The overall impression of the settled portion of the American landscape, rural or urban, is one of disorder and incoherence, even in areas of strict geometric survey.
Full Answer
How are regions defined in the United States?
Many regions are defined in law or regulations by the federal government; others by shared culture and history; and others by economic factors. U.S. Census Bureau Regions and Divisions. Since 1950, the United States Census Bureau defines four statistical regions, with nine divisions.
What are the settlement patterns in the United States?
Settlement patterns. Although the land that now constitutes the United States was occupied and much affected by diverse Indian cultures over many millennia, these pre-European settlement patterns have had virtually no impact upon the contemporary nation—except locally, as in parts of New Mexico.
How did pre-European settlement patterns affect the United States?
Although the land that now constitutes the United States was occupied and much affected by diverse Indian cultures over many millennia, these pre-European settlement patterns have had virtually no impact upon the contemporary nation—except locally, as in parts of New Mexico.
How many cultural regions are there in the United States?
The Las Vegas Strip at night, 2001. A multitiered hierarchy of culture areas might be postulated for the United States; but the most interesting levels are, first, the nation as a whole and, second, the five to 10 large subnational regions, each embracing several states or major portions thereof.
What was the settlement pattern of the United States?
For the most part, the mosaic of ethnic patterns in America is the result of a movement toward opportunity--opportunity first found most often on the agricultural settlement frontier and then in the cities. The major exception to the immigrant settlement pattern was black settlement in the American South.
What region of the US was settled first and why?
The invasion of the North American continent and its peoples began with the Spanish in 1565 at St. Augustine, Florida, then British in 1587 when the Plymouth Company established a settlement that they dubbed Roanoke in present-day Virginia.
How are the regions of the United States different from one another?
What makes one region different from another? A region's multicultural heritage as well as distinct demographic characteristics like age and occupation make regions different and special. Within several regions, language is used differently and there are strong dialects.
What influenced settlement patterns?
Spatial variation in climate, physiography, and natural resources has influenced human settlement patterns throughout history. Civilizations have flourished in fertile valleys, along river and lake shores, in coastal areas, and near other highly productive ecosystems.
Where was the first settlement in the United States?
In 1607, 104 English men and boys arrived in North America to start a settlement. On May 13 they picked Jamestown, Virginia for their settlement, which was named after their King, James I.
Where were most of the first settlements in America found?
The first colony was founded at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. Many of the people who settled in the New World came to escape religious persecution. The Pilgrims, founders of Plymouth, Massachusetts, arrived in 1620. In both Virginia and Massachusetts, the colonists flourished with some assistance from Native Americans.
What characteristics define the different regions of the United States?
Language, government, or religion can define a region, as can forests, wildlife, or climate. A common way of referring to regions in the United States is grouping them into 5 regions according to their geographic position on the continent: the Northeast, Southwest, West, Southeast, and Midwest.
What type of region is the United States of America?
The Northeast is the most populated region in America, followed by the Southeast. Then comes the Midwest, located between the East and West coasts, and known for its agriculture....USA State Names Abbreviations and Regions:AbbreviationState NameRegionWIWisconsinMidwestWYWyomingWest48 more rows
What are the cultural regions of the United States?
Regional variations Semi-distinct cultural regions of the United States include New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the South, the Midwest, the Southwest, and the West—an area that can be further subdivided into the Pacific States and the Mountain States.
What reasons influenced the location of the settlement?
Physical factors that influence the location of a settlement include ; Water suppy - settlements need water, Defence - building on high ground allowed people the chance to look out for enemies and Aspect & shelter and The economic factors include; Communications - settlements often located next to rivers that allowed ...
What are the factors that influence the distribution of settlement?
The factors that influence distribution pattern of settlement are geographical, socio economic, and population factors [19]. This study also utilized the same variables, but tried to apply to different areas ie in the suburban area. Settlement is a source of information about humans and their activities.
Why is settlement important in geography?
The function of a settlement helps to identify the economic and social development of a place and can show its main activity. Most large settlements have more than one function though in the past one function was maybe the most important in defining the success and growth in importance of the settlement.
Who settled in America first?
Five hundred years before Columbus, a daring band of Vikings led by Leif Eriksson set foot in North America and established a settlement.
Why did the first settlers come to America?
Colonists came to America because they wanted political liberty. They wanted religious freedom and economic opportunity. The United States is a country where individual rights and self-government are important.
When did the first settlers come to North America?
The first settlers of North America arrived in North America by crossing over a land bridge that formed during an Ice Age occurring between 26,000 and 19,000 years ago.
What was the first state in the United States?
Delaware"The First State" Delaware is known by this nickname due to the fact that on December 7, 1787, it became the first of the 13 original states to ratify the U.S. Constitution. “The First State” became the official State nickname on May 23, 2002 following a request by Mrs. Anabelle O'Malley's First Grade Class at Mt.
What was the dominant region during the century of rapid expansion following the American Revolution?
New England. New England was the dominant region during the century of rapid expansion following the American Revolution and not merely in terms of demographic or economic expansion. In social and cultural life—in education, politics, theology, literature, science, architecture, and the more advanced forms of mechanical ...
What are the differences between the traditional regions of America?
The differences among America’s traditional regions, or culture areas, tend to be slight and shallow as compared with such areas in most older, more stable countries. The muted, often subtle nature of interregional differences can be ascribed to the relative newness of American settlement, a perpetually high degree of mobility, a superb communications system, and the galloping centralization of economy and government. It might even be argued that some of these regions are quaint vestiges of a vanishing past, of interest only to antiquarians.
What was the impact of the New England expansion?
The early westward demographic and ideological expansion of New England was so influential that it is justifiable to call New York, northern New Jersey, northern Pennsylvania, and much of the Upper Midwest “New England Extended.” Further, the energetic endeavours of New England whalers, merchants, and missionaries had a considerable impact on the cultures of Hawaii, various other Pacific isles, and several points in the Caribbean. New Englanders also were active in the Americanization of early Oregon and Washington, with results that are still visible. Later, the overland diffusion of New England natives and practices meant a recognizable New England character not only for the Upper Midwest, from Ohio to the Dakotas, but also in the Pacific Northwest in general, though to a lesser degree.
What is the culture of the United States?
The cultural hearths. The culture areas of the United States are generally European in origin, the result of importing European colonists and ways of life and the subsequent adaptation of social groups to new habitats. The aboriginal cultures have had relatively little influence on the nation’s modern culture.
Which states have a North South dichotomy?
Thus sharp North–South dichotomies characterize California, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Florida, while Tennessee advertises that there are really three ...
Where is the cultural barrier?
Erosion of the cultural barrier has been largely limited to the area that stretches from northern New York state to Aroostook county, Maine. There, a vigorous demographic and cultural immigration by French-Canadians has gone far toward eradicating international differences.
Which four regions are part of the manufacturing belt?
Thus the Manufacturing Belt, a core region for many social and economic activities, now spans parts of four traditional culture areas—New England, the Midland, the Midwest, and the northern fringes of the South.
What were the changes in the settlement pattern?
As the twentieth century progressed, depression and dust bowl conditions modified the settlement pattern, initiating significant changes that continue to the present. Rural free mail delivery led to the discontinuance of many of the open-country post offices. Farm consolidation led to the abandonment of many section-line roads, and operations that were originally farms became ranches. Removal of much of the rural population led to the consolidation of rural schools and churches. The advent of larger railroad steam engines, and then of diesel engines, decreased the need for water-tower villages–only the grain elevator survives in many diminished places. Additionally, improved highways and the use of trucks doomed many of the branch railroads and the villages they served.
What are the settlement patterns of the Great Plains?
The settlement patterns of the Great Plains reflect the sum total of the effects of these ongoing processes. Native Americans, who only 150 years ago were the region's sole inhabitants, have been relegated to relatively small areas. Throughout the region a pattern of large-scale farms is interspersed with abundant artifacts ...
How did the pioneers divide the grasslands of North America?
The pioneer settlement process divided the grasslands of North America into a vast checkerboard where squares were separated by section lines, which became roads, field divisions, county lines, and even state lines. The artificially imposed matrix of the U.S. Public Land Survey System, originating with the Ordinance of 1785, obliterated the natural landscapes known to the Native Americans. Six-mile-square townships were divided into thirty-six one-mile-square sections of 640 acres. European-style strassendorf villages or earlier New England–style village commons were virtually unknown, since the Homestead Law of 1862 required that homesteaders live on the land they claimed.
What are the Plains people?
The original Plains peoples, the Native Americans, remain an important and rapidly growing component of the region's population, especially on the Northern Plains and in Oklahoma. On the reservations, residential villages of Native American s are interspersed with farms, often occupied by European Americans, which were homesteaded as "surplus" lands or purchased as allotments in the decades following the Dawes Act of 1887. On some reservations, for example the Devils Lake Sioux Reservation in North Dakota, more than three-quarters of the land is owned by non-Natives.
What ethnicity did the Oklahoma land rush reflect?
In Oklahoma, the land rush produced an ethnic pattern that reflected Native American, Confederate refugee, and European origin s. On the Texas Plains the pattern was initially dominated by people of southern U.S. and Mexican origin: in the Texas Panhandle in 1880, for example, about two-thirds of the population had origins in ...
What is the dominant pattern of settlement in the Great Plains?
The dominant settlement patterns of the Great Plains of the United States reflect both an initial 1800s pioneer landscape and subsequent changes: the evolution of the region's landscape is a continuing process. The pioneer settlement process divided the grasslands of North America into a vast checkerboard where squares were separated by section ...
How did the railroads affect the Plains?
The initial village pattern consisted of service centers at critical stream fords and at the intersections of wagon and horse trails. As railroad expansion spread a vast web of iron rails across the Plains, new sites emerged, since steam locomotives required water every eight to ten miles. These watering spots became the nuclei from which permanent villages, towns, or cities emerged. Here sprouted railroad depots, water towers, grain elevators, stockyards, stores, schools, and churches– facilities to enable the dispersed homestead farmers to obtain their supplies, market their products, and provide for their basic living needs. Early communities vied with each other for the right to be the county seat, and occasionally heated battles occurred. Such a role was perceived as essential if a place was to become dominant in the future urban hierarchy.
What are the regions of the US?
Its regions are New England, the Mideast, the Southeast, the Great Lakes, the Plains, the Southwest, the Rocky Mountains, and the Far West. The BEA uses this map to compare economic data between regions.
How many regions are there in the US?
The US Census Bureau, for example, considers there to be four regions of the US: the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, and the West. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Economic Analysis uses a map that splits the country up into eight regions, from New England to the Rocky Mountains to the Great Lakes.
How is the United States divided?
The United States is divided into many different regions and subregions — and not everyone agrees on where each state falls. mangostock / Shutterstock. The United States is made up of many different regions and subregions. Government agencies have different ways of grouping the states based on geography, culture, or other factors.
How many districts does the Federal Reserve have?
The Federal Reserve splits up the US into 12 districts, each containing a Federal Reserve Bank.
How many courts of appeal are there in the US?
The US federal courts system divides the US into 11 regions, each one containing a US court of appeals. There are 13 courts of appeals in total — the federal court and the DC court, representing the nation's capital, are the other two.
What are the states in the Northeast?
There's the Northeast …. The Northeast includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Which agencies use the OMB map?
Some of the agencies that use the OMB's map are the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. No one said regions had to be culturally similar. Time zones count too, and the US is divided into six of them. Wikimedia Commons.
Why is the US divided into regions?
Because the country is so big, it has been divided into regions by the US government. This was done in order to more easily discuss issues that pertain to each area. The US Census Bureau is an agency that asks Americans questions and produces data about their lives. It has divided the country into four main regions.
What are the regions of the United States?
There are four main regions in the US according to the Census Bureau including the northeast, midwest, south, and west, although some add more divisions. The south is a large economic driver, producing a large part of the country's GDP.
What is the South?
The south is a vast area in the US that covers many states. It includes those of West Virginia, Virginia, Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Mississippi, Maryland, Louisiana, Kentucky, Georgia, Florida, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Arkansas, and Alabama. This region is home to the largest percentage of the population in the country, and it can trace many of its roots back to slavery. Segregation is no longer officially practiced in places like schools in the south, but the region was once famous for dividing its restaurants, educational institutions, and other public places between blacks and whites, prohibiting blacks from attending or being served.
What do people do for a living in the Northeast?
What do people do for a living here? Healthcare is the top employer, followed by the retail, education, and manufacturing industries. In 2018, people in the northeast had the highest median household income in the country at $70,113, well above the national average of $63,179.
How many regions are there in the federal court system?
The US federal court system has been known to reference eleven different regions. The Federal Reserve uses twelve districts, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis references eight regions. For the sake of simplicity, we are going to focus on the four main regions mentioned above.
When was the Midwest created?
It was conceived in 1910 . Image credit: F11photo/Shutterstock.com. The Midwest is a region that draws some conflict. It is not that the Midwest is at war, but rather that people can’t really agree as to where its boundaries are on a map.
Which region has the highest median annual income?
The south is a large economic driver, producing a large part of the country's GDP. Historically speaking, the midwest and northeast have the highest median annual household income, which are both above the national average. The US is a huge country with a diverse population that is full of geographic marvels.
How many regions are there in the United States?
The United States is divided into four regions, subdivided into nine divisions. The US is a large country, the third largest in the world by area. The country encompasses an area of 9.8 million square km and has a population of more than 325 million. The country has 48 contiguous states, the capital's federal district, ...
What is the Northeast region?
The cultural identity of the Northeast varies significantly in different areas and it is the most multicultural region of the country. The region is also the most economically prosperous part of the US. As of 2013, the Northeast had a population of 55,943,073 with a population density of 345.5 persons per square mile. In 2012, the region contributed to 23% of the US GDP. With 85% of the population residing in urban settlements, the Northeast is the country’s second most urbanized region. Nine US states are located in this region, and it is divided into two division, New England and the Mid-Atlantic.
What is the South?
This region of the US has been defined differently by various groups of scholars. Generally, it is defined to include the south-central and southeastern parts of the country. The South had a population of 114,555,744 people in 2010 and is the most populous region of the country. The region has a diverse and unique culture. African-Americans constitute a large part of the population. The region is historically known for the institution of slave labor and the racially discriminatory practices that followed for years, even after the abolition of slavery in the country. Although the South relied heavily on agriculture in the past and had a large rural population, it is now one of the fastest developing regions of the country and is attracting both domestic and international immigrants. Sixteen states and the federal district are included within this region in the subdivisions of the South Atlantic United States, East South United States, and the West South United States.
What is the climate of the mountain division?
The Mountain division features high mountains, vast deserts, and large plains. Semi-arid to arid climate prevails in most areas and alpine climate prevails in the higher slopes of mountains of the area.
What are the states in the East South Central?
This division of the US constitutes the four US states of Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama , and Kentucky. The population of the area was 18,022,810 in 2010 and the division encompasses a total land area of 183,401 square miles. Alabama is the most populous state in this US division. With a population of 653,450, Memphis in Tennessee is the largest city in the East South Central States.
What are the states in the Midwest?
This division of the Midwest forms part of the Great Lakes region and includes the five US states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. The area hosts a total population of about 46,787,011. Two of the biggest US ports, Detroit and Chicago, are present in this division.
What are the states in New England?
One of the two divisions of the Northeast, New England includes the six US states of Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. The boundaries of New England are defined by Canada to the north, Long Island to the south, New York to the west, and the Atlantic to the east and southeast.
How many regions are there in the United States?
A common but unofficial way of referring to regions in the United States is grouping them into 5 regions according to their geographic position on the continent. They are the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West.
What is a standard federal region?
Standard Federal Regions. Standard federal regions. The ten standard federal regions were established by OMB ( Office of Management and Budget) Circular A-105 , "Standard Federal Regions", in April 1974, and required for all executive agencies. In recent years, some agencies have tailored their field structures to meet program needs ...
What states are in the Northeast region?
Northeast region (Connecticut, Delaware, most of Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, most of Virginia, most of West Virginia)
What is the Appalachian No. 1?
Appalachian No. 1: West Virginia along with counties of Pennsylvania and New York State not mentioned above.
What states are on the East Coast?
East Coast: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida; along with counties in New York east of, north of and including Cayuga, Tompkins, and Chemung; and counties in Pennsylvania east of and including Bradford, Sullivan, Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Dauphin and York.
How many regions are there in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin can be divided into five geographic regions .
How many Federal Reserve banks are there in the United States?
The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 divided the country into twelve districts with a central Federal Reserve Bank in each district. These twelve Federal Reserve Banks together form a major part of the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States. Missouri is the only U.S. state to have two Federal Reserve locations within its borders, but several other states are also divided between more than one district.
