Regional definitions vary from source to source. The states shown in dark red are usually included, while all or portions of the striped states may or may not be considered part of the Mid-Atlantic.
The 'Mid-Atlantic States' (also called ''Middle Atlantic States'') of the
United States traditionally refers to that section of the
Atlantic Seaboard between
New England and
the South. Many people in the vicinity of
Washington D.C. and its surrounding states consider the Mid-Atlantic to be the area south of the North-Eastern states, centered in
Maryland and
Virginia, and can occasionally include parts of
Delaware,
Pennsylvania,
New Jersey,
West Virginia, and
North Carolina.
The traditional Mid-Atlantic States comprise the most densely-populated of the nine U.S. regions, and anchor the
megalopolis which runs from
Boston to
Washington, D.C.. The southeastern part of New York State, eastern Pennsylvania, and all of New Jersey combine to form the bulk of the ''moral region'' of the
metropolis, according to noted socio-political geographers
James Patterson and
Peter Kim, co-authors of the groundbreaking
1991 book ''
The Day America Told The Truth'' (Metropolis begins in the southern
Connecticut suburbs of
New York City and stretches along the
Eastern seaboard to the northern Virginia suburbs of
Washington, D.C.). The book classifies the remainder of New York State and Pennsylvania in the
Rust Belt.
History
From early colonial times, the Mid-Atlantic region was settled by a wider range of European peoples than in New England or the South. The
New Netherland settlement along the Hudson River in New York and New Jersey, and for a time
New Sweden along the Delaware River in Delaware, divided the two great bulwarks of English settlement from each other. The original English settlements in the region notably provided refuge to religious minorities, Maryland to
Roman Catholics, and Pennsylvania to
the Friends and the mostly Anabaptist
Pennsylvania Dutch. In time, all these settlements fell under English control, but the region continued to be a magnet for people of diverse nationalities.
Early settlers were mostly farmers and traders and fishermen, and the region, called the
Middle Colonies, served as a strategic bridge between North and South.
Philadelphia, midway between the northern and southern colonies, was home to the
Continental Congress, the convention of delegates from the original colonies that organized the
American Revolution. The same city was the birthplace of the
Declaration of Independence in
1776 and the
U.S. Constitution in
1787.
The Middle Atlantic states provided the young United States with
heavy industry and served as the "melting pot" of new
immigrants from
Europe. Cities grew along major shipping routes and waterways. Such flourishing cities included
New York City on the
Hudson River,
Philadelphia on the
Delaware River, and
Baltimore on the
Chesapeake Bay.
The region is among the most ethnically-diverse regions in the nation and world. Large populations of
African Americans,
Latin Americans,
Asians,
West Indians,
Arabs, and
Europeans reside and continue to come to the Mid-Atlantic states. The region's ethnic diversity dates back to colonial times, with Dutch and Swedish colonies, and colonies such as Pennsylvania actively promoting ethnically diverse immigration.
See also
★
List of regions of the United States
References
External links
★ http://geology.er.usgs.gov/states/mid_atl.html
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