Mid-Atlantic (United States) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mid-Atlantic
Left to right from top: Lower Manhattan skyline, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Assateague Island, the skyline of Philadelphia, the Catskills seen from the Hudson River, Downtown Pittsburgh, Jersey City, and the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, and Washington, D.C. skyline
U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S. states are indicated in dark red; Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern U.S. states are indicated in pink.
Composition	New York New Jersey Pennsylvania Delaware
Metropolitan areas	list_height: inherit; Buffalo–Niagara Falls Albany–Schenectady–Troy Philadelphia–Wilmington New York–Newark Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton Pittsburgh Rochester Richmond Syracuse Washington Scranton–Wilkes-Barre Harrisburg–York–Lebanon Virginia Beach–Norfolk–Newport News Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
Largest city	New York
Area
• Total	191,299.86 sq mi (495,464.4 km2)
• Land	174,468.45 sq mi (451,871.2 km2)
• Water	16,831.41 sq mi (43,593.2 km2)  8.80%
Population  (2020)
• Total	60,783,913
• Density	317.741545/sq mi (122.680696/km2)
GDP (nominal)
• Q3 2022	$5.233 trillion

The Mid-Atlantic is a special region of the United States. It sits right where the Northeast and Southeast parts of the country meet.

This area usually includes five states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. It also includes the District of Columbia, which is where Washington, D.C. is located. Sometimes, Virginia and West Virginia are also considered part of the Mid-Atlantic.

The Mid-Atlantic played a super important role in the early days of the United States. Many of the original Thirteen Colonies were in this region. Leaders from these colonies met in Philadelphia in 1776. There, they signed the Declaration of Independence. This document said that the colonies wanted to be free from British rule. They also created the Continental Army led by George Washington, which won the American Revolutionary War.

After winning independence, these states met again in Philadelphia. In 1788, they approved the U.S. Constitution. This Constitution is still used today and is one of the oldest written national laws in the world.

People from different parts of Europe settled the Mid-Atlantic region. This happened between the early 1600s and 1783. Settlers came from places like the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, and England. This region was known for allowing different religions. For example, Province of Pennsylvania welcomed Quakers, and Province of Maryland was a home for many Catholics.

After the American Revolutionary War, the Mid-Atlantic region was home to all the early capitals of the United States. The nation's capital moved to Washington, D.C. in 1800 from Philadelphia. In the early 1800s, New York and Pennsylvania became the most populated states. They also became very important for trade and factories. Many immigrants from Germany, Ireland, Italy, and other parts of Europe came to this region. They helped build big cities like New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. These cities became symbols of modern American power. By the 2000s, the coastal areas of the Mid-Atlantic were full of cities and towns.

In the late 1800s, this region was key to developing American culture, business, and industry. A historian named Frederick Jackson Turner even called it "the typically American" region.

The Northeast Corridor and Interstate 95 are major transportation routes. They connect many cities and suburbs in the Mid-Atlantic. This area is part of the Northeast megalopolis, which is a huge chain of cities. It's a global center for money, media, education, medicine, and technology. The Mid-Atlantic is also a wealthy part of the country. Many of its counties have some of the highest incomes in the nation.

This region is also home to some of the best universities in the country. These include Princeton University in New Jersey, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

What Makes Up the Mid-Atlantic?

People have different ideas about which states are part of the Mid-Atlantic. Some definitions include states from New York all the way down to South Carolina.

For example, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) says the Mid-Atlantic includes all of Maryland, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. It also includes parts of New Jersey, New York, and North Carolina where water flows into the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays.

Other people think the main part of the region is around the Washington metropolitan area. This would include Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and West Virginia.

However, the United States Census Bureau has a different idea. They see the Mid-Atlantic as a smaller part of the Northeast. For them, it only includes New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

West Virginia and Virginia are a bit different from the rest of the region. Most people there speak with a Southern accent. Also, a large number of people in these states are Evangelical Christians. Most of West Virginia is rural, meaning it has a lot of countryside and no very big cities.

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  A map from the USGS about groundwater in the Mid-Atlantic.

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  An 1897 map showing a wide view of the Mid-Atlantic region.

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  An 1886 map that does not include Virginia and West Virginia in the region.

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  The U.S. Census Bureau's map, showing the Mid-Atlantic as just three states.

A Look at History

Shipping containers at Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal, a busy port in New Jersey.

Shipping and trade have always been important to the Mid-Atlantic. This goes all the way back to when Europeans first arrived. The explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano was the first European to see this region in 1524. Later, Henry Hudson explored the area in 1611. He claimed it for the Dutch, who then set up a fur-trading post in Albany in 1614. The first permanent English colony in North America, Jamestown, Virginia, was started earlier in 1607.

From the very beginning, more types of European people settled in the Mid-Atlantic than in New England or the South. The Dutch set up New Netherland along the Hudson River in New York City and New Jersey. For a while, the Swedes had New Sweden along the Delaware River in Delaware. These settlements were between the main English areas.

The English settlements in this region were special because they offered safety to religious groups. For example, Maryland welcomed Roman Catholics, and Pennsylvania was a home for Quakers and Anabaptist groups. Over time, all these settlements came under English control. But the region continued to attract people from many different countries.

The area known as the Middle Colonies was a key link between the North and South. During the American Revolutionary War, more battles happened in the New York and New Jersey campaign than anywhere else. Philadelphia, which was in the middle of the northern and southern colonies, hosted the Continental Congress. This group of leaders organized the American Revolution. Philadelphia is also where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 and the United States Constitution was created in 1787. The first Supreme Court of the United States also met there.

Early settlers were mostly farmers, traders, and fishermen. But the Mid-Atlantic states soon became important for heavy industry. It was also a "melting pot" for new immigrants from Europe. Cities grew around major ports and rivers. These included New York City and Newark on the Hudson River, Philadelphia on the Delaware River, Allentown on the Lehigh River, and Baltimore on the Chesapeake Bay.

Big Cities and Metro Areas

New York City is the largest city in the Mid-Atlantic region.

The skyline of Philadelphia, a historic city in Pennsylvania.

The Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland.

The skyline of Washington, D.C., the nation's capital.

Largest Metropolitan Areas

State Capitals in the Region

Note: The Mid-Atlantic region is also home to the nation's capital, Washington, D.C.

Culture and Sports

Professional Sports Teams

The Mid-Atlantic region is home to many professional sports teams. There are 33 teams across the five main men's sports leagues and two top women's leagues.

Other Sports Events

The Mid-Atlantic also hosts important golf tournaments like the Barclays.

Two major professional tennis tournaments happen here. The US Open in New York is one of the four biggest tennis events in the world. The Washington Open is another high-level tournament.

For car racing fans, there are famous tracks like Watkins Glen International, Dover Motor Speedway, and Pocono Raceway. These tracks have hosted many types of races, including Formula One and NASCAR. Drag racing events are held at tracks like Englishtown and Reading.

Horse racing is also popular. The Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore and Belmont Park in New York host two of the three races in the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing.

Economy and Business

The Mid-Atlantic region has a very strong economy. If it were its own country, its economy would be the third largest in the world! It would be bigger than Japan's economy by almost $1 trillion. This strength comes from its big financial services, banking, healthcare, and technology industries.

New York City is the top financial center in the world. Washington, D.C. is also a major financial hub, ranking among the top 15 globally.

Many huge companies with over $100 billion in value have their main offices in the Mid-Atlantic. Here are some of them:

See also

In Spanish: Atlántico Medio de Estados Unidos para niños

• List of regions of the United States