The
Central United States is sometimes conceived as
between the Eastern
United States
and Western United
States as part of a three-region model, roughly coincident with
the Midwestern United
States plus the western and central portions of the Southern United States; the term is
also sometimes used more or less as a synonym for the Midwest,
omitting all or most of the South.
Somewhat
misleadingly, the central states are not in the exact center, but a
bit towards the East
Coast - states such as Colorado
,
geographically very close to the center of the continental United
States, are almost never considered the central US, while Ohio
, a relative
stones' throw from the East Coast, is.
4 of 9
Census Bureau
Divisions have names containing "Central", though they are not
grouped as a region. They include 20 states and 39.45% of the US
population as of July 1, 2007.
Almost all
of the area of these 20 states is in the Gulf of Mexico
drainage basin, and
most of that is in the Mississippi
Basin. Small areas near the Great Lakes
drain into the Great Lakes and eventually the
St. Lawrence
River
; the Red River Basin
is centered on the North
Dakota
-Minnesota
border and drains to Hudson Bay
.
The
Central Time Zone is
the same area plus the Florida
Panhandle, minus Ohio, Michigan
, most of Indiana
(seasonal),
westernmost fringes of Great Plains
states, eastern and northern Kentucky
, eastern Tennessee
, and El Paso
, Texas
.
Central regions defined by organizations
Organizations that need to subdivide the US are free to define a
"Central" region to fit their needs.
- YPO Only 6 central states of the Midwest, plus KY
- CERI All of Midwest and South including MD, DE
- NOAA Midwest minus OH, plus KY, CO, WY
- HSUS Midwest minus ND, SD, KS, plus KY
- USGS
West North Central States,
South Central United
States, 4 eastern Mountain
States
- Adventure Camp Midwest plus South minus Atlantic
states, AL, WV
- Geography of
the Interior United States
References
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search