Mid-Atlantic States

From Free net encyclopedia

(Redirected from Mid-Atlantic)

The Mid-Atlantic region of the United States of America, located in the northeastern section of the country, includes the following states:

Some people also consider the following states and district to be part of the Mid-Atlantic region though they are considered by the US Census Bureau and by many more people as part of the Southern United States region.

These areas 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 (if it assumed that Maryland is part of this region) Baltimore on Chesapeake Bay.

The region is argubly the most ethnically diverse regions in the country, let alone the world. Large populations of African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, West Indians, Arabs, and Europeans reside and continue to come to these Mid-Atlantic states.

Due to their higher levels of urbanization and industrialization, as well as their more liberal political affiliations, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia are considered by some as part of the Mid-Atlantic States. Historically, however, they have always been considered part of the Southern United States, and this is reflected in their respective demographics. A few people also consider the Northern part of Virginia and the state of West Virginia as part of this region though this is not generally accepted.

1 History
2 Economy
3 See also
4 External links

[edit]

History

The Mid-Atlantic region was settled by a wider range of people than New England. Dutch immigrants moved into the lower Hudson River Valley in what is now New York State. Swedes went to Delaware. English Catholics founded Maryland, and an English Protestant sect, the Friends (Quakers), and Germans & Swiss settled Pennsylvania. 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 the region, called the Middle Colonies, served as a 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.

[edit]

Economy

Like New England, the Mid-Atlantic region has seen much of its heavy industry relocate elsewhere. Other industries, such as drug manufacturing and communications, have taken up the slack. Most of the nation's television stations are stationed in the Mid-Atlantic, as well as many of the insurance, medicare, and business corporations in North America.

[edit]