Regional Capitals of the US (best, cost, state, better)

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Ive come up with some ideas below want to bounce them off of fellow CDers.

I hypothisize that every region in the US has a gateway city. This gateway city is the international city of the region. It is the city that the world looks to when seeing this region. As such, these cities are responsible for the lions share of international commerce and immigration into the region. These cities are (for the most part) also the cultural capitals of their region. Regions are not drawn on state lines, but rather cultural ones. These regions vary greatly in size and can be as small as sliver or as large as many states.

If the mods deem it best, this thread can be moved to the General US forum. I am also not including DC as a capital because its the nations capital.


The regions and their capitals (according to PeterLemonJello anyway):

New England - Capital: Boston
States: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island
Other cities in the region: Springfield, Manchester, Burlington, Portland

New York - Capital: New York
States: Eastern and Upstate New York, Northern New Jersey, Northeastern Penn. and Conneticut
Other cities in the region: New Jersey Suburbs, Hartford, Ithica, Syracuse, Allentown

Mid-Atlantic - Capital: Philadelphia
States: Eastern Penn. Southern New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland
Other cities in the region: Baltimore, Trenton, Atlantic City, Wilmington, Harrisburg

Appilachia - Capital: Urban Northern Virginia (DC Area)
States: Virginia, Coastal Virginia, Western Penn, West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and Costal Virgina
Other cities in the region: Pittsburgh, Charleston, Richmond, Roanoke

The Southeast - Capital: Atlanta
States: Northeastrn Louisiana, the Carolinas, Northern Florida, Arkansas east of Little Rock, Alabama (minus the coast), Mississippi (minus the coast), Georgia, and Tennessee
Other cities in the region: Charlotte, Raliegh, Knoxville, Birmingham, Nashville, Memphis, Jacksonville, Monroe

Central and Southern Florida - Miami
States: Florida from Tampa and Orlando Southward
Other cities in the region: Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach

Rust Belt - Capital: Detroit
States: Michigan, Northern Ohio, far Western New York, Northern Indiana
Other Cities in the region: Cleveland, Youngstown, Buffalo, Gary, IN, Akron, Canton

The Midwest - Capital: Chicago
States: Illinois, Indiana (except far Northern), Southern and Western Ohio, Wisconsin, Eastern Iowa, Eastern and Northern Missouri
Other cities in the region: Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Madison, St. Louis, Columbus, Cedar Rapids, Cincinnati

Northern Plains - Capital: Minneapolis
States: Minnesota, far Western Wisconsin, North and South Dakota, Central and Western Iowa, and Nebraska north of Omaha
Other cities in the region: St. Paul, Fargo, Sioux Falls, Omaha, Des Moines

Southern Plains - Capital: Dallas
States: Texas north of San Antonio and East of the Guadalupe Mountains, Arkansas west of Little Rock, Northwestern Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, Western Missouri, and Nebraska south of Omaha
Other cities in the region: San Antonio, Austin, Midland, Lubbock, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Kansas City, Wichita, Grand Island

Gulf Coast - Capital: Houston
States: Texas along the Gulf Coast and Southeast of Austin, Southern and Central Louisiana, Coastal Alabama, Mississippi, and Gulf Coast Florida (north of Tampa)
Other cities in the region: McAllen, Corups Christi, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Gulfport, Mobile, Pensacola

Mountain West - Capital: Denver
States: Northern New Mexico, Northeastern Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Northern and Central Nevada, Montana, and Idaho
Other cities in region: Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, Billings, Casper, Boise

Southwest - Capital: Phoenix
States: Southern and Central Arizona, Southern New Mexico, Texas west of the Guadalupe Mountains
Other cities in the region: Tucson and El Paso

Southern California - Capital: Los Angeles
States: California South of Fresno, far Southern Nevada
Other cities in the region: San Diego, Las Vegas, Bakersfield, Fresno

Northern California - Capital: San Francisco
States: California north of Fresno, Western Nevada
Other cities in the region: San Jose, Oakland, Reno, Eureka

Pacific Northwest - Capital: Seattle
States: Oregon, Washington
Other cities in the region: Portland, Spokane, Eugene, Redmond

Granted there may be a couple of regions that could be rolled together (for example the Northern Plains with the Midwest or the Southwest with Southern California), but I think this is a good representation.

Ok CD, hack away at it.

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Originally Posted by peterlemonjello

The regions and their capitals (according to PeterLemonJello anyway):

Mountain West - Capital: Denver
States: Northern New Mexico, Northeastern Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Northern and Central Nevada, Montana, and Idaho
Other cities in region: Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, Billings, Casper, Boise

Southwest - Capital: Phoenix
States: Southern and Central Arizona, Southern New Mexico, Texas west of the Guadalupe Mountains
Other cities in the region: Tucson and El Paso

Ok CD, hack away at it.

Albuquerque is without question a lot more Southwestern and is identified as such with local history, culture, and customs. Billings, Casper, and Boise are all much too far reaching and distant to be grouped in with those Mountain West cities. Granded their is some overlap from the Mountain West and Colorado as the Southern Rockies do come down into NM, however Tucson and El Paso are definitely more peer like cities to Albuquerque where places like Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs have far less in common. Phoenix would undeniably be the capital of the Southwestern region.

[citylove101]

Originally Posted by peterlemonjello

Appalachia - Capital: Urban Northern Virginia (DC Area)
States: Virginia, Coastal Virginia, Western Penn, West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and Coastal Virgina
Other cities in the region: Pittsburgh, Charleston, Richmond, Roanoke

I have a problem considering NOVA part of anything that might be called Appalachia. In feel, economics, and demographics, it has little in common with what most of us consider Appalachia. I think you'd be better off designating DC as a separate region unto its own, which would include NOVA and might stretch as far north as Baltimore and as far south as Richmond, though I know most people consider Fredericksburg the southern end of places in the DC orbit.

Also I don't quite see Pittsburgh as "Appalachian" though I guess a case can be made for it. Seems to me better suited to be in the Rust Belt region -- even though it has come through de-industrialization better than some of the cities there that you list.

To me the capital Appalachian city might be Knoxville, which seems to be the big city that dominates what most consider Appalachia.

But the problem here, now that I think about it, is that Appalachia just doesn't much fit your criteria for a region that has an abundance of international commerce, net in-migration, or even much of a place in the national consciousness. And when most of the world thinks of Appalachia --if they do at all -- what they think of, rightly or wrongly, is poverty.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by citylove101

I have a problem considering NOVA part of anything that might be called Appalachia. In feel, economics, and demographics, it has little in common with what most of us consider Appalachia. I think you'd be better off designating DC as a separate region unto its own, which would include NOVA and might stretch as far north as Baltimore and as far south as Richmond, though I know most people consider Fredericksburg the southern end of places in the DC orbit.

Also I don't quite see Pittsburgh as "Appalachian" though I guess a case can be made for it. Seems to me better suited to be in the Rust Belt region -- even though it has come through de-industrialization better than some of the cities there that you list.

To me the capital Appalachian city might be Knoxville, which seems to be the big city that dominates what most consider Appalachia.

But the problem here, now that I think about it, is that Appalachia just doesn't much fit your criteria for a region that has an abundance of international commerce, net in-migration, or even much of a place in the national consciousness. And when most of the world thinks of Appalachia --if they do at all -- what they think of, rightly or wrongly, is poverty.

Yeah I didn't get NOVA being the capital Appalachia at all; it's not even *in* Appalachia.

I think, for the purposes of this thread, it would be best to split Appalachia into northern and southern subregions. Pittsburgh would be the northern Appalachian capital, and Knoxville for southern Appalachia.

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

Yeah I didn't get NOVA being the capital Appalachia at all; it's not even *in* Appalachia.

I think, for the purposes of this thread, it would be best to split Appalachia into northern and southern subregions. Pittsburgh would be the northern Appalachian capital, and Knoxville for southern Appalachia.

The reason I put them that way is that the primise of the hypothisis is that each region has an international city that the world looks to. Pittsburgh and Knoxville have nothing international about them. Perhaps Appalachia has no international cities with which to group?

Granted I can see Appalachia being harder to define.

[citylove101]

Originally Posted by peterlemonjello

The reason I put them that way is that the primise of the hypothisis is that each region has an international city that the world looks to. Pittsburgh and Knoxville have nothing international about them. Perhaps Appalachia has no international cities with which to group?

Granted I can see Appalachia being harder to define.

This is what I said. By your criteria, Appalachia can't be much categorized as a region. By OTHER criteria it is very easy to define, and people have done so in many contexts. But but by yours, no.

[Syringaloid]

Originally Posted by peterlemonjello

Mountain West - Capital: Denver
States: Northern New Mexico, Northeastern Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Northern and Central Nevada, Montana, and Idaho
Other cities in region: Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, Billings, Casper, Boise

Denver is too far to the east to have any influence in Idaho or Utah or Nevada. The Mountain West states are so large and cities are so isolated that each state really has it's own regional capitol...the capitol of each respective state. I've lived in Utah and currently in Idaho and Denver is just a place way-way over there in far flung Colorado and has no bearing or influence on anything that takes place outside of CO and WY. For instance Boise is tied more to Portland, Seattle, and even Salt Lake more then it ever will be to Denver. Salt Lake, Boise, and Denver are all isolated cities and are the Capitols of each of their own regions.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by citylove101

This is what I said. By your criteria, Appalachia can't be much categorized as a region. By OTHER criteria it is very easy to define, and people have done so in many contexts. But but by yours, no.

In that case, I'll have to agree.

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

In that case, I'll have to agree.

Its kind of the point of this thread specifically. Im trying to pin-point an international city (and I use the term liberally) as a gateway to the region. I realize its not a perfect hypothisis especially when we start talking about Appalachia, the Southwest, and the Mountain West specifically since those areas cities are not particularly international (sans maybe Denver).

Im still trying to identify it based on the hypothesis.

[Southern Soul Bro]

Just a couple questions.

You have Little Rock as a dividing point of two regions (Southern Plains to the west of it and Southeast to the east) but you don't have Little Rock listed under either for "Other cities in region"

So, which one do you consider Little Rock in? or both? And where's Shreveport?