Southeastern United States

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Southeastern United States
Area
 • Total 1,504,360 km2 (580,835 sq mi)
 • Land 1,399,920 km2 (540,511 sq mi)
 • Water 104,440 km2 (40,324 sq mi)  6.9%
Population (2013)
 • Total 87,438,243
 • Density 58.1/km2 (150.5/sq mi)
Time zone EST/CST
 • Summer (DST) EDT/CDT (UTC)
Dark red states are usually included in definitions of the Southeastern United States. Light red states are considered "Southeastern" with less frequency.

The Southeastern United States is the eastern portion of the Southern United States, and the southern portion of the Eastern United States.

Demographics

There is no official Census Bureau definition of the southeastern United States. However, the Association of American Geographers defines the southeastern United States as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.[1] The OSBO uses the same states, but includes Arkansas and Louisiana

Most populous states

The most populous state in the region is Florida (19,893,297),[2] followed by Georgia (10,097,343),[3] and North Carolina (9,943,964).[4]

History

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Culture

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The predominant culture of the Southeast has its origins with the settlement of the region by British colonists and African slaves in the 17th century, as well as large groups of English, Scots and Ulster-Scots, Germans, French, and Acadians in succeeding centuries.

Climate

The Southeastern part of the United States is dominated by different varieties of the humid subtropical climate, but southern Florida such as the Miami metropolitan area has a tropical monsoon climate due to the significantly warmer winters. Summers are generally very hot throughout the entire region with relatively small temperature differences for July throughout the region, as proven by Miami's July high being 90.9 °F (32.7 °C) with even a coastal area as north as in Virginia Beach recording close to 88 °F (31 °C) on average that time of the year.[5][6] With tropical air masses influencing the region precipitation is high throughout the year, and unlike more westerly areas on similar latitudes the Southeast is lush with vegetation. The tropical air masses do however cause significant hurricanes such as Hurricane Andrew (1992) and Hurricane Katrina (2005) wreaking havoc and causing significant damage to coastal areas.

Economy

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. The Southeast has changed dramatically in the last two generations. Since 1980, there has been a boom in its service economy, manufacturing base, high technology industries, and the financial sector. Examples of this include the surge in tourism in Florida and along the Gulf Coast; numerous new automobile production plants such as Mercedes-Benz in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Hyundai in Montgomery, Alabama; Toyota Motors in Blue Springs, Mississippi; Kia in West Point, Georgia; the BMW production plant in Greer, South Carolina; Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Tennessee; the GM manufacturing plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee; and the Nissan North American headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee; the two largest research parks in the country: Research Triangle Park in the Triangle area of North Carolina (the world's largest) and the Cummings Research Park in Huntsville, Alabama (the world's fourth largest); and the corporate headquarters of major banking corporations Bank of America in Charlotte; Regions Financial Corporation, AmSouth Bancorporation, and BBVA Compass in Birmingham; SunTrust Banks and the district headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; and BB&T in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. As well as Fortune 500 companies, there are several large companies including several paper companies, such as Georgia Pacific in Atlanta and International Paper and Verso Paper in Memphis, as well as FedEx, which is one of the world's largest shipping companies. Fortune 500 companies having headquarters in the region included 20 in Virginia, 16 in Florida, 15 in North Carolina, and 14 in Georgia. This economic expansion has enabled parts of the South to have of some of the lowest unemployment rates in the United States.[7] In Alabama there is a large-scale manufacturing project owned by the German steel megacorporation Thyssen-Krupp, which operates a massive, state-of-the-art facility in Mobile.

Research and Development

Research Triangle Park, in the Raleigh-Durham urban area of North Carolina, has emerged as a major hub of technology, governmental, and biotechnological research and development, as has the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park in Richmond. The Cummings Research Park in the Huntsville, Alabama area is the second largest research complex in the nation. Located in Huntsville is the Redstone Arsenal, United States Army Missile Command, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and many other key government, military, and aerospace agencies. The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, Florida is the largest laboratory in the world devoted to the study of magnetism.[citation needed] The University of South Carolina is currently constructing a research campus in downtown Columbia, and the University is the nation's only National Science Foundation-funded Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Fuel Cells.[8]

Education

Higher education

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There are a number of notable universities, with several large research universities which exert influence beyond the region. These include the oldest public university in the country, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, along with the University of Florida, the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), and the University of Virginia. There are also a number of well-known private institutions, including Georgetown University and Howard University (in Washington D.C.), Wake Forest University and Duke University (in North Carolina), Emory University, Tulane University (in Louisiana), Morehouse College, and Spelman College (in Georgia), University of Miami (in Florida), and Vanderbilt University (in Tennessee).

The region is home to the most historically black colleges and universities in the nation. The three largest in the region are North Carolina A&T University, Florida A&M University, and Jackson State University (in Mississippi).

Largest cities

These are the largest cities in the Southeastern region of the United States by population, according to the United States Census Bureau:[9][discuss]

Rank City State Population (2012)
1 Jacksonvillea[›] Florida 836,507[10]
2 Charlotte North Carolina 792,862
3 Memphis Tennessee 676,640
4 Washington District of Columbia 632,323
5 Nashvillea[›] Tennessee 624,496
6 Baltimore Maryland 621,342
7 Louisvillea[›] Kentucky 605,110
8 Virginia Beach Virginia 448,479
9 Atlanta Georgia 443,775
10 Raleigh North Carolina 423,179
11 Miami Florida 419,777
12 New Orleans Louisiana 384,320
13 Tampa Florida 347,645
14 Lexington Kentucky 305,489
15 Greensboro North Carolina 277,080
16 Orlando Florida 249,562
17 Saint Petersburg Florida 246,541
18 Norfolk Virginia 245,782
19 Durham North Carolina 239,358
20 Winston-Salem North Carolina 234,349
21 Hialeah Florida 231,941
22 Chesapeake Virginia 228,417
23 Birmingham Alabama 212,038
24 Richmond Virginia 210,309
25 Montgomery Alabama 205,293

Metropolitan Statistical Areas

These are the metropolitan areas of the Southeastern region which exceed 1 million in population according to the United States Census Bureau's 2013 estimates:[11]

Rank Metropolitan Area Anchor City Population (2013) State(s)
1 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Washington D.C. 5,949,859 District of Columbia / Virginia / Maryland / West Virginia
2 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach Miami 5,828,191 Florida
3 Atlanta–Sandy Springs-Roswell Atlanta 5,522,942 Georgia
4 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Tampa 2,870,569 Florida
5 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson Baltimore 2,770,738 Maryland
6 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia Charlotte 2,335,358 North Carolina/South Carolina
7 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Orlando 2,267,846 Florida
8 Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin Nashville 1,757,912 Tennessee
9 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News Virginia Beach 1,707,369 Virginia / North Carolina
10 Jacksonville Jacksonville 1,394,624 Florida
11 Memphis Memphis 1,341,746 Tennessee / Mississippi / Arkansas
12 Louisville-Jefferson County Louisville 1,262,261 Kentucky / Indiana
13 Richmond-Petersburg Richmond 1,245,764 Virginia
14 New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner New Orleans 1,240,977 Louisiana
15 Raleigh Raleigh 1,214,516 North Carolina
16 Birmingham-Hoover Birmingham 1,140,300 Alabama

Combined Statistical Areas

Beyond Megalopolis by Virginia Tech's Metropolitan Institute, an attempt to update Jean Gottmann's work with current trends, defines two "megapolitan areas" contained within the Southeast, out of a total of ten such areas in the United States:

Two others tie some areas on the margins of the Southeast to urban centers in other regions:

  • "Gulf Coast" extending as far east as the western tip of Florida
  • "Northeast" including much of Maryland and eastern Virginia

These are the combined statistical areas of the Southeastern region which exceed 1 million in population according to the United States Census Bureau's 2013 estimates. Note that the metropolitan areas of Tampa and Richmond are not included in any CSA's so they are included in the table without constituent areas:[11]

Rank Combined Statistical Area Population (2013) Constituent Core Based Statistical Areas
1 Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Statistical Area 9,443,180 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area
Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area
Winchester, VA-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area
California-Lexington Park, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area
Easton, MD Micropolitan Statistical Area
Cambridge, MD Micropolitan Statistical Area
2 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Port St. Lucie, FL Combined Statistical Area 6,447,610 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area
Port St. Lucie, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area
Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area
Okeechobee, FL Micropolitan Statistical Area
3 Atlanta–Athens-Clarke County–Sandy Springs, GA Combined Statistical Area 6,162,195 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area
Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area
Gainesville, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area
LaGrange, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area
Jefferson, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area
Calhoun, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area
Cedartown, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area
Thomaston, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area
4 Orlando-Deltona-Daytona Beach, FL Combined Statistical Area 2,975,658 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area
The Villages, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area
5 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater 2,870,569 MSA Only
6 Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC Combined Statistical Area 2,493,040 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Shelby, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area
Albemarle, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area
7 Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Combined Statistical Area 2,037,430 Raleigh, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Dunn, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area
Oxford, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area
Sanford, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area
Henderson, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area
8 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro, TN Combined Statistical Area 1,876,933 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area
Shelbyville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area
Lawrenceburg, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area
Lewisburg, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area
9 Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC Combined Statistical Area 1,810,266 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Elizabeth City, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area
Kill Devil Hills, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area
10 Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point, NC Combined Statistical Area 1,619,313 Greensboro-High Point, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Winston-Salem, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Burlington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Mount Airy, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area
11 Jacksonville-St. Marys-Palatka, FL-GA Combined Statistical Area 1,518,677 Jacksonville, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area
Palatka, FL Micropolitan Statistical Area
St. Marys, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area
12 Louisville/Jefferson County–Elizabethtown–Madison, KY-IN Combined Statistical Area 1,490,724 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area
Bardstown, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area
Madison, IN Micropolitan Statistical Area
13 New Orleans-Metairie-Hammond, LA-MS Combined Statistical Area 1,467,880 New Orleans-Metairie, LA Metropolitan Statistical Area
Hammond, LA Metropolitan Statistical Area
Picayune, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area
Bogalusa, LA Micropolitan Statistical Area
14 Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area 1,438,550 Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Spartanburg, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Greenwood, SC Micropolitan Statistical Area
Seneca, SC Micropolitan Statistical Area
Gaffney, SC Micropolitan Statistical Area
15 Memphis-Forrest City, TN-MS-AR Combined Statistical Area 1,369,006 Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metropolitan Statistical Area
Forrest City, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area
16 Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL Combined Statistical Area 1,313,105 Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area
Talladega-Sylacauga, AL Micropolitan Statistical Area
Cullman, AL Micropolitan Statistical Area
17 Richmond-Petersburg 1,245,764 MSA Only
18 Knoxville-Morristown-Sevierville, TN Combined Statistical Area 1,096,961 Knoxville, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area
Morristown, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area
Sevierville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area
Newport, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area
19 Cape Coral-Fort Myers-Naples, FL Combined Statistical Area 1,000,757 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area
Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area

Fauna

There are about two million feral pigs in the Southeast. Around 500,000 are in Florida.[12]

Sports

In professional sports, the Southeast has eight NFL teams: Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, Washington Redskins and the Tennessee Titans. The Falcons, Saints, Buccaneers and Panthers play in the NFC South, the Redskins play in the NFC East, the Jaguars and the Titans play in the AFC South, and the Dolphins play in the AFC East.

Four Major League Baseball teams play in the Southeast: Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins, Atlanta Braves and Tampa Bay Rays. The Braves, Nationals and Marlins play in the NL East and the Rays play in the AL East.

The Southeastern Conference is an NCAA Division 1 conference of Southeastern college teams, including the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Alabama Crimson Tide, Tennessee Volunteers and Georgia Bulldogs. The Sugar Bowl. Orange Bowl and Citrus Bowl are notable college football bowls held in Southeastern cities. The Atlantic Coast Conference also features Southeastern teams, such as Florida State Seminoles and Clemson Tigers.

NASCAR is headquartered in Florida and grew in Southeastern ovals such as Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Darlington Speedway.

See also

References

  1. SouthEastern Division of the Association of American Geographers at the Wayback Machine]
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External links

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