There are many ways to slice a pie. This also applies to dividing up the United States. One obvious way is according to its 50 states.
A simplified way is to divide the country into six or seven regions.
Click either image for a closer look.
I personally prefer the left image except for the region along the Atlantic seaboard which I would divide in three as is done on the right map. Let's start at the upper right and discuss each region.
The NORTHEAST is also often known as the NEW ENGLAND states. Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and upstate New York have many small towns with single-family homes reminiscent of England. Seafood is an important part of their diet and for the livelihood of many. The largest city in the region is Boston whose population ranks 23rd of US cities.
The MID-ATLANTIC region extends from New York city (which stands apart from any region) through Philadelphia, Washington DC and beyond. The density of population from Boston to Washington DC is sometimes referred to as a megalopolis, a continuous urban area created as several cities filled the space between them as they grew. Activities related to the federal government dominate the region.
The SOUTHEAST was the farming region of the young US and the center of slavery until it was abolished in the 1860s. It is often said that in this region things don't happen slow and who you know can be as important as what you know. The region was economically depressed after the Civil War and has enjoyed a recent rebirth as manufacturers like Mercedes, BMW, Toyota and Bosch have opened factories to take advantage of less expensive labor and fewer unions. The main cities of this region are Atlanta and the music capitals of New Orleans (jazz) and Nashville (country music). Florida is an outlier in the Southeast. A popular vacation destination because of of its weather and endless beaches, it offers natural attractions like the Everglades and Keys as well as manmade one like Disney World. Florida is also a very popular retirement location with yearround golf and no snow.
Chicago skyline
The MID-WEST is known for agriculture and industry. Coal was critical for the development of industry and it was found in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It was used to produce steel in cities like Pittsburgh and transported by water to Detroit and other cities bordering the Great Lakes to produce machinery and most notable automobiles. For that reason Detroit is known as the Motor City which spawned another musical style (Motown) largely influenced by the fusion of Rhythm & Blues with Rock & Roll. The largest city of the Mid-West is Chicago, once widely known as the Second City because its population was second only to New York. In the past half-century it has been surpassed in size by Los Angeles. Chicago is a city of the blues music, skyscrapers and once it was the slaughterhouse of the nation. However the stockyards have since moved west to places like Kansas City. But a major feature of the Mod-West is the Great Lakes. Stretching from the Atlantic Ocean through the St. Lawrence Seaway, this chain of lakes allows ocean-going freight ships to come directly to a number of Mid-West cities.
The SOUTHWEST region includes Texas and most of the other states which border Mexico on the southern edge of the US. Texas is known for ranching, oil-drilling and fierce individualism. The entire region shows a great influence from its Mexican neighbor. Very hot summers and much arid land can be found here.
The ROCKY MOUNTAIN region encompasses the largest mountain range in the US. It is the most sparsely populated of all the regions and offers some of the best skiing opportunities.
The PACIFIC region encompasses the entire west coast of the US from Canada to Mexico and includes the most populous state (California) which, if it were a nation would have the 5th largest GDP in the world. It also has America's second largest city (Los Angeles), the heart of America's movie industry (Hollywood) and of the high-tech industry (Silicon Valley).
Before we conclude this topic it is worth mentioning two areas which overlap some of the regions we discussed. One is called the RUST BELT, which is that area of old industry and their big machinery (as compared to the industies of the Information Age which produce micochips and software). In the Rust Belt we see factories often looking like they did 60 and more years ago. These industries require large amounts of raw materials and considerabe logistical support which squeezes their profit margins.
And the other area is called the BIBLE BELT, a place where fundamental Christian thinking abounds. Radio stations in the area abound with religious programming and the church is often the gateway to the community. Darwin's theories of evolution are often not well received in the Bible Belt and women are harshly judged if they wear clothing which is too revealing.
In closing, it must be said that within each region there are interesting and often dramatic differences. And it also seems to be a universal rule that big-city dwellers tend to be less social with their immediate neighbors and more in a hurry while people in smaller towns often act more neighborly.