# USA Dopers: Which "region" is your current location? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 10, 2014, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973 "2014-10-10T15:13:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/21 "2014-10-11T11:43:38Z")
And for bonus points–_which state did you leave out_? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/22 "2014-10-11T12:04:38Z")
**North-East** - States included: Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont This is an abomination which cannot be allowed to stand. ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/23 "2014-10-11T12:13:51Z")
Based on those groupings, I’ve lived in (had a mailing address as opposed to visiting/passing thru) all of the regions but **Central**. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/24 "2014-10-11T12:29:17Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > **North-East** - States included: Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont > > This is an abomination which cannot be allowed to stand. OOPS! I somewhat trusted (without actual checking) that a site on education might not leave out Massachusetts, but I was wrong. Mea culpa. Anybody else want to find a better definition of “regions” and start over? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/25 "2014-10-11T12:31:34Z")
Well, I voted Mid-Atlantic because that’s what we call ourselves, but you’ve put us in the North East. That’s because we are walking distance from New Jersey but we sure can’t walk to Connecticut. Or, what John Mace said, only nicer. Still, I’m in what is locally known as the tri-state area: New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Where’s Pennsylvania in your scheme of things? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/26 "2014-10-11T12:56:13Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Well, I voted Mid-Atlantic because that’s what we call ourselves, but you’ve put us in the North East. That’s because we are walking distance from New Jersey but we sure can’t walk to Connecticut. Or, what John Mace said, only nicer. > > Still, I’m in what is locally known as the tri-state area: New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Where’s Pennsylvania in your scheme of things? According to that website: > [@](#): > > Mid-Atlantic - States included: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, **Pennsylvania** , Virginia, West Virginia … but if you’re asking me personally then I’m not sure. I would have hoped the “Self-Identify” thing would have yielded more consistent answers than it did. Maybe “region” is too personal to be meaningful to the whole group? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/27 "2014-10-11T13:09:04Z")
It’s because New York is a big state. New York City is actually more south than quite a bit of New Jersey. But calling Buffalo Mid-Atlantic is strange since it’s in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/28 "2014-10-11T13:16:41Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > It’s because New York is a big state. New York City is actually more south than quite a bit of New Jersey. But calling Buffalo Mid-Atlantic is strange since it’s in Canada. Just for giggles, how would you group the Northeast into “regions”? And how far south and west does the Northeast extend? If it matters, I have had similar issues with The South. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/29 "2014-10-11T15:04:57Z")
Laughable regions. I live near Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico, and I’m in the same region as the Manitoba border? When I lived in Kansas City, I commuted every day from the New Orleans region to work in the Bismarck region. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/30 "2014-10-11T15:18:58Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > If you see a better “regions” map/site let me know your preference. Either that or just do your own poll! It’s not all that much of a hassle. Sorry. Didn’t mean to piss you off. (Hm… I seem to use that phrase a lot in my life.) > [@installLSC](#): > > Voted “Pacific West”, even though it is a term I have never heard before today. In Washington State/Oregon people think of their region as “the Northwest”. Trust me, we avoid being linked with California whenever possible. As a native Southern Californian now living in Northern Washington, I’ve always called Northern California, Oregon, and Washington (and Idaho, grudgingly) the Pacific Northwest. To me ‘the Northwest’ implies Minnesota to Montana. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/31 "2014-10-11T15:35:41Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Just for giggles, how would you group the Northeast into “regions”? And how far south and west does the Northeast extend? > > If it matters, I have had similar issues with The South. 🙂 I doubt there is any way of carving up the US that will satisfy everyone. But the thing about New England is that is the only region of the US that is actually defined and that everyone agrees on. All the rest is up for debate. You might be able to say “The South” is all the former Confederate States, but VA and TX don’t have much in common (ever seen the movie _Giant_, with Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor?). CA is its own thing, and it might even be better to put that state into 2 different categories since NorCal and SoCal don’t abide each other much. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/32 "2014-10-11T15:54:54Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > As a native Southern Californian now living in Northern Washington, I’ve always called Northern California, Oregon, and Washington (and Idaho, grudgingly) the Pacific Northwest. To me ‘the Northwest’ implies Minnesota to Montana. As a norther Californian, it doesn’t surprise me that you, a southern Californian, would lump us into The Pacific Northwest. 😉 I can’t imagine anyone in the Bay Area thinking they live in The Pacific Northwest. We ain’t got no totem poles, for one thing! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/33 "2014-10-11T16:02:24Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I can’t imagine anyone in the Bay Area thinking they live in The Pacific Northwest. The Bay Area is on the [**Central** coast](https://www.google.com/maps/place/San+Francisco,+CA/@37.7749295,-122.4194155,7z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x80859a6d00690021:0x4a501367f076adff). 😛 ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/34 "2014-10-11T16:18:42Z")
It’s NEW ENGLAND, bay-bee! Region ONE in the Old Farmer’s Almanac. 😃 (I think of the “northeast” as New Jersey and so on.) ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/35 "2014-10-11T16:23:00Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Yeah, and it strikes me as odd that NY is listed with all the New England states when it’s actually mid-Atlantic. Is the OP someone who doesn’t know the New England states? There’s a surprising number of educated people who don’t… Parts of upstate New York have a New England vibe, which confuses people. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/36 "2014-10-11T22:43:47Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > Parts of upstate New York have a New England vibe, which confuses people. No one in New England is confused about that. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/37 "2014-10-11T23:27:52Z")
I’d say NY, NJ and CT are in the North East. I wouldn’t call them New England but have no problem saying they’re Mid-Atlantic. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/848f3c/32.png) [@The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Holdsworth_Effect)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2014, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/38 "2014-10-12T04:41:54Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > Parts of upstate New York have a New England vibe, which confuses people. That’s because quite a bit of the early population hadn’t divided the area up into separate states yet. The Duxbury (Vt) staybehinds would say regretfully about the branch that moved to Keene Valley “They’re N’Yawkers now…”. They weren’t when they went there though. I’d say people north of Schenectady (I was born near there) are pretty New England-ish. My mother was a Lake Placid native and her family were always worried when we went to New York to see the other grandparents in the Bronx. They thought Albany was plenty far enough and big enough. Somehow I’ve managed to end up in a place that has a lot of New England influence- Port Gamble is modeled after a Maine village. We just don’t get much snow. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2014, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/39 "2014-10-12T12:50:11Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > Interesting groupings. CO is almost always listed as a Western state, Texas and ND together? Huh… > > I wonder what the criteria they did their splits on is? It’s interesting, I’m not complaining. Yep, odd. I would think there would be a mountain region. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2014, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973/40 "2014-10-12T12:58:58Z")
> [@The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](#): > > That’s because quite a bit of the early population hadn’t divided the area up into separate states yet. The Duxbury (Vt) staybehinds would say regretfully about the branch that moved to Keene Valley “They’re N’Yawkers now…”. They weren’t when they went there though. I’d say people north of Schenectady (I was born near there) are pretty New England-ish. My mother was a Lake Placid native and her family were always worried when we went to New York to see the other grandparents in the Bronx. They thought Albany was plenty far enough and big enough. > > Somehow I’ve managed to end up in a place that has a lot of New England influence- Port Gamble is modeled after a Maine village. We just don’t get much snow. Even here in the Finger Lakes, we identify more with New England than we do with downstate folks in the greater NYC metro area. Small villages, maple trees, lakes. Just more rural poverty around here than in New England, and we don’t have the prep schools of Massachusetts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-dopers-which-region-is-your-current-location/700973.md?page=3)