Historic regions of the United States
This is a list of historic regions of the United States that existed at some time during the territorial evolution of the United States and its overseas possessions, from the colonial era to the present day. It includes formally organized territories, proposed and failed states, unrecognized breakaway states, international and interstate purchases, cessions, and land grants, and historical military departments and administrative districts. The last section lists informal regions from American vernacular geography known by popular nicknames and linked by geographical, cultural, or economic similarities, some of which are still in use today.
For a more complete list of regions and subdivisions of the United States used in modern times, see List of regions of the United States.
settlements of The Netherlands, collectively called New Netherland
Colonial era (before 1776)
Thirteen Colonies
- Connecticut Colony
- Delaware Colony
- Province of Georgia
- Province of Maryland
- Province of Massachusetts Bay
- Province of New Hampshire
- Province of New Jersey
- Province of New York
- Province of North Carolina
- Province of Pennsylvania
- Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
- Province of South Carolina
- Colony and Dominion of Virginia
Pre-Revolutionary War regions
New England
- Acadia
- Dominion of New England†
- Equivalent Lands
- King's College Tract
- Province of Maine†
- * Territory of Sagadahock
- * Popham Colony †
- * Gorges-Mason Grant†
- * Mason Lands
- * Gorges Patent†
- ** Lygonia Patent†
- ** New Somersetshire†
- * Muscongus Patent
- Massachusetts Bay Colony
- * Narragansett Country†
- New Hampshire Grants
- New Haven Colony
- Plymouth Colony
- Saybrook Colony
- Wessagusset Colony†
Mid-Atlantic
- Granville District
- East Jersey
- West Jersey
- New Netherland and its settlements
- New Sweden†
Southern
- Province of Carolina
- Fort Caroline†
- Charlesfort†
- La Florida
- * San Agustín
- * San Miguel de Gualdape†
- * Mocama Province†
- Jamestown
- Northern Neck Proprietary
- The Lost Colony of Roanoke†
- Stuarts Town†
Interior
- District of West Augusta
- Illinois Country
- Indiana Company
- The Indian Reserve
- Ohio Country †
- Province of Quebec
Far West
- La Louisiane
- * Arkansas Post
- * The German Coast
- Luisiana
- Tejas
- * Fort Saint Louis†
- Santa Fe de Nuevo México
- Las Californias
Colonies settled but unrecognized
- Transylvania†
- The Watauga Republic
Colonies proposed but unrealized
- Charlotina Colony
- Mississippi Colony
- Vandalia Colony
- Westsylvania
Independent entities later wholly admitted to the Union
- Kingdom of Hawaii, later the Republic of Hawaii
- Provisional Territory of Oregon
- Republic of Texas
- Independent State of Vermont
Regions purchased from foreign powers
- Louisiana Purchase, 1803, from France, for $15,000,000
- Florida Purchase, 1819, from Spain, for $5,000,000; included:
- * East Florida
- * West Florida
- * Sabine Free State or Neutral Ground
- Gadsden Purchase, 1853, from Mexico, for $10,000,000
- Alaska Purchase, 1867, from Russia, for $7,200,000
- Virgin Islands, 1917, from Denmark, for $25,000,000
Regions annexed from or ceded by foreign powers
- American Samoa; 1899, from Germany
- The Aroostook War Compromise Lands; 1842, split jointly claimed areas with the U.K.
- * Maine–New Brunswick Border
- ** Republic of Indian Stream
- ** South Acadia
- * Northwest Angle
- * Rupert's Land south of the 49th parallel
- Guam; 1898, from Spain
- Mexican Cession; effective 1848, from Mexico, including:
- * Alta California
- * Nuevo México
- ** Provisional New Mexico
- Northern Mariana Islands; 1945, from Japan
- Oregon Country ; the 1846 Oregon Treaty finally split the jointly governed region between the U.S. and United Kingdom at the 49th parallel
- Pembina Region, formerly part of Rupert's Land and the Red River Colony; to U.S. in an exchange for the unorganized territory of the original Louisiana Purchase lands north of the 49th parallel
- The Philippine Islands; 1898, from Spain; became a U.S. Territory and a U.S. commonwealth
- Puerto Rico; 1898, from Spain
- Texas annexation; annexed from Mexico in 1846, including most of present-day Texas and parts of Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming and No Man's Land; disputed with Mexico until the end of the Mexican–American War in 1848
- * included old Coahuila y Tejas areas
- Republic of West Florida Annexation; seceded from Spain, 1810; disputed with Spain until 1821
- * Baton Rouge District
- * Mobile District
- United States Minor Outlying Islands
Ceded or purchased Native American regions
- Black Hawk Purchase; $640,000; purchased 1832; Michigan Territory
- Cherokee Outlet; $7,000,000; purchased 1893; Oklahoma Territory
- Cherokee Strip; a disputed two-mile wide tract of land between the Cherokee Nation and Kansas that was eventually ceded to Kansas in 1866
- The Indian Territory; ceded by the U.S. to Native Americans in 1834
- Jackson Purchase; $300,000; purchased by Tennessee and Kentucky from the Chickasaw Nation in 1818
- Platte Purchase; $7,500; purchased 1836; Missouri
- Saginaw Cession; ceded 1819; Michigan Territory
Interstate, territorial, and federal cessions
- The Delaware Wedge, dispute with Pennsylvania settled in 1921.
- Washington, D.C.; to the Federal Government from Virginia and Maryland, 1790.
- District of Columbia retrocession; the return to Virginia of the District of Columbia lands which Virginia had originally ceded for its creation, 1847.
- Greer County, Texas; a disputed county claimed both by Texas and the Federal Government; to Oklahoma Territory, 1896.
- The Honey Lands; a disputed tract of land between the Territory of Iowa and State of Missouri; to State of Iowa, 1851
- District of Kentucky; from Virginia; became the Commonwealth of Kentucky, 1792.
- Illinois County; from Virginia; became Northwest Territory, 1784.
- District of Maine; from Massachusetts; became the State of Maine, 1820.
- The Toledo Strip; the object of the nearly bloodless Toledo War between Ohio and Michigan; to Ohio, 1837.
- Washington District; from North Carolina; became the Southwest Territory, 1790.
- West Virginia; from Virginia, CSA; separating itself from the Confederacy, declared 1861; admitted to the Union in 1863.
- The Western Reserve; from Connecticut to the Northwest Territory, 1800.
- The Yazoo Lands; from Georgia to the Mississippi Territory, 1802.
Former organized territories
- Northwest Territory, became the state of Ohio, and the Territory of Indiana.
- Territory South of the River Ohio became the State of Tennessee.
- Territory of Mississippi became the State of Mississippi and the Territory of Alabama.
- Territory of Indiana split into the Illinois Territory, the Michigan Territory, and the State of Indiana.
- Territory of Orleans became the State of Louisiana.
- Territory of Michigan became State of Michigan and the Territory of Wisconsin.
- Territory of Louisiana , then renamed the Territory of Missouri.
- Territory of Illinois split into the State of Illinois and additions to the Michigan Territory.
- Territory of Missouri became the State of Missouri and Unorganized Territory.
- Territory of Alabama became State of Alabama.
- Territory of Arkansaw became the State of Arkansas, additions to the unorganized territory of the original Louisiana Purchase, and the unorganized Indian Territory.
- Territory of Florida became the State of Florida.
- Territory of Wisconsin split into the State of Wisconsin, the Iowa Territory and Unorganized Territory.
- Territory of Iowa split into the State of Iowa and unorganized territory of the original Louisiana Purchase.
- Territory of Oregon preceded by the unrecognized Oregon Country; split into the State of Oregon and Washington Territory.
- Territory of Minnesota preceded by unorganized territory of the original Louisiana Purchase; split into the State of Minnesota and unorganized territory of the original Louisiana Purchase.
- Territory of New Mexico preceded by Nuevo Mexico; ; split into the Arizona Territory and State of New Mexico.
- Territory of Utah preceded by Alta California and the unrecognized State of Deseret; split into the State of Utah, the Nevada Territory, additions to the Colorado Territory and additions to the Wyoming Territory.
- Territory of Washington became the State of Washington and additions to the Idaho Territory.
- Territory of Kansas preceded by unorganized territory of the original Louisiana Purchase; split into the State of Kansas and additions to the Colorado Territory.
- Territory of Nebraska preceded by unorganized territory of the original Louisiana Purchase; split into the State of Nebraska, the Dakota Territory, additions to the Idaho Territory and additions to the Colorado Territory.
- Territory of Colorado preceded by parts of the territories of: Kansas, Utah, New Mexico and Nebraska; became the State of Colorado.
- Territory of Nevada preceded by the Utah Territory and the unrecognized State of Deseret; became the State of Nevada.
- Territory of Dakota became the State of North Dakota, the State of South Dakota, additions to the Idaho Territory and additions to the Wyoming Territory.
- Territory of Arizona became the State of Arizona and an addition to the State of Nevada.
- Territory of Idaho preceded by parts of the territories of: Washington, Dakota, and Nebraska; became the State of Idaho, the Montana Territory, additions to the Dakota Territory and additions to the Wyoming Territory.
- Territory of Montana became the State of Montana.
- Territory of Wyoming preceded by parts of the territories of: Dakota, Utah and Idaho; became the State of Wyoming.
- Territory of Oklahoma and the Neutral Strip; became the State of Oklahoma.
- Territory of Hawaii preceded by the Republic of Hawaii; became the State of Hawaii.
- Territory of Alaska ; became the State of Alaska.
Internal land grants, cessions, districts, departments, claims and settlements
- Cumberland District, North Carolina ; Tennessee.
- District of Louisiana; Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Montana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming; renamed Missouri Territory in 1812.
- Military Tract of 1812; Illinois, Michigan, Arkansas, Missouri.
- Ohio Country; parts of Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia.
Alaska
- District of Alaska; renamed the Alaska Territory in 1912.
Colorado
- Pike's Peak Country
Iowa
- Half-Breed Tract
- Keokuk's Reserve
Nebraska
- Nemaha Half-Breed Reservation
New York
- Central New York Military Tract
- The Holland Purchase
- Macomb's Purchase
- Mill Yard Tract
- The Morris Reserve
- Phelps and Gorham Purchase
- The Triangle Tract
Ohio
- Canal Lands
- College Lands
- College Township
- Congress Lands
- * Congress Lands North of Old Seven Ranges
- * Congress Lands West of Miami River
- * Congress Lands East of Scioto River
- * North and East of First Principal Meridian
- * South and East of the First Principal Meridian
- Dohrman Tract
- Ephraim Kimberly Grant
- Firelands or Sufferers' Lands
- French Grant
- Indian Land Grants
- Maumee Road Lands
- Michigan meridian
- Miami & Erie Canal Lands
- Ministerial Lands
- Moravian Indian Grants
- * Gnadenhutten Tract
- * Salem Tract
- * Schoenbrunn Tract
- Ohio & Erie Canal Lands
- The Ohio Company
- * Donation Tract
- * First Purchase
- * Purchase on the Muskingum
- Refugee Tract
- Salt Reservations
- School Lands
- Seven Ranges
- Symmes Purchase
- Turnpike Lands
- Twelve Mile Square Reservation
- Two Mile Square Reservation
- United States Military District
- Virginia Military District
- Zane's Tracts
Oklahoma
- Big Pasture
- Indian Territory or The Oklahoma Indian Country
- Neutral Strip
- Unassigned Lands
Indian Reserves
- The original and current Cherokee Nation
- Cheyenne-Arapaho Reserve
- Comanche, Kiowa and Apache Reserve
- Iowa Reserve
- Kaw Reserve
- Kickapoo Reserve
- Osage Reserve
- Ponca and Otoe–Missouria Reserve
- Citizen Potawatomi and Absentee Shawnee Reserve
- Sac and Fox Reserve
- Tonkawa Reserve
- Wichita and Caddo Reserve
Pennsylvania
- Erie Triangle
- New Purchase
- Walking Purchase
- Welsh Tract
Federal military districts and departments
Central United States
- Department of the Northwest Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska
- * District of Minnesota
- * District of Wisconsin
- * District of Iowa
- * District of Dakota
- * District of Montana
- Department of the Missouri Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, part of Kentucky, and later Kansas; re-configured in 1865 as part of the Division of the Missouri.
- Division of the Missouri.
- * Department of Dakota Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and parts of Idaho, South Dakota and the Yellowstone portion of Wyoming.
- * Department of the Missouri Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Indian Territory, and Territory of Oklahoma.
- * Department of the Platte Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Dakota Territory, Utah Territory, Wyoming, and a portion of Idaho.
- * Department of Texas Texas after 1865.
- Department of New Mexico New Mexico Territory; previously part of the District of California and the Department of the West.
Pacific area
- Pacific Division lands won in the Mexican–American War; became the original Department of the Pacific in 1853.
- * Military Department 10 California.
- * Military Department 11 Oregon Territory.
- Department of the Pacific ; separated into the Department of California and the Department of Oregon in 1858.
- * District of Oregon Washington Territory, Oregon Territory.
- * District of California California, New Mexico Territory; Utah added 1858
- District of Oregon January 15, 1861 – July 27, 1865
- District of California. Independent command from Department from ; those parts of California not in other districts.
- District of Southern California ; Counties of Southern California.
- District of Humboldt ; Del Norte, Humboldt, Klamath, Mendocino Counties of California.
- District of Utah ; Utah Territory, Nevada Territory, later State of Nevada.
- District of Arizona ; Territory of Arizona
The Department of Oregon comprised the northern part of the Department of the Pacific: Washington Territory and Oregon Territory.
- Military Division of the Pacific.
- * Department of Alaska became the civilian-ruled District of Alaska.
- * Department of Arizona Arizona Territory; included New Mexico Territory after 1885.
- * Department of the Columbia Oregon, Washington Territory, part of Idaho Territory, and Alaska after 1870.
- ** District of Oregon Washington Territory, Oregon Territory and Idaho Territory.
- * New Department of California California, Nevada Territory, Arizona Territory, and part of New Mexico Territory.
The south
- Department of the Gulf Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas.
- Trans-Mississippi Formerly "Military Dept. 2"; Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Indian Territory, Kansas, and Louisiana west of the Mississippi River.
The west
- Department of the West all U.S. lands between the Mississippi River and the Military District of the Pacific not included in other Districts or Departments.
Retroceded possessions and overseas territories
- The Milk River and Poplar River cessions to the United Kingdom, in the Treaty of 1818.
- Commonwealth of the Philippines, to Republic of the Philippines.
- Chamizal, Texas, to Mexico.
- Rio Rico, Texas to Mexico.
- Panama Canal Zone, to Panama.
U.S. military overseas regions
- United States Military Government in Cuba
- United States Military Government in Guam
- United States Military Government of the Philippine Islands
- United States Military Government in Puerto Rico
- United States Military Government in Cuba
- United States Occupation of Veracruz, Mexico
- American WWII European Occupation Zones
- * American Occupation Zone of Austria
- * American Occupation Zone of Germany
- ** American Occupation Zone of West Berlin
- * Free Territory of Trieste, Zone A
- American Occupation of Japan
- Iwo Jima, Japan
- Ryukyu Islands, Japan
- American Occupation of South Korea
- Pacific Trust Territories; included the Republic of Palau and the Marshall Islands
- Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraq
Functioning but non-sanctioned territories
- Cimarron Territory
- State of Deseret
- State of Frankland / Franklin
- Jefferson Territory
- Kansas Territory had two different governments in different cities, pro-slavery and anti-slavery, each claiming to be the real, lawful government of the entire territory. Since Kansas entered the union as a free state in 1861, there has only been one capital, Topeka, Kansas. It entered as a free state in 1861 because the entire pro-slavery block in Congress, wbich would not have allowed this, had left to become the Confederacy.
- Long Republic
- Nataqua Territory
- Trans-Oconee Republic
Civil War-related
- Confederate States of America – see map.
- * Confederate Arizona
- * State of Dade
- * Second Republic of South Carolina
- Nickajack
- Free State of Jones
- Republic of Winston
- State of Scott, seceded from Tennessee and became a Union enclave.
- Town Line, New York
- Free State of Van Zandt, seceded from Texas to be its own republic.
Non-extant entities
Proclaimed
These entities have been proclaimed in the past, but have never had an elected, recognized, or functioning government:- Absaroka
- Kingdom of Beaver Island
- Republic of California ; June 14, 1846 – July 9, 1846, thereafter becoming the unorganized "Territory of California"
- Conch Republic
- Republic of Kinney
- Republic of Madawaska
- McDonald Territory
- Sovereign State of Muskogee
- Republic of the Rio Grande
- Great Republic of Rough and Ready
- State of Westmoreland
- Sovereign State of Winneconne
Proposed
- State of Delmarva or, "Eastern Shore"; 1998
- The State of Shasta ; State of Klamath ; followed by the State of Jefferson for virtually the same Pacific northwest areas
- State of Jefferson
- * Proposed State of Jefferson, 1859, was an attempt to legitimize the Jefferson Territory, stalled by the Civil War; failed proposal.
- * Proposed State of Jefferson, 1870 and 1915 statehood proposals both died in committee.
- Territory of Colorado 1860, stalled in Congress by the Civil War; a proposal to form a territory from Southern California following a successful popular referendum.
- State of Kanawha a proposed name for the state that became West Virginia, 1861
- State of Lincoln
- * Northwestern State of Lincoln, several proposals after 1865
- * Southern State of Lincoln, 1869
- State of Sequoyah, 1905
- State of West New York, several proposals brought into the New York Legislature since the 1990s, all of which have been defeated
Proposals never voted on
- Cascadia
- State of Superior, 1858
- East Florida
- West Florida
Native American-related proposed regions
- Aztlán; a future reincarnation of a defunct, mythical Aztec Empire to be "re"-established in lands now found in the Southwestern U.S., a central theme in Chicano political activism
- Comancheria; area inhabited and intermittently controlled by the Comanche and their allies.
- Dinétah; the claimed original Navajo homeland.
- Republic of Lakotah; the proposed Sioux upper Midwestern mega-state.
- Lenapehoking; would be named for the Delaware or Lenilenape Indians.
Regional nicknames
- Eastern United States
- * The East Coast
- * The Northeast
- ** New England
- ** Mid-Atlantic States
- *** The Burnt-Over District
- * South Atlantic States
- * Appalachia
- * East North Central States
- ** Little Egypt
- The South
- * Border States
- * The Deep South
- * Dixie
- The Midwest
- * The Great Plains
- ** The Dust Bowl
- The West
- * Mountain States
- ** The Rockies
- ** Inland Empire
- ** Great Basin
- * The Southwest
- ** The Four Corners
- * The West Coast
- ** The Pacific Northwest
Belts
- Bible Belt
- Borscht Belt
- Breadbasket of the United States
- Cotton Belt
- Frost Belt
- Grain Belt or Corn Belt
- Mormon Corridor or "Jello Belt"
- Lead Belt
- Rust Belt
- Snow Belt
- Sun Belt
- Tornado Alley