Eastern United States

The Eastern United States, commonly referred to as the American East or simply the East, is a region roughly coinciding with the boundaries of the United States established in the 1783 Treaty of Paris, which bounded the new country to the west along the Mississippi River. It is geographically diverse, spanning the Northeast and Southeast as well as the eastern part of the Central United States.

In 2011 the 26 states east of the Mississippi (including Washington, D.C. but not the small portions of Minnesota and Louisiana east of the river) had an estimated population of 179,948,346 or 58.28% of the total U.S. population of 308,745,358 (excluding Puerto Rico).

Southern United States

The Southern United States constitutes a large region in the south-eastern and south-central United States. Because of the region's unique cultural and historic heritage, including Native Americans; early European settlements of English, Scots-Irish, Scottish and German heritage ; importation of hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans; growth of a large proportion of African Americans in the population, reliance on slave labor, and legacy of the Confederacy after the American Civil War, the South developed its own customs, literature, musical styles, and varied cuisines, that have profoundly shaped traditional American culture.The South's culture is deeply rooted in the American Civil War.

In the last few decades, the Southern US has been attracting internal and international migrants. The American South is among the fastest-growing areas in the United States.

Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Louisiana are parts of the Eastern United States which make up the area often known as the Southern United States.

New England


In one of the earliest English settlements in the New World, English Pilgrims from Europe first settled in New England in 1620, in the colony of Plymouth. In the late 18th century, the New England colonies would be among the first North American British colonies to demonstrate ambitions of independence from the British Crown, although they would later threaten secession over the War of 1812 between the United States and Britain.


It is a region with one of the highest levels of support for the Democratic Party in the United States, with the majority of voters in every state voting for the Democrats in the 1992, 1996, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Presidential elections, and every state but New Hampshire voting for Al Gore in 2000.

The Midwest


The region consists of seven states in the central and inland northeastern US: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. A 2006 Census Bureau estimate put the population at 66,217,736. Both the geographic center of the contiguous U.S. and the population center of the U.S. are in the Midwest. The United States Census Bureau divides this region into the East North Central States (essentially the Great Lakes States) and the West North Central States.

Chicago is the largest city in the region, followed by Indianapolis and Columbus. Chicago has the largest metropolitan statistical area, followed by Detroit, and Minneapolis - Saint Paul. Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan is the oldest city in the region, having been founded by French missionaries and explorers in 1668.


Four of the states associated with the Midwestern United States (Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota) are traditionally referred to as belonging to the Great Plains region. However, in recent years they are often included in the Midwestern region.

Major population centers

The following is a list of the 24 largest cities in the East by population:

See also


External links

Coordinates: 38°N 82°W / 38°N 82°W / 38; -82




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