# Self-identify your "Region" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 7, 2014, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668 "2014-10-07T17:06:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/1 "2014-10-07T17:06:57Z")
Whether geographical or political or some other grouping criterion, what “region” do you live in? In my case, I could include myself in any of these: Tennessee Middle Tennessee SEC The South The Mid-South The Confederacy and no doubt others I’m just not familiar with. This is not JUST a USA thing. Wherever you live must be part of some “region” you can say you’re a part of. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/2 "2014-10-07T17:11:49Z")
Going from micro to macro: Salt Lake City Salt Lake Valley Utah The Intermountain West The Western U.S. “Utah” is probably the easiest one for me to throw out there, because it creates a pretty instant image in people’s minds beyond just a geographic location. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/3 "2014-10-07T18:03:34Z")
Westside, Socal ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/4 "2014-10-07T18:09:20Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > Westside, Socal I’m ignorant on “Westside” as a regional grouping. What all makes that up, if you don’t mind? ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/5 "2014-10-07T18:12:16Z")
The North Coast Midwest Rustbelt Connecticut Western Reserve Northeast Ohio Greater Cleveland Area The Best Location in the Nation 😉 ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/6 "2014-10-07T18:23:41Z")
Central Texas Austin Metroplex ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/7 "2014-10-07T18:30:17Z")
Starting regional, and ending local: California Northern California Central Valley Sacramento I considered starting with ‘Western US’, but I think that designation is pretty much meaningless; it covers everything from the temperate rainforest in NW Washington, to the SW desert, to the Rocky Mountains. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/8 "2014-10-07T18:32:28Z")
Northern New England (Vermont) ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/9 "2014-10-07T18:32:57Z")
Northern California Sacramento Area Sierra Foothills\American River areas ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/10 "2014-10-07T18:42:31Z")
Southern Maryland Maryland Mid-Atlantic Northeast ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/11 "2014-10-07T18:43:57Z")
California SoCal Greater LA Los Angeles DTLA ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/12 "2014-10-07T19:12:18Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > The North Coast > Midwest > Rustbelt > Connecticut Western Reserve > Northeast Ohio > Greater Cleveland Area > The Best Location in the Nation 😉 This. Except after “Greater Cleveland Area” there should be “West Side” or “East Side” and “City” or “Suburb.” And sometimes “The Best Location in the Nation” feels like “The Mistake By the Lake.” ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/13 "2014-10-07T19:14:37Z")
Midwest Great Lakes Region Corn Belt Rust Belt Chicagoland Collar Counties Southwest suburbs ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/14 "2014-10-07T19:17:25Z")
SoCal The 909 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/15 "2014-10-07T19:24:21Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I’m ignorant on “Westside” as a regional grouping. What all makes that up, if you don’t mind? [Westside](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westside_%28Los_Angeles_County%29) ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/16 "2014-10-07T19:32:10Z")
The Southwest The fucking desert\* \*Which I love. I wish I had moved here decades ago. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/17 "2014-10-07T19:49:41Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > Starting regional, and ending local: > > California > Northern California > Central Valley > Sacramento > > I considered starting with ‘Western US’, but I think that designation is pretty much meaningless; it covers everything from the temperate rainforest in NW Washington, to the SW desert, to the Rocky Mountains. I’m exactly there, too. If I lived across the street, I could say “Placer County”, but my home is in Sacramento County. Literally across the street. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/18 "2014-10-07T19:57:24Z")
North shore Long Island NY metro area Tri-state area New York State Mid-Atlantic states Northeast USA ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/19 "2014-10-07T20:00:49Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > [Westside](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westside_%28Los_Angeles_County%29) Neat! I wonder if there’s a breakdown of that sort of grouping for the entire country. Some time ago I tried to get at a consensus of what makes up (made up) Appalachia. I don’t remember that turning out anywhere near an agreement. In a similar vein, I wonder how many ZIP codes have an alternate “name” that is accepted by the residents. Area Code, same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668/20 "2014-10-07T20:16:51Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > In a similar vein, I wonder how many ZIP codes have an alternate “name” that is accepted by the residents. Area Code, same thing. There are many ZIP codes in my area that can be addressed either as Los Angeles or as their locally-known name (Studio City, North Hollywood, Van Nuys, etc. — most of these are in the San Fernando Valley). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-identify-your-region/700668.md?page=2)