The United States map above is divided into five regions. These regions are the Pacific, Frontier, Midwest, South, and Northeast.
The Pacific states consist of:
- Alaska
- California
- Hawaii
- Nevada
- Oregon
- Washington
The mainland Pacific states have a time zone of eight hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). This is known as the Pacific Standard Time. Alaska and Hawaii, meanwhile, have their own time zones.
These states form the Frontier region:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Idaho
- Montana
- New Mexico
- Utah
- Wyoming
They follow Mountain Standard Time (GMT-7).
The Midwest region is home to twelve U.S. states. These are:
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- South Dakota
- Wisconsin
The region has two time zones. Its easternmost part follows Eastern Standard Time (GMT-5). Its larger western part uses Central Standard Time (GMT-6).
The South U.S. region is the largest. It consists of 16 states:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Mississippi
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- West Virginia
- Virginia
The District of Columbia (DC) is also part of this region. The district is home to the White House, the U.S. President’s official residence. DC is also the location of Massachusetts Avenue, where the Vice President’s residence is located. The region’s western and central parts follow Central Standard Time (GMT-6). Its easternmost part observes Eastern Standard Time (GMT-5).
Finally, nine states make up the Northeast region. The region is home to:
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
They all follow Eastern Standard Time (GMT-5).
This map is among the many maps representing the many ways the U.S. divides itself.
Cultural Regions of the United States
Another map showing a division of the U.S., shown above, deals with its cultural regions.
Noticeable on the map are five areas that are present-day U.S. states, even though they appear smaller than their present-day statuses. These include:
- Colorado (green)
- Texas (red)
- Louisiana (green)
- Florida (yellow)
- New York (golden yellow)
The Cascadia region (in dark pink) covers:
- western Washington and Oregon
- northwestern California
California also has two unique cultural regions: San Francisco (teal) and Socal (short for Southern California, in royal blue).
Most of California is part of the Sun Belt (dark yellow). The belt also covers:
- most of Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico
- extreme western Colorado and Texas
Meanwhile, the Rocky Mountains (sky blue) region consists of:
- Idaho
- eastern Washington and Oregon
- northwestern Montana
- western and central Wyoming
- the small northeastern part of California
- extreme northern Nevada and Utah
- extreme northwestern Colorado
Areas that cover the Deep North (dark green):
- all of North Dakota and Minnesota
- northeastern Montana and South Dakota
- northwestern Wisconsin
- northern Michigan
- extreme northeastern Iowa
The Midwest region (light green) houses:
- all of Nebraska, Kansas, and Illinois
- most of Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri, and Indiana
- western and southern parts of South Dakota
- southeastern Wisconsin
- southwestern Michigan
- extreme eastern Wyoming and Colorado
- extreme southeastern Montana
- extreme northeastern New Mexico
- extreme northern Texas
- the small northwestern part of Ohio
The Rust Belt (light brown) wraps:
- most of Ohio and (modern-day) New York
- northern Pennsylvania
- southeastern Michigan
- central and southeastern Indiana
The Appalachian region (pink) consists of:
- West Virginia
- central and southern Pennsylvania
- extreme eastern Kentucky and Tennessee
- extreme western Virginia and North Carolina
- extreme northern Georgia
- the extreme northwestern part of South Carolina
The Deep South region (orange) covers:
- all of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama
- most of Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina
- southeastern Virginia
- extreme northern Florida
The New England region (light green) houses these areas:
- all of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island
- most of Connecticut
- the extreme eastern part of (modern-day) New York
Finally, the Mid-Atlantic region (blue):
- all of Delaware, Maryland, and the District of Columbia (DC)
- northeastern Virginia
- southern New Jersey
- extreme southeastern Pennsylvania
These books are worth reading if you want to learn more about the many US regions:
- American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America
- The United States: Its Regions and Neighbors (Student Edition)
- Cultural Regions of the United States
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