwest. Most of the region’s major citiesdeveloped near large bodies of water, which were essential for early trans-portation. Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, and Milwaukee grew near theGreat Lakes, and Cincinnati, St. Louis, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Kansas City,and Omaha developed along rivers.

CHANGING FACE OF THE MIDWEST Like other regions, the Midwestis changing. The number of farms is declining. More Midwesterners arenow employed in providing services than in traditional industries. Theregion’s metropolitan areas are expanding as urban dwellers and busi-nesses leave the central cities for the suburbs. People and industries arealso moving to the warmer South and West.

The Changing Face of U.S. Agriculture

1950 1990Farm Population: 25 million 4.6 million

Number of Farms: 5.3 million 2.1 millionAverage Farm Size: 216 acres 461 acres

MakingComparisons

What do themajor cities of theMidwest have incommon withthose of theNortheast?

B. Answer Theyare near bodies ofwater.

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The SouthThe South is a subregion that covers about one-fourth of theland area of the United States and contains more than one-third of its population. Among its 16 states are 11 that madeup the Confederacy during the Civil War. One of thesestates—Texas—is sometimes included in an area of the Westcalled the Southwest. The South’s warm climate, fertile soils,and many natural resources have shaped its development.

THE OLD SOUTH Like the Northeast, the South was also thesite of early European settlement. In fact, Virginia wasEngland’s first American colony. The South has a mix of cul-tures that reflects the diversity of its early settlers. In addi-tion to people of British heritage, there are the descendantsof Africans brought as slave laborers and Hispanics whosefamilies first migrated from Mexico to Texas. Cajuns ofFrench-Canadian origin and Creoles of French, Spanish, andAfrican descent are found in Louisiana, while Florida ishome to many Hispanics who came from Cuba.

Once a rural agricultural area, the South is rapidly chang-ing and its cities growing. Along with the Southwest, it isoften referred to as the “sunbelt” because of its climate.

THE NEW SOUTH Agriculture was the South’s first eco-nomic activity, and cotton, tobacco, fruits, peanuts, and riceare still grown there. Also, livestock production is importantin states such as Texas and Arkansas. The South’s humidsubtropical climate at first hindered industrialization. Butthe widespread use of air conditioning beginning in the1950s and the region’s vast stores of energy resources—oil,coal, natural gas, and water—gave a boost to industry.

In recent times, the South has attracted many manufac-turing and service industries fleeing the harsh weather ofthe “rust belt.” Major industries include petroleum, steel,chemicals, food processing, textiles, and electronics. The

South’s climate draws millions of tourists and retirees, too. Atlanta,Georgia—a financial, trade, and transportation center—is the hub of theNew South. Miami, Tampa-St. Petersburg, New Orleans, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and San Antonio are other rapidly growing metropolitanareas—large cities and nearby suburbs and towns.

The WestLook on the map on page 134, and you will see that the West is a far-flung subregion consisting of 13 states. It stretches from the Great Plainsto the Pacific Ocean and includes Alaska to the north and Hawaii in thePacific. The West covers about one-half of the land area of the UnitedStates but has only about one-fifth of the population. It is a region of dra-matic and varied landscapes.

People settle in the West today as they did during its frontier days:wherever landforms and climate are favorable. Some areas, such as itsmany deserts, are sparsely settled. California, on the other hand, is the

148 CHAPTER 6

Traffic Congestionin Atlanta

Atlanta, Georgia, is one of themost traffic-clogged areas in theUnited States. Urban sprawl is acause. Like many cities, Atlantahas experienced rapid popula-tion growth and suburbanizationin recent decades. The Atlanta metropolitan area spreads outover 20 counties and containsnearly 4 million people. Thisgrowth brought roadbuilding,and more roads brought moretraffic. Residents drive an aver-age of 35 miles a day to reachtheir destinations—more thananywhere else in the country.

BackgroundWashington,Oregon, and Idahoare often calledthe Northwest.California, Arizona,New Mexico,Nevada, Colorado,Utah, and Texasare called theSouthwest.

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Subregions of the United States 149

country’s most populous statebecause of excellent farmland,good harbors, and a mild climate.The West is the most rapidlygrowing region in the UnitedStates. Los Angeles, the country’ssecond largest city, is the West’scultural and commercial center.

DEVELOPING THE WEST TheWest’s growth in the 20th centurywas helped by air conditioningand by irrigation. The map on thispage, for example, shows howwater from the Colorado River inArizona has been diverted to servemany areas. Water supply aideddevelopment of inland cities suchas Las Vegas, Tucson, and Phoenix.

The economic activities of theWest are as varied as its climateand landscape. Among them arefarming, ranching, food process-ing, logging, fishing, mining, oilrefining, tourism, filmmaking, andthe production of computers.Many cities with good harbors,including Seattle, Los Angeles, andLong Beach, make foreign trade—especially with Asia—important.

You read about the subregions of the United States in this section. Inthe next chapter, you will learn about the human geography of Canada.

BackgroundAccording to the2000 census, thepopulation of theWest grew by 20percent from1990.

Places & TermsExplain the meaning ofeach of the followingterms.

• New England

• megalopolis

• the Midwest

• the South

• metropolitan area

• the West

Taking Notes REGION Review the notes youtook for this section.

• What are the four subregions ofthe United States?

• Which subregion is the largest inland area?

Main Ideas a. Why is the Northeast

one of the most heavilyindustrialized andurbanized areas?

b. How is the economy ofthe Midwest changing?

c. What helped the economyof the West to grow?

Geographic ThinkingSeeing Patterns How hasair conditioning changed theeconomic activities of thesubregions of the UnitedStates? Think about:

• the South and the West

• the “rust belt” and the“sunbelt”

MAKING COMPARISONS Use the Internet to find more information on the economies of thefour subregions. Create a database comparing the top five industries in each of the foursubregions.

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SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting MapsPLACE What area receives the largest volume of water from theColorado River?

MOVEMENT Which states contribute water to the ColoradoRiver?

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RESEARCH LINKSCLASSZONE .COM

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