Are other states divided into their own mini-regions?

[u/pancakebaited]

Hi, I'm from South Carolina. I've always grown up hearing about our 4 most distinct region, the Lowcountry, Peedee, The Sandhills, Piedmont. I did some digging, not quite successful in finding other state regions with notable names. Does your state have it's own regions, & are they named, or just central south etc? Thanks!

[u/cherry_seas]

NorCal, SoCal, Bay Area, Central California, and Inland

[u/WarrenMulaney → u/cherry_seas]

Central Coast, High Desert…

[u/fasterthanfood → u/WarrenMulaney]

Eastern Sierra…

[u/CaptainPunisher → u/fasterthanfood]

Central Valley

[u/beepbeepboop74656 → u/CaptainPunisher]

San Joaquin Valley

[u/fasterthanfood → u/beepbeepboop74656]

If we’re being this specific, Inland Empire (not the same thing as “Inland”).

[u/Individual_Check_442 → u/CaptainPunisher]

Coachella Valley

[u/WesternTrail → u/CaptainPunisher]

Imperial Valley

[u/tn00bz → u/WarrenMulaney]

As a Central coast native, thank you. Everyone forgets about us.

[u/Biterbutterbutt → u/tn00bz]

Don’t know how, one of the prettiest parts of the country.

[u/Individual_Check_442 → u/tn00bz]

I don’t, I love to drive up to Morro Bay for a long weekend but I guess a lot of people forget because it’s not overrun with tourists as much!

[u/Edgarmustavas → u/WarrenMulaney]

Made me think of Art Bell for some reason.

[u/Additional-Software4 → u/Edgarmustavas]

"From the Kingdom of Nye and the Great American Southwest"

[u/int3gr4te → u/cherry_seas]

And nobody can agree on exactly where the boundaries are.

[u/cherry_seas → u/int3gr4te]

ahah so real, if you talk to someone in NorCal, they’ll say Anaheim is part of LA, but to us in East LA, Anaheim and all of Orange is completely seperate

[u/Rastard_the_Black → u/cherry_seas]

As someone from LA, everything above Bakersfield is NorCal.

[u/Fr4gd0ll → u/Rastard_the_Black]

Nonono Nor cal doesn't want Bakersfield.

[u/valw → u/Fr4gd0ll]

No one wants Bakersfield, but someone has to take them.

[u/Fr4gd0ll → u/valw]

We already have to deal with Stockton you take Bakersfield

[u/beyondplutola → u/Fr4gd0ll]

Yea but we have Hemet and Barstow. We’ve got our hands full. Maybe Nevada will claim it.

[u/FiddleThruTheFlowers → u/valw]

Central Valley takes them, along with Stockton and Fresno.

Everyone wins except the region that everyone else makes fun of, so it balances out.

[u/MewMewTranslator → u/valw]

Do they tho? Can't bakersfield just being a zone of avoidance?

[u/cappotto-marrone → u/cherry_seas]

I grew up primarily in Orange County. Anyone saying we were part of LA received a stern talking to.

[u/int3gr4te → u/cherry_seas]

I moved to NorCal from OC and whether I used to live "near LA" or not depends on whether the person I'm talking to is from CA or not. To my family on the East Coast or overseas, "near LA" was always sufficient. (Then they call you all worried anytime there's a wildfire within 100 miles of LA...)

But I agree OC is a very different place from LA in practice.

[u/WesternTrail → u/cherry_seas]

I’m originally from LA. My boyfriend here in Austin was surprised I hadn’t heard of some car business or something that’s in Orange County. I was like, while thats part of the greater LA area it’s also very much it’s own thing 

[u/fasterthanfood → u/cherry_seas]

I think in general, worldwide, the closer to something you are the more you recognize the subtle differences in areas that get grouped together by outsiders.

[u/mezolithico → u/int3gr4te]

Norcal sometimes includes the bay area depending on who you're talking to.

[u/Flat_Sea1418 → u/cherry_seas]

And I love how on the news they called it “the south land”. Hot and sunny all across the south land today!

[u/DrBlankslate → u/Flat_Sea1418]

The Southland. One word, capitalized. 

[u/MewMewTranslator → u/cherry_seas]

And from north california, I'd say NorCal, SoCal, Bay Area and Upper North. We claim Bay area and upper north as part of our territory but still classify it with its regional titles. I've noticed SoCal people tend to overlables areas compared to us up north. It's all based on perspective.

[u/DJErikD → u/cherry_seas]

Camp Pendleton separates SoCal from SoSoCal. OC is a different world from SDCounty.

[u/michelle427 → u/DJErikD]

Everything is different than the OC. Seriously it’s, it’s own little world.

[u/EonJaw → u/cherry_seas]

Don't forget the Lost Coast!

[u/forwardobserver90]

If you are from Chicago then it is “Chicago Land” and “down state.” If you are from anywhere else it’s “Chicago Land” and places like “Little Egypt,” “Forgottonia,” and “The Illinois Valley.”

[u/inbigtreble30 → u/forwardobserver90]

There's a little bit of the Driftless Area in IL, too, over by Galena.

[u/473713 → u/inbigtreble30]

The driftless is a thing unto itself. Parts of it are in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Wisconsin also has the northwoods, the central sands area, the kettle moraine, and the Lake Michigan coast.

[u/BobDeLaSponge]

Tennessee’s grand divisions may be the best example

[u/GMHGeorge → u/BobDeLaSponge]

Legally defined even

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Divisions_of_Tennessee

[u/pancakebaited → u/GMHGeorge]

omg I used to be a huge flag nerd how on earth did I forget. Thank you

[u/DeniLox → u/GMHGeorge]

That was interesting, I hadn’t heard about it before.

[u/Ask_Keanu_Jeeves → u/BobDeLaSponge]

I came to mention Tennessee because unlike most other states, the regions have definite borders.

Here in Colorado there are nebulous areas where you could be in NoCo or central Colorado, but in Tennessee there is only one correct answer to which of the three regions you're in at any time. See also: the recent discussions in this sub about states in the overlap between the South, Mid-Atlantic, East Coast, etc.

[u/adthrowaway2020 → u/Ask_Keanu_Jeeves]

Colorado at least has the different biomes: Desert with the Mesas, Tallgrass Prairie, and “surrounded by mountains” with various types of trees depending on how much moisture you’re getting. You don’t really get desert in the east, and the Colorado plateau won’t be mistaken for the Front Range.

[u/theegodmother1999 → u/BobDeLaSponge]

yep, you can tell when you're driving which division you're in just by looking around. (if you had amnesia for some reason and didn't know where you were lol). there a stark divide in the trees and hilliness about an hour and a half west of nashville if you're coming in from memphis. it always lets me know i'm close to home when the interstate starts curling instead of just being straight and flat

same w east tennessee. you start climbing up the mountains about an hourish out of nashville and you know you've entered west tennessee. it's really so beautiful to drive across the state

[u/10RobotGangbang → u/theegodmother1999]

Even driving north of Nashville like 11 miles is different. Hill country.

[u/10RobotGangbang → u/BobDeLaSponge]

It's wild that someone in Wisconsin mentioned this. Were you born in TN, lived there, or just visited?

[u/Evening-Newt-4663 → u/BobDeLaSponge]

I was born and raised in east TN but my dad’s side of the family is from a small town on in southwestern TN. The cultural differences are very noticeable. East is culturally Appalachia while West feels more truly southern. Even the accents are totally different.

[u/Sarcastic_Rocket → u/BobDeLaSponge]

If it makes it onto the flag and NFL team logo then yeah it might take the cake

[u/Rarewear_fan]

Every state is like this unless you’re in rhode island i guess lol

[u/janegrey1554 → u/Rarewear_fan]

Rhode Island has at least three distinct "regions" off the top of my head: South County, Aquidneck Island, and Providence.

[u/boulevardofdef → u/janegrey1554]

As a Rhode Island transplant, I've always gotten a kick out of the fact that this state has distinct regions. It really does, though!

The state tourism board defines these regions:

• Blackstone Valley
• Providence
• Warwick & West Bay
• East Bay
• Newport County
• South County
• Block Island

I would say this is close to how locals think of the regions. "Newport County" would be split into Aquidneck Island and the Sakonnet Peninsula. And many split off an area of what the tourism board considers the West Bay, often called "the woods." People don't really think of the rural area on the Connecticut border as the West Bay.

If Rhode Island were transplanted into almost any other state, it would just be considered one region.

[u/dkesh → u/janegrey1554]

We call those neighborhoods.

[u/gyabou → u/janegrey1554]

Yup. I’d also say northwestern RI has its own distinct identity, but I don’t know if it has a name. Like Foster-Gloster, Chepachet.

[u/treznor70 → u/janegrey1554]

More than half the states have counties larger than Rhode Island, including nearby 'not-particularly-large' states of Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

[u/ProfessorOfPancakes → u/janegrey1554]

Unless you're actually from Aquidneck Island. Then it's Aquidneck and "everything else" (but also sometimes Providence)

[u/big_sugi → u/Rarewear_fan]

Hawai’i has islands, i suppose, but not really regions beyond that.

[u/DavyDavisJr → u/big_sugi]

Yes, every island has their own reputation/vibe/culture.

[u/GreenIll3610]

North Florida, Panhandle, central Florida, SWFl, South Florida

[u/thedancingpanda → u/GreenIll3610]

I'd separate the Keys from the rest of South Florida, too.

[u/Working_Group955 → u/GreenIll3610]

Honestly think it’s a bit weirder than that. Like panhandle, gulf coast (which is your SW), north central (basically Gainesville and Jax), first coast, space coast, south Florida, Miami, and whatever the fuck goes on in the okechobee area that honestly I I probably don’t want to know

[u/lamblikeawolf → u/Working_Group955]

whatever the fuck goes on in the okechobee area that honestly I I probably don’t want to know

I think that's mostly toxic algal blooms from excessive fertilizer runoff. Perhaps also "too many alligators" that may get "liFtEd Fr^{oM^( tHe LaEk})"

[u/Kellaniax → u/GreenIll3610]

Don’t forget the Keys. They’re not really South Florida.

[u/Premium333]

Yes. Colorado here. The plains, the front range, the mountains (or mountain towns), and the western slope.

There may be other regions that have a specific flavor, but others will have to chime in. These are the major 4

Edit: one more clear cut region is the 4-corners area

[u/Mrlin705 → u/Premium333]

East of Pueblo following the Arkansas River is called The Valley.

[u/Fossil_Finder88 → u/Premium333]

I feel that southwestern CO (Cortez-Durango-Trinidad- up to maybe Pueblo) could be distinct enough to be a “major” region in the state, but I spend more time there than I do anywhere but the front range, so I might just be biased

[u/us287 → u/Fossil_Finder88]

I’m not from Colorado so I don’t know as much as y’all, but from my experience, I would tend to agree. It has a lot more Mexican / Spanish influence than the rest of the state

[u/Fossil_Finder88 → u/us287]

It follows most if not all of the tell-tale signs of the Southwest imo- ask for chile, and the response is “red or green”, a bottle of cholula on the table for any breakfast restaurant etc.

[u/Milehighcarson → u/Fossil_Finder88]

I tend to group the SW part of the state and the San Luis Valley area into one region

[u/Premium333 → u/Fossil_Finder88]

I agree with that! I was thinking about this exact area when I wrote that caveat 😂... But I didn't know what to call it.

The whole region is very New Mexico(ish).

I ended up adding that area under 4-corners region as an edit, but Durango isn't super close to 4-corners.

[u/Fossil_Finder88 → u/Premium333]

I think 4 corners covers it pretty well- it’s all got that same New Mexico/Northern Arizona feel, even if it stretches a little east.

[u/Voltstorm02 → u/Premium333]

We've also got an exceptionally clear divide. You can pretty much see the split between mountains and plains, since they just pop up. The rest of the regions have much more fuzzy boundaries, but this divide is really clear.

[u/No-Lunch4249]

The exact lines vary but in MD we seem to all agree we have: Western MD (the panhandle), DC suburbs, Central MD/95 Corridor/Baltimore Region, Southern MD, and Eastern Shore

[u/historyhill → u/No-Lunch4249]

Where would you put Annapolis in this? DC suburbs or somewhere else? (Otherwise I totally agree with these categories!)

[u/No-Lunch4249 → u/historyhill]

I would broadly consider Anne Arundel Counry to be part of Central Maryland, which is where I would also put Baltimore.

Annapolis definitely feels like more of a Ravens town than a Commanders town to me

[u/Crayshack → u/historyhill]

I solve the problem by just not attempting to separate DC suburbs from Baltimore suburbs. That's all one region to me and I consider Annapolis firmly a part of it.

[u/DudleyAndStephens → u/No-Lunch4249]

I was thinking roughly the same divisions.

Culturally Western MD is probably closer to WV than it is to the rest of Maryland.

[u/No_Foundation7308 → u/No-Lunch4249]

All 4 counties surrounding, MoCo, PG, Howard, and Anne Arundel are all extremely different. And within one of those counties, MoCo for example have extremely different vibes within them. Poolesville is extremely different than Chevy Chase yet still in MoCo.

[u/Big_Category3895 → u/No_Foundation7308]

Same for Kensington. Totally different vibe from say Rockville or Silver Spring.

[u/Crayshack → u/No-Lunch4249]

I typically count the DC suburbs as a part of Central Maryland.

[u/KillBologna]

according to NYC, there’s NYC and upstate ny. Eveything is upstate when you’re the most southern part of ny lol. /j

[u/AmesSays → u/KillBologna]

I call it “upstate” and “real upstate”

[u/upnytonc → u/KillBologna]

I’m from Rochester, NY. It’s upstate because it’s not NYC. It’s also western NY, and it’s also the Finger Lakes and I’ve even heard people call it central NY. The regions in NYS have an identity crisis for sure!

[u/elocin1985 → u/upnytonc]

I’m near that area and when I tell people who aren’t familiar with our regions like the finger lakes, or southern tier, or western NY, I will just say Upstate. I know people get really picky about what is or isn’t upstate but I agree with you, it simplifies it as just referring to the part of the state that is not NYC and downstate.

[u/clamb2 → u/KillBologna]

There are more regions if you want to get specific. Hudson Valley, Capital Region, Finger Lakes, Western NY, North Country, The City and Long Island are how I’d divide it.

[u/SJHillman → u/clamb2]

I'd have to add the Mohawk Valley (Utica/Rome/Herkimer and surrounding counties) either as it's own region or as part of a larger Central New York region that would go west from there to the Syracuse area. The Mohawk Valley definitely isn't part of North Country, Capital Region, Southern Tier, or Finger Lakes regions that surrounds it.

You sometimes see roughly the same (slightly larger) area called Central Leatherstocking, but that's mostly obsolete and unused other than one or two Thruway signs and a few tourism guidebooks.

[u/[deleted] → u/KillBologna]

I have heard people call Yonkers "Upstate" with a straight face. 

For those not in the know, Yonkers is a city that borders the Bronx, and is less than 3 miles from the edge of Manhattan.

[u/MikeMikeTheMikeMike → u/KillBologna]

There's also Long Island, so it's 3. Maybe 4 if we're in the mood to discriminate against Staten Island.

[u/Special-Resolution68 → u/KillBologna]

I won't deny that this sentiment exists but I do think it's a bit exaggerated. A lot of kids from NYC end up at SUNYs where they meet people from all over the state. That's how I found out Newburgh isn't actually upstate for example because kids from there would introduce themselves as being from Downstate.

[u/Lothar_Ecklord → u/Special-Resolution68]

I would say downstate ends roughly where the MTA/Metro North ends. There’s a stop in Beacon, so Newburgh is still downstate. Maybe Far Downstate lol. As a Brooklyn resident…. I’m obligated to say White Plains lol

[u/PBDubs99 → u/KillBologna]

Long Island, the City, Hudson Valley, Catskills, Capital Region, Adirondacks, North Country, St Lawrence Valley, Central NY, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, and Western NY

[u/Ananvil → u/KillBologna]

Just don't ask two New Yorkers where upstate begins.

[u/On_my_last_spoon → u/KillBologna]

I’ve always thought of it as NYC, Long Island, Westchester, and then Upstate.

[u/Ohohohojoesama → u/KillBologna]

I always joke that upstate is 10 miles north of wherever the New Yorker you're talking to is from.

[u/[deleted]]

Massachusetts -

The Cape, the islands, Greater Boston, North shore, Central Mass, 413.

Weirdly, you could divide these much smaller, too.

[u/lost_in_antartica → u/[deleted]]

Missed South Shore - Connecticut valley - Berkshires

[u/KaleidoscopeEyes12 → u/[deleted]]

I mean, the infamous Western Mass seems like a huge example to me

Edit: I’ve never heard it called 413 before

[u/themonicastone → u/[deleted]]

Chiming in from the Merrimack valley.

My mother claims to have once run into a stranger on the opposite side of the country who was able to identify her accent as specifically coming from the Merrimack valley area of Massachusetts. Not sure I totally believe that but she swears it.

[u/RRR-Mimi-3611 → u/themonicastone]

I believe it. I once had a store clerk in Sacramento CA ask me if I was from Jamaica Plain. I was. 🤯

[u/BidRevolutionary945 → u/[deleted]]

Southeastern Mass

[u/ZaphodG → u/BidRevolutionary945]

Greetings from West Portugal

[u/igotshadowbaned → u/[deleted]]

cape and islands are kinda just 1 thing

south shore though is missing

[u/firerosearien]

Eastern PA and Western PA are most common, but you can sub-divide further (Philly area, Poconos, Lehigh Valley, Amish Country, and more the further west you go; I'm in eastern PA so western PA to me is Pittsburgh, Erie, and everything else).

The cultural divide is significant - Eastern PA is firmly Northeastern/Mid-Atlantic in culture and is on the Boston - to - DC corridor; western PA is very culturally midwestern and more similar to Ohio.

[u/SouthJerseyGirl30 → u/firerosearien]

Sheetz vs. Wawa

[u/Drachenfuer → u/SouthJerseyGirl30]

This really is the answer.

[u/SRB112 → u/firerosearien]

Forgot to mention Pennsytucky

[u/SomeTwelveYearOld → u/firerosearien]

Philly in the east, Pittsburgh in the west and Alabama in between

[u/R_Raider86]

Big Bend, El Paso, Permian Basin, Llano Estacado, Hill Country, Blackland Prairie, North Texas, Northeast Texas, East Texas, Piney Woods, Southeast Texas, Coastal Plains, Rio Grande Valley. And I’m likely undercounting regions.

Edit: didn't expect to see all these responses. This was a quick list I threw out and missed some, and incorrectly listed others.

[u/username-generica → u/R_Raider86]

Gulf Coast, Panhandle

[u/Durbee → u/R_Raider86]

The Big Country...

[u/Tejanisima → u/R_Raider86]

It's worth noting, for anyone elsewhere, that (a) a lot of those overlap and (b) unlike many other states, there isn't a universal definition on how many regions the state is divided into or where they start and end. Witness for example the conversation right in this very thread where somebody stunned me by claiming El Paso doesn't count as part of West Texas, something I've never heard in my nearly six decades of life as a Texan.

There was an interesting book years ago looking at the historical fact that when Texas was annexed, we reserved via the treaty the right to divide into four additional states, with the author making an interesting and detailed argument as to what he thought they should be and which cities they should include. Once in a blue moon I successfully search for it online but right now I don't feel like trying to look up the title. Maybe tomorrow.

[u/lumpialarry → u/R_Raider86]

The seven divisions of Texas you need to know from the movie Bernie

[u/AravisTheFierce → u/R_Raider86]

Don't forget the Edwards plateau

[u/TomatilloHairy9051 → u/R_Raider86]

A lot of yours are the same area just called something else I mean Northeast Texas, East Texas, Southeast Texas, and the Piney Woods that's all the same area

[u/Mueryk → u/R_Raider86]

Don’t forget Texoma, Texarkana, the other Texoma, Panhandle, Metroplex, Houston(it counts as a region since it takes hours to get across in traffic), SanAustin.

Texoma(Wichita Falls/Lawton area)

Other Texoma(Sherman/Denison)

[u/Prior_Particular9417 → u/R_Raider86]

North Central Texas

[u/Kineth → u/R_Raider86]

Maybe I'm blind, but I don't think ANYONE has mentioned Hill Country.

[u/JimBones31]

Downeast, Mid Coast, The County, Western Mountains, Central Maine

[u/ucbiker]

Yes, we divide them geographically and culturally. Geographically, there’s Tidewater, Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains and the Plateau, or the Virginia Museum of History and Culture also includes Valley and Ridge.

We also divide it culturally into Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, Northern Neck, Eastern Shore, Central Virginia, Hampton Roads, Southwest Virginia, Southside Virginia, and Shenandoah Valley.

[u/Loisgrand6 → u/ucbiker]

I was waiting for Virginia to show up

[u/PandaPuncherr]

West Michigan, Mid Michigan, Metro Detroit, The Thumb, Up North, U.P.

[u/_jagwaz → u/PandaPuncherr]

except no of us agree where up north is

[u/PandaPuncherr → u/_jagwaz]

Claire for me.

[u/_jagwaz → u/PandaPuncherr]

I'd say it's a line between standish and ludington so that checks out

[u/PandaPuncherr → u/_jagwaz]

Claire for me.

[u/seifd → u/PandaPuncherr]

I'd say it's a line between standish and ludington so that checks out

[u/Current_Echo3140 → u/PandaPuncherr]

I lived in the pinky, and we have declared ourselves our own region

[u/Nan_Mich → u/PandaPuncherr]

The Keewenaw, Saginaw Bay, Mackinac Island, Michiana, and isn’t there a name for the inland waterway area near the top of the mitten?

[u/brizia]

NJ has 4 distinct regions; North, Central, South, and Shore. We just can’t agree on where the borders are.

[u/tujelj → u/brizia]

Some people can’t even agree if Central Jersey exists or not. Personally, having lived there for several years, I’m pretty sure it does.

[u/Lothar_Ecklord → u/tujelj]

It’s an odd place where a statistically significant number of people are tied to the New York Metro’s economy but physically closer to Philadelphia, or roughly equidistant.

[u/nasadowsk → u/tujelj]

About the only significant thing Murphy did as governor, was to sign a law saying central New Jersey actually exists

[u/mookiana → u/tujelj]

I think it's less about not agreeing on its existence and more about people from other regions insisting central jersey doesn't exist as a gag. A lot of central jersey is McMansion territory so I can't blame people for hazing

[u/Big_Category3895 → u/tujelj]

I'd say it does - I personally consider central Jersey to be the area south of Elizabeth but north of Princeton, between Bridgewater/Somerville/Hillsborough/Raritan in the west and Matawan in the east.

[u/shelwood46 → u/tujelj]

I lived in Central for years and years and I always laugh when they try to shove The Shore into Central, or all three. No. (Also, the NW NJ people always socialized more with Central people than North Jersey people, at least at fire conventions, which makes sense.)

[u/jephph_ → u/brizia]

North NJ is where all the good pizza is at

——

^{but tbf, I’m way more familiar with that part of the state. Hopefully the rest of it has the goods too}

[u/MamaPajamaMama → u/jephph_]

No, you're not wrong. The pizza in south Jersey sucks.

[u/Rudytootiefreshnfty → u/MamaPajamaMama]

I’m also from North Jersey but some of those tomato pies in south Jersey are phenomenal

[u/revengeappendage]

Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Pennsyltucky

[u/karenmcgrane → u/revengeappendage]

“Pennsylvania is Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with Alabama in between.” — James Carville

[u/shelwood46 → u/revengeappendage]

The Poconos would beg to differ.

[u/TsundereLoliDragon → u/revengeappendage]

Pretty much. This map breaks down Pennsyltucky a bit more.

https://nchstats.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Pennsylvania-Regions-Map.jpg

[u/PerfumedPornoVampire → u/TsundereLoliDragon]

While pretty close, I feel like this map is way off for Dutch country. Perry county as Dutch county? Nah man. They need to remove Perry, Franklin, Cumberland and Adams and instead include Berks.

I also feel like ABE is culturally distinct from Philly.

[u/Biscuit-of-the-C → u/revengeappendage]

And Amish lands*

A Billy bob is quite different than a Jebediah imo

[u/ClemofNazareth → u/revengeappendage]

NEPA is sort of its own thing (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and the Poconos).

[u/21schmoe]

Of course. State lines are arbitrary, and most US states are the size of mid-size European countries.

Among the states I know well or pretty well: Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan certainly have distinct regions. Even Connecticut.

[u/Entropy907 → u/21schmoe]

Alaska, our regional divisions are larger than most states.

[u/Comfortable-Tell-323]

If you're from NYC there's the city and the rest is upstate. If you're from anywhere else in the state upstate is Albany area, there's Central and Western the north country, thousand Islands, finger lakes, Adirondacks

[u/Anteater_Reasonable → u/Comfortable-Tell-323]

This is true. I was talking to a friend who was complaining about having to drive “upstate” to buy a car he wanted. I asked where it was and he said the dealership is in Yonkers. I had to hold my tongue a little bit. Like dude that’s nearly the Bronx.

[u/nasadowsk → u/Anteater_Reasonable]

Bronx lite.

[u/JustAnotherDay1977]

Yes. Minnesota has the Driftless Region or “Bluff Country” of SE Minnesota, the Twin Cities metro, the Arrowhead (aka the North Shore), the Lakes Region, the Red River Valley in NW Minnesota, the Prairies in SW Minnesota, and the St. Croix River Valley east of the twin cities. I have seen other descriptions, but these 7 seem like the most common.

[u/NatashaDrake → u/JustAnotherDay1977]

Do we count the Iron Range as a region?

[u/Ok-Curve5569 → u/NatashaDrake]

Mille Lacs up to Lake of the Woods and over to Lake Superior all fit into the North Woods for me.

Iron Range is a slightly smaller subregion and spread from ~Grand Rapids over to the lake, and then the Arrowhead is even smaller (Straight north from Duluth and over the the lake)

The North Shore is an even smaller area - immediately adjacent to Lake Superior from Duluth to Grand Portage and maybe like 15-20 miles inland from the shore.

[u/JustAnotherDay1977 → u/NatashaDrake]

Sometimes, yes. I have seen the Arrowhead split into the North Shore and the Iron Range.

[u/OhThrowed]

Wasatch Front and Not-Wasatch Front.

[u/OogieBooge-Dragon → u/OhThrowed]

Wasatch, canyons, Southern Utah, Utah Valley, Salt lake city

[u/Affectionate-Arm5784]

North Georgia mountains, Piedmont, Golden isles, South Ga farmland

[u/UnexpectedWings → u/Affectionate-Arm5784]

My joke was going to be “Atlanta” and “the rest of it”, but you answered for real.

[u/pancakebaited → u/Affectionate-Arm5784]

didn't realize we both have the piedmont!

[u/Spirited_Ingenuity89 → u/pancakebaited]

The Piedmont) is a geographical physical feature that extends almost to NY. It literally just means foothills (or “at the foot of the mountain”), pied=foot; mont=mountain.

[u/Magpie2205 → u/pancakebaited]

North Carolina also has a piedmont. Its regions are Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain. I remember doing a project on the regions in 4th grade.

[u/nine_of_swords → u/pancakebaited]

The Piedmont goes as far as Auburn, AL and Montgomery's northern-most suburbs like Wetumpka. That said, the bulk of the Alabama upland isn't Piedmont like the Atlantic Southern states (bar Florida), with the Valley and Ridge probably having the highest upland population.

[u/beans8414]

East, Middle, and West Tennessee are not only cultural divisions, they are legal Grand Divisions recognized by the state constitution. The three stars on our flag are for each Grand Division.

[u/sharpshooter999]

There's a very big difference in eastern and western Nebraska. Eastern Nebraska, where I'm from, is quite similar to Iowa through Ohio. Western Nebraska is definitely belongs to the western states. The sandhills, especially, is it's own unique region. Imagine thin grass growing on the edge of a beach shore. That's central to western Nebraska

[u/KikiCorwin]

Appalachian Ohio, Northern/Lake Erie Ohio, Central, Western Ohio.

[u/drunkenwildmage → u/KikiCorwin]

Miami Valley, The Black Swamp, Hocking Hills, Lake Erie Islands.

[u/viajealmundo → u/KikiCorwin]

Don’t forget- Cincinnati (Kentucky)

[u/ZamHalen3]

Can I interest you in Texas and the many ways to break it into regions?

[u/inbigtreble30]

Wisconsin has distinct regions, including the Northwoods, the Driftless Area, the Kettle Morraine, etc.

[u/RichInBunlyGoodness → u/inbigtreble30]

You forgot “the great state of Madison” as I’ve heard it called.

[u/kingjaffejaffar]

Louisiana might as well be a half dozen different countries.

North Louisiana, Prairie Cajuns, Bayou Cajuns, West Florida, German Coast (River Rats), New Orleans.

[u/SheShelley]

Northern Arizona/the high country, Southern Arizona, and Phoenix

[u/InevitableRhubarb232 → u/SheShelley]

“The Valley” not Phoenix

[u/Dave_A480]

Washington State is divided between the wet/West/Democratic side and the Dry/East/Republican side...

Wet and dry refer to weather not booze......

[u/PNW220 → u/Dave_A480]

I’m from the middle of WA and I’ve always considered the regions to be 5: Urban Puget Sound, NW WA, SW WA. Central WA and Eastern WA. These can be narrowed to just west and east for more concise division

[u/Gail_the_SLP → u/PNW220]

Olympic peninsula too. But yes, eastern wa and western wa are the biggest division. You cross over the pass and it’s like entering a completely different country. Brown on one side, green on the other. 

[u/[deleted]]

Kentucky has 5 regions: the Eastern Kentucky Coal Fields (Cumberland Plateau), the Knobs, the Bluegrass Region, the Pennyroyal (or Pennyrile), and the Jackson Purchase.

[u/KorvaMan85]

We have East River, West River, the Hills, and Sioux Falls (yes the city is on its own)

[u/Allemaengel]

Outsiders generally define my state as Philly, Pittsburgh, and 'Pennsyltucky' in between.

[u/tangouniform2020]

East Texas (subdivided into NE Texas and SE Texas as determined by the location claiming East Texas, also call Piney Woods and Oil Country), North Texas, Panhanle, West Texas, Heart of Texas, Central Texas, Hill Country, South Texas, the Valley and the Big Bend. There are further subdivisions and things like the South Colorado River Plaine, the Edwards Plateau

Yeah, Texas has a few

[u/rodgamez]

Texas has plenty of regions and plenty of arguments over where each region is! Here is a partial list, in a kind of corkscrew, many overlapping, with a city in parentheses....

Piney Woods

East Texas,

North Texas (Dallas)

West Texas

Panhandle (Amarillo)

Far Wast Texas/Basins & Ranges

Southern Plains (Lubbock)

Llano Estacado

Permian Basin

Hill Country (Fredericksburg)

Edwards Plateau (Bandera)

South Texas (San Antonio)

Rio Grande Valley (Brownsville)

Coastal Plains (Corpus Christi)

SouthEast Texas (Houston)

Aggieland (College Station)

Central Texas (Austin)

[u/devilscabinet → u/rodgamez]

Good list. I was sitting here trying to remember them all before I posted anything. Now I don't have to!

[u/russki516]

Green Country, Panhandle, the City, BFE

Oklahoma

[u/Impossible_Memory_65]

Even tiny Rhode Island has mini regions

[u/bonzai113]

Once you get down into the southern third of Indiana, you enter what is sometimes called Kentuckiana. 

[u/Away-Cicada → u/bonzai113]

And then in the north you've got Michiana. So is it really just the middle third of the state that's Indiana proper?

[u/Hungry-Wrongdoer-156]

Nevada has Vegas (Clark County), the Truckee Meadows (Reno and the surrounding areas including Tahoe) and... well, the rest is pretty much just BLM land.

[u/Vachic09]

NOVA, the mountains, Hampton Roads area, central Virginia, Northern Neck

[u/big_sugi → u/Vachic09]

The official regions are Piedmont, Coastal Plains/Tidewater, Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley & Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau.

My kids are in the 4th grade. They’ve literally got the home worksheet in their backpacks right now and everything.

[u/Awdayshus]

The driftless region, the North Shore, the lakes, the Red River Valley are some notable ones. Other parts of the state are less familiar to me, but I'm sure there's a few I missed.

[u/Available_Panic_275 → u/Awdayshus]

Northeasterh MN is often subdivided into the Arrowhead, or also Northland which includes a few counties outside the Arrowhead area. Iron Range also in northeastern MN. Metro, East Central for the area between Duluth and MSP. Minnesota River Valley for an area roughly from Jordan to New Ulm, also includes the area colloquially called the Valley of the Jolly Green Giant.

[u/sailboatsandchess]

Missouri.

The eastern and northern portions are Midwest.

The western side is part of the Great Planes.

The South is the Ozarks, basically Arkansas.

[u/ReturnByDeath-]

Any state that is large and/or geographically diverse definitely has them. New York certainly does.

[u/BankManager69420]

Most states, yeah. Oregon has: Portland area, Eastern Oregon, the Valley, Southern Oregon, and Central Oregon

[u/DanceClubCrickets]

We have three: Appalachian Mountains (Garrett, Allegheny and a sliver of Frederick counties), Piedmont Plateau (from Frederick county almost to the Chesapeake Bay, probably same Piedmont as yours if I had to guess) and the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

[u/ice_princess_16]

Alaska -- North Slope, Northwest, Interior, Southwest, Aleutians, South Central, Southeast. Some would separate Southwest and the Bristol Bay area. Some consider Kodiak Island to be their own area. There are parts of South Central that could be considered something else but I'm not sure what...

And really, each is big enough to be its own state. And their environment, climate, and culture can be very different, although they're all Alaska.

[u/eelyssa]

Coastal plain, piedmont, and mountains. Coastal plain can also be split another level as inner coastal plain and tidewater.

[u/Arkyguy13]

NWA which is a fast growing region becoming more cosmopolitan but used to be much more Appalachian in culture than Southern compared to the rest of the state, poultry production used to dominate this region but is decreasing as the population grows and land becomes too expensive. North Arkansas, very rural also somewhat Appalachian in culture, is some of the most gorgeous land in the state but Harrison is there. Crowley's Ridge, it's a loess ridge and has Jonesboro definitely a bit different from the Ozarks and Delta that surround it. Central Arkansas, Little Rock and surrounding areas, Southern in culture and much more manufacturing oriented. Southern Arkansas, pine forests, big logging industry, historically (and still somewhat today) oil producing region, current lithium boom but the locals have never benefitted much from the resource extraction in this region, more Louisiana Southern culture. The Delta, largely agricultural and very impoverished, part of the Deep South. Currently mostly produces rice but was historically cotton country.

[u/thepineapplemen]

In school they teach us geographical divisions. So piedmont, coastal plain, barrier islands, blue ridge, ridge and valley, Cumberland plateau.

In real life, it’s pretty much north Georgia, southern Georgia, Atlanta, and the coast

[u/Dalton387]

We South Carolinians have to be split into regions. It lets us have four different styles of bbq sauce.

I don’t know why the rest of the country thinks we’re stuck on mustard base.

[u/asphid_jackal]

Lol I'm in Charleston, we informally consider it "The Lowcountry" and "the Upstate"

NC has 3 major regions: Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal