CH 6 Sec 3Subregions of the United States

• P 152- 4 subregions of the US– Northeast– Midwest– South– West

• Students will examine each subregion and explain the characteristics of each region

• The Northeast- 9 states ( New England-Maine/ME, Vermont/VT, New Hampshire/NH, Massachusetts/MA, Rhode Island/RI, and Connecticut/CT and Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey – 5% of nation’s land but 20% of population (Most dense

area of US population wise)– Megalopolis- region with several large cities (500 miles

from Wash DC to Boston contains 1/6 of US population)

• American’s Gateway- Northeast is one of the first areas immigrants from Europe, esp England, Ireland moved to– Major Cities- New York City, Philadelphia, Boston (trade and

financial centers)– Industrialization began in NW due to access to coal, iron

ore, and oil– “Rust Belt”- industries that made NE successful have

moved to China or Sunbelt (South and West)• Why do you feel that these industries have left the Northeast for

those locations?

• The Midwest– know for farming– Contains 12 states, 1/5 of nation’s land, and

¼ of population– Early settlers came from Germany,

Scandinavia, as well as England• Can you think of any sports teams that reflect this

influence? (Milwaukee… Minnesota….

• Midwest – Agriculture- produces more food than anywhere else

in the world (corn, wheat, soybeans, meat, milk)– Waterways– make trade and transportation possible

• Identify the major waterways that make movement around and out of the Midwest possible

– Today- many people are leaving the Midwest for nicer climates and service industry jobs in the Sunbelt

• Map P 146- – Of the four regions, what two had the greatest decrease in population?

– What states had the greatest increase? Why?

• The South- 16 states, 1/3 of pop, ¼ of size of nation– 11states made of the Confederacy during

the Civil War• What are some lasting legacies about this region

that you might be familiar with in regards to race relations?

• Old South– Settled by England- Virginia was the first colony– Diversity-

• African/Am. decendants of slaves, • Hispanics first settled Texas, • Spanish first settled Florida, • French first settled New Orleans (Creoles French, Spanish, and

African, Cajuns French-Canadian)– With all of this diversity, why does the South have such a strong

history of racism and bigotry?

• New South– Agriculture was the south’s first economy (cotton, tobacco)– Air-Conditioning in 1950’s allowed people to live

comfortably indoors and industries wanted to leave the cold weather of the “Rust Belt”

• Today- Tourists, retirees, and major industries are in south (CNN, Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, Oil)

– Can you identify the most famous amusement park in the world located in the South?

• The West- (The Best!) 13 states, ½ of land area, 1/5 of population– California- most populous state in West and US

(34 mil people)– Los Angeles- 2nd largest City in US

• Why does the west have the smallest amount of people of the four regions, even though it has the most land and most populous states

• Developing the West– west’s growth was help by air-conditioning and irrigation (water from the Colorado River was diverted to many areas)

• Map P 149 Answer ?1,2– Economic activities- logging, fishing, food processing,

mining, oil, tourism, filmmaking, and computers