I recently read that the south is the most populated region in the US. Why do you think this is?
It’s not. Whatever you read was mistaken.
OK, why is it the second most populated region?
Some region has to be, why not the South?
The two big factors are economy (jobs and cost of living) and climate. And climate factors into the cost of living, which indirectly may affect the job market.
Because first was taken.
Jobs, climate, etc.
Because living here is like living in one of the surburbs of Heaven !
It is the most populated region. Your link addresses population density but I read the question about absolute numbers - the South is #1 in the latter.
Here is a question of Quora that happens to have the exact same title.
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The South is the 2nd biggest region geographically behind the relatively sparcely populated West.
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The South contains a lot more large cities than most people realize. The Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Charlotte, Jacksonville metro areas among many others are very large by U.S. standards.
If you are asking why that is, climate and cost of living are two of the biggest reasons. Air conditioning is part of what made huge areas of land habitable and there are few water issues. The Northeast is mostly stagnating in population growth while the South is growing quickly and has been for decades.
This discussion is kinda pointless without deciding what is the “South.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_regions_of_the_United_States
I would lots of people when hearing “the south” wouldn’t include Delaware, Maryland or DC
Using the official U.S. Census Bureau regions, populations from the July 1, 2016 estimate; and land areas (since most people don’t live on boats):
The South has a population of over 122 million; the West, somewhat under 77 million; the Midwest, just under 68 million; and the Northeast, over 56 million. (That Census Bureau definition of the regions is a little archaic in including Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia in “the South”–they’re using the Mason-Dixon line, and Delaware as a slave state. If we move Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and D.C. from the South to the Northeast, the South drops to under 113 million, and the Northeast climbs to under 66 million–still the least populous region.)
Since there are only four basic regions, like Procrustus said, somebody has to be first. The South has a land area of 868,000 square miles; well behind the West at over 1,750,000 square miles, but ahead of the Midwest at 750,000, and well ahead of the Northeast at under 162,000. (The Northeast is small but densely packed; nowadays not densely populated enough to make up for its relatively small size.) The West is huge, but much of it is sparsely populated (including Alaska). The South is pretty big and–as Shagnasty mentioned, with the rise of air conditioning–is now mostly part of the “Sun Belt” which has been experiencing high population growth for decades. The Sun Belt includes places like Arizona and Las Vegas and Southern California, but the South is a lot of that area, including Florida and Texas, as well as the whole Deep South region. And (droughts notwithstanding) we still have more water than those Western Sun Belt areas.
Because when somebody drew a map that divided the US into regions, they drew it in such a way that “the South” had more people than any other.
Houses are also really cheap here compared to the rest of the country, and you get more house for the money.
I heard it was because of jobs and climate. Has anyone mentioned that?
I live in the south ( So. Ark.), I am literally the only household with-in 5 miles, lotsa deer camps, some traffic, mostly hunters, game warden, oil well runners. But mostly just us. I am 11 miles from the first gas station, which ain’t saying much ( gas. Cigs, beer is all he gas). The nearest small town is 13 miles away, not much there, either. Nearest place with some ammenties is 37mi. away. I realize this isn’t really typical.
I’m just guessing here but were you in a doctor’s waiting room recently? I read all kinds of things that I normally don’t when I’m in one of those.
Because we are such lovely people! Speakin’ strictly for myself, that is!
Besides, who wants to live where it gets cold enough to freeze the balls off a pool table?
I also heard tell that this Global Warming thing means Georgia is likely to get a whole lot more sea shore!
Ya’ll come back now, ya hear?
I think area has a lot to do with it. It looks like the largest region with the possible exception of the West. I would guess the Northeast actually has a larger population density, in which case the question then becomes: Why is the Northeast the most densely populated?
I think the answer to my own question is that the terrain is more hospitable than either the West or the South, with very few deserts and swamps, and close to the sea to enable large cities that rely on shipping. I’d say it has few mountains too but percent-wise I’d say it has around as much as the South (but not as much as the West.) ETA: in addition to the lingering effects of historical population patterns, but those are largely based on the above anyway. In addition to the lingering effects of air conditioning being new.
Yeah - I recall seeing something - I think a TV program - that addressed the development of AC, and the subsequent population/business BOOM in parts of the S.
Few water issues in the SE, but considerable in the SW.
I wonder - if future energy and water issues will cause some of those trends to reverse.