According to the US Census Bureau, the United States of America is divided into four geographical regions; they are the West, the Midwest, the Northeast, and the South. While new regions and areas like the mid-Atlantic and Pacific northwest have been adopted, for the sake of simplicity only Census Bureau data will be used for this series.
This is the second installment of a new mini-series I’m working on of travel guides within the United States, but instead of highlighting specific cities or landmarks, we’re going to look at the region itself and how you can make a trip out of exploring the entire area. Stave off the winter blues and start planning a getaway this summer to get your mind off of the cold with this guide to regions of the Unites States.
Now, Bjorn Koch presents his guide to the northeast.
What’s the Northeast?
The region referred to as the Northeast is composed of the states found in the northeast region of the United States which can be divided into two smaller subcategories, New England and the Mid-Atlantic. New England is comprised of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; the Mid-Atlantic is made up of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
The Culture of the Northeast.
Perhaps geographer Wilbur Zelinsky said it best, asserting that the Northeast doesn’t necessarily have its own unified identity as far as regions go, but rather serves as a “cultural hearth” for the entirety of the country. As an ethnically diverse region, the Northeast sees high concentrations of different cultures that have blended with one another, namely Irish-Americans, Italian-Americans, African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asians. The incredible amount of diversity seen throughout this regions is primarily due to New York City which has long served as a point of immigration, the landing place of new cultures and ethnicities as they enter the country.
Places to do and things to see.
The northeast attracts visitors for numerous reasons. The sprawling metropolises like Boston, Philadelphia, and — of course – New York City offer people a taste of the fast-paced East coast lifestyle and city life without the commitment that living in these areas requires.
People are also drawn to the northeast for the exact opposite reason; in southern Pennsylvania lies Lancaster County, home to one of the largest Amish settlements in the country. Tourists flock to the area to get a glimpse into the lives of people who choose to live without many of life’s modern amenities.
The northeast is also a hotbed for historic tourism, being home to nearly half of all of the National Historic Landmarks under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.
There is so much more to do in the Northeast than could fit into a blog post, so take a day trip and explore for yourself all that there is to see in the Northeastern United States.