The 'East South Central States' constitute one of the nine geographic divisions within the
United States that are officially recognized by that country's
census bureau.
Four states comprise the division:
Alabama,
Kentucky,
Mississippi, and
Tennessee. The division is one of the three that together make up the larger
region known as the
South (the other two of which are the
South Atlantic States and the
West South Central States).
The East South Central States form the core of '
Old Dixie', one of the nine ''moral regions'' identified by
James Patterson and
Peter Kim in their acclaimed
1991 geopolitical best-seller, ''
The Day America Told The Truth''.
Demographics
As of
2000, the East South Central States had a combined population of 17,022,810. This number was estimated to increase 3.48% to 17,615,260 by 2005. The West North Central region covers 178,596 square miles of land, and has an average population density of 95.31 people per square mile.
'States in the East South Central Region'| State | 2005 Est. | Land Area | Density |
|---|
| Alabama | 4,557,808 ''(2nd)'' | 50,744 ''(1st)'' | 87.64 ''(3rd)'' |
| Kentucky | 4,173,405 ''(3rd)'' | 39,728 ''(4th)'' | 101.74 ''(2nd)'' |
| Mississippi | 2,921,088 ''(4th)'' | 46,907 ''(2nd)'' | 60.64 ''(4th)'' |
| Tennessee | 5,962,959 ''(1st)'' | 41,217 ''(3rd)'' | 138.03 ''(1st)'' |
'Largest Cities in the East South Central Region'| | City | 2000 Pop. |
|---|
| 1 | Memphis, Tennessee | 650,100 |
| 2 | Louisville, Kentucky | 551,188 |
| 3 | Nashville, Tennessee | 545,524 |
| 4 | Lexington, Kentucky | 260,512 |
| 5 | Birmingham, Alabama | 242,820 |
| 6 | Montgomery, Alabama | 201,568 |
| 7 | Mobile, Alabama | 198,915 |
| 8 | Jackson, Mississippi | 184,256 |
| 9 | Knoxville, Tennessee | 173,890 |
| 10 | Huntsville, Alabama | 158,216 |
| 11 | Chattanooga, Tennessee | 155,554 |
| 12 | Clarksville, Tennessee | 103,455 |
| 13 | Tuscaloosa, Alabama | 77,906 |
| 14 | Gulfport, Mississippi | 71,127 |
| 15 | Murfreesboro, Tennessee | 68,816 |
| 16 | Hoover, Alabama | 62,742 |
| 17 | Jackson, Tennessee | 59,643 |
| 18 | Dothan, Alabama | 57,737 |
| 19 | Johnson City, Tennessee | 55,469 |
| 20 | Owensboro, Kentucky | 54,067 |
| 21 | Decatur, Alabama | 53,929 |
| 22 | Biloxi, Mississippi | 50,644 |
| 23 | Bowling Green, Kentucky | 49,296 |
| 24 | Kingsport, Tennessee | 44,905 |
| 25 | Hattiesburg, Mississippi | 44,779 |
| 26 | Covington, Kentucky | 43,370 |
| 27 | Auburn, Alabama | 42,987 |
| 28 | Franklin, Tennessee | 41,842 |
| 29 | Greenville, Mississippi | 41,633 |
| 30 | Hendersonville, Tennessee | 40,620 |