Chapter 7: Regions of the United States Section 1: The
Northeast
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Northeast Introduction People define regions in order to
identify places that have similar characteristics or close
connections. We can define regions by the ways people live, work,
and play in them, or political orientation. The government divides
the country into four major regions: Northeast South Midwest
West
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The government divides the nation into regions for statistical
purposes. The governments definition of these regions is based on a
combination of physical, economic, cultural and historical
factors.
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Physical Characteristics of the Northeast New England region
includes six (6) states that are located in the northeastern part
of the United States. Known for its beautiful landscape.
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Beauty result of Geography and climate of the region.
Combination of precipitation, soil type and varieties of trees that
thrive in the region give New England its breathtaking fall colors.
Northeast has far more to offer than forests.
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New York is considered by many to be the cultural center of the
nation, whereas Boston and Philadelphia offer visitors a view into
the nations history.
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Natural Resources of the Northeast Apart from the coal rich
area of Pennsylvania, the region lacks mineral resources. However,
its water has turned the Northeast into a center of trade,
commerce, and industry. The regions rocky and jagged shoreline
provides many excellent harbors. Throughout the 1700 and 1800s
these natural harbors were used by merchant ships sailing to and
from other regions of the world.
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A Leader in Industry The Northeasts many rivers, including the
Connecticut and the Hudson, have been vital to its history.
Abundant precipitation (35-50 in. annually) combined with the hilly
terrain, keeps the rivers of the region flowing swiftly.
Industrialists harnessed the power of these rivers by building
water wheels (converted water power into machine power).
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Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire factories were
built at waterfalls along the regions many rivers. Factories
produced shoes, cotton cloth, and other goods. Regions river
valleys served as trade routes, railroad routes, and later as
modern highway routes for the Northeast. By early 1900s, the
Northeast was the most productive manufacturing region in the
world.
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The Megalopolis Cities along the Atlantic coast first grew in
importance as harbors of international trade and as centers of
shipbuilding. Young people from the Northeastern countryside
flocked to the factory towns to take industrial jobs. Europeans
were also attracted by the job opportunities in cities of the
Northeast.
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In 1840, about 80,000 Europeans immigrated to the United
States, by 1850 the number jumped to 308k. Many came to escape
political oppression and economic hardships. Many people in the
Northeast are descendants of these earlier immigrants who came by
sea.
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Over time, coastal cities began to spread and run together. By
the 1960s, the area from Boston to Washington, D.C., had earned a
new name: Megalopolis. Greek roots, meaning very large city. About
40 million people live in this area. 1/7 th of the entire U.S.
population (2005).
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While the east coast megalopolis remains one of the dominant
centers of American business and industry, it faces serious
problems. Fear that area might run out of water or waste disposal
facilities. Northeast cities declining in population. EX. Between
1970 and 2000, 430k people moved out of Philadelphia. As a result,
remaining residents and businesses were hit with higher taxes. City
has to rely on other sources of revenue to pay for street repairs
and police protection.
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Northeast remains a vital area. Despite the destruction of the
World Trade Center in 2001, New York is still the business capital
of the world, and its population has grown to more than 8 million
people.
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Chapter 7, Section 2 The South
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Intro to the South Many Americans think of the South as the old
Confederacy. In 1860-1861, eleven states ranging from Texas to
Virginia withdrew from the United States because of conflicts over
economic and moral issues, including tariffs and, especially,
slavery. These states formed the Confederate States of
America.
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Between 1861-1865, the United States military forces from the
Northeast and Midwest fought a bloody war with the Confederacy The
Civil War. At the wars end, slavery was abolished and the South was
drawn back into the Union.
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South is a region rich in resources and culture that has become
an increasingly popular place in which to live and work. South
stands out from the rest of the country because of its humid,
subtropical climate and the lush, mixed forests that are common to
most of its areas.
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Linking Climate to Vegetation Souths location closer to Equator
makes it warmer than the northern regions. Weather systems rising
north from the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea provide an ample
amount of rain to the region (55-60 inches).
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Warm, wet climate produces thick, mixed forests of pine and
other trees, or marshy stands of mangrove trees. Tropical trees
that grow in swampy ground along coastal areas.
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Other unique regions to the South include Bayous. Marshy inlets
of lakes and rivers of Louisiana.
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In Florida, the Everglades, a large area of swampland covered
in places with tall grass, provide a refuge for a wide variety of
birds and animals.
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Linking Climate, History and Agriculture The Souths wide
variety of plant and animal life is due to subtropical climate of
most of the region and rich soils of the wide coastal plains.
Native American groups, such as the Natchez, Creek and Cherokee
grew maize, melons, squash, beans tobacco and other crops. By the
mid 1500s, Europeans also began to settle in the South. (First
permanent European settlements in the US were located in the
South).
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The Souths rich soil and long growing season attracted
Europeans to the region. Some built huge plantations and used
slaves from Africa and the West Indies to work on tobacco, rice and
cotton plantations. There are people in the South who live in bleak
poverty despite its fertile soil and mild climate.
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Linking Resources to Industry Traditional image of the South
has been of a rural region, largely dependent on agriculture. South
has other industries Entrepreneurs built textile mills, on fall
lines, powered by the fast-moving streams of the Piedmont section
of the Carolinas. Imaginary line between the Appalachian Mountains
and the Atlantic coastal plain. Its the place where rivers and
streams form waterfalls and rapids as they descend from plateau to
coastal plain.
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The Sunbelt Looking for jobs, thousands of people moved South.
Thanks to its climate, the South has also grown as a tourism and
retirement center. Band of southern states from the Carolinas to
southern California became known as the Sunbelt.
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Southern Population The South has grown rapidly. During the
70s, the Souths population grew by about 7 million people. By 1990,
three of the US largest cities were located in the South (Houston,
Dallas and San Antonio). By 1995, Texas was the second most
populous state, next to California.
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A Varied Population Today, the South has a diverse population.
Half of the nations African American population lives in the South.
Hispanics who relocate from Mexico and other Latin American
countries also reside down South. San Antonio, Texas is one of the
first major cities in the US to have a Hispanic majority in its
population.
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Another large Hispanic group lives in southern Florida, the
Cubans. One area of Miami is populated by a Cuban majority. Called
Little Havana. Spanish restaurants, Spanish-language television and
radio station reflect Cuban Heritage in this area.
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Many white Southerners have ancestors who came from England,
Scotland or Ireland. In Louisiana, many boast of French Ancestry.
French settled the area in Colonial times and made a lasting
impression on the regions culture. New Orleans is famous for its
French cuisine.
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Major Cities New Orleans is a major trading center near the
mouth of the Mississippi River. Miami is the United States gateway
to the Caribbean and South America. Houston is a large industrial
and trading center. (NASA is located in here).
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Forth Worth, heart of Texas cattle industry. Dallas, business
and electronics center. City of Washington is located in the
District of Columbia (carved from the states of Maryland and
Virginia). Chosen as nations capital in 1790, it is located on the
shore of the Potomac River. It was the first planned city in the
nation
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The Midwest Chapter 7, Section 3
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An Agricultural Economy Most of the Midwest is flat with
fertile soil. Animals that live in the soil die and decay, this is
known as humus. Humus combines with weathered bedrock to build more
soil.
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Midwestern climate favors agriculture. Winters can be very cold
but summers are long and hot. Most places receive at least 20
inches of precipitation annually.
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Regional Variations Southern Midwest, (Kansas) growing season
is more than 200 days long. The average number of days between the
last frost of spring and the first frost of fall. Northern Midwest,
(near Canadian border) the growing season is less than 120 days
long.
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The Nations Breadbasket Thanks to favorable conditions,
Midwestern farms are among the most productive in the world.
Because of this, the United States is well fed. This remarkable
productivity also allows the US to export sizable amounts of its
produce to other countries. High wheat output has earned the
Midwest the nickname the nations breadbasket.
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The Changing Face of American Farms In years past, American
farms were mostly modest family enterprises. People worked long
days of hard physical labor. Few farms like this remain in
existence in the US. Farming has become big business, involving
fewer people and more machinery.
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Farming Technology In 1834, Cyrus McCormick patented the
mechanical reaper, which revolutionized farming. Reaper allowed
farmers to harvest vast amounts of wheat in much less time than it
took by hand. As more tasks became mechanized, farmers could
produce more crops than before with fewer workers. Number of farms
has decreased year after year because higher-paid jobs have
attracted them to cities.
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Linking Farms to Cities Agriculture dominates the economy, even
in many Midwestern towns and cities. Business activities center on
dairies or on grain elevators. Tall buildings equipped with
machinery for loading, cleaning, mixing and storing grain. The
Mercantile Exchange is the worlds busiest market for eggs, hogs,
cattle and other farm products. The Board of Trade is the largest
grain exchange. A place where buyers and sellers deal for
grain.
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Linking Industries to Resources Midwest is rich in natural
resources. Due to this, its cities are home to heavy manufacturing.
Minnesota leads the region in iron ore production. Indiana and
Illinois have sizable coal deposits. Easy access to the mentioned
minerals spurred the development of steel. All of these together
led to Detroit becoming the automobile capital.
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The West Chapter 7, Section 4
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Introduction Breathtaking natural landscape is the most
memorable feature of much of the West. Rocky Mountains Rivers
Canyons Broad Plains Massive Glaciers (Alaska) Smoking Volcanoes
(Hawaii)
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Characteristic that most affects region? Water!!!!!!!
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Available Water An abundance or scarcity of water is the major
factor shaping the Wests natural vegetation, economic activity and
population density. Most of the West has a semiarid or arid
climate. San Diego, California - 9 inches of rain per year. Reno,
Nevada - 7 inches of rain per year. Vegetation in this area
consists of short grass, hardy shrubs, sagebrush and cactus.
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In contrast, other areas of West receive adequate rainfall and
contain rich deciduous and coniferous forests. Seattle, Washington
39 inches of rain per year.
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Space Needle in Seattle, Washington
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Alaska (49 th ) and Hawaii (50 th ), the nations two remote
states, offer another contrast. Much of Hawaii has a wet tropical
climate and dense tropical rain forest vegetation. A world apart is
northern Alaskas tundra. A dry, treeless plain that sprouts grasses
and mosses only in summer, when the top layer of soil thaws.
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Natural Resources and the Economy West has gold, silver and
uranium. When gold and silver deposits were uncovered in the 1800s,
folks who sought fortune rushed the area. Few individuals struck
gold, the successful ones were huge mining companies that had
equipment and resources to dig deep into the earth.
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Rumors of great strikes and dreams of wealth kept drawing
people into the region. Along with the prospectors, came people who
set up businesses to provide service to the miners. The population
of the West grew rapidly. Western lands also contained valuable
deposits of natural gas and oil (Alaska, 1960).
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Natural resources of West also support two other important
economic activities, forestry and commercial fishing. Half of
nations lumber is harvested from the Pacific Northwest forests.
Billions of tons of fish caught in the waters off Alaska, Hawaii
and other Pacific Coast states bring in billions of dollars.
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The Growth of Western Cities West grew thanks to mining, and
people moving West during the Gold Rush. Railroad fares were
lowered between Midwest and Los Angeles. By the 1920s, the city was
attracting new residents with the development of the military and
civil aircraft industry and the motion picture industry. To support
its growing population, Los Angeles (LA) has to obtain huge amounts
of water via aqueducts. Large pipes that carry water over long
distances. Brings water 685 miles south from Sacramento.
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Conquering Western Distances 2 States face challenges due to
distances. Alaska and Hawaii Alaska Largest state (3x larger than
Northeast) Population = < 630,000 Juneau (capital) can only be
reached by plane or boat. Anchorage (250k pop.) only 2 roads
leading in and out. Hawaii 8 Main islands, 100 small islands in
central Pacific. Over 2,000 mi. from US Mainland. Annexed in 1898,
became 50 th state in 1959.