Southern United States
One of four U.S. census regions, culturally and historically distinct.
The Southern United States—also called Dixie, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South—is one of the four census regions recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau. It sits between the Atlantic Ocean and the Western United States, bordered to the north by the Midwest and Northeast, and to the south by the Gulf of Mexico and Mexico. Historically, the region was defined as all states south of the 18th-century Mason–Dixon line, the Ohio River, and the 36°30′ parallel. Within the South are subregions like the Southeast, South Central, Upper South, and Deep South. Maryland, Delaware, Washington, D.C., and Virginia—especially Northern Virginia—have grown more culturally, economically, and politically aligned with the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic in some ways, though the Census Bureau still formally classifies all four as part of the South.
Because of cultural variations, some scholars define the South in ways that don’t strictly follow state borders. The region doesn’t cover the entire geographic southern U.S.; it mainly includes the south-central and southeastern states. For instance, California, though in the southwest, isn’t considered part of the South, while Georgia, in the southeast, is.
Historically, a small rural elite dominated the region’s politics and economy. From the early 1600s to the mid-1800s, slave labor deeply shaped the South’s development, especially in the Deep South and coastal plains. This led to a large African American population, support for states’ rights, and a legacy of racism intensified by the Civil War and Reconstruction (1865–1877). Aftereffects included thousands of lynchings, a segregated system of schools and public facilities under Jim Crow laws that lasted until the 1960s, and the use of poll taxes and other tactics to deny Black and poor people the vote or public office until the 1960s. Some scholars have described parts of the South as authoritarian enclaves from Reconstruction until the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The South is home to some of the most racially diverse areas in the U.S. and has developed its own distinct culture, including unique customs, fashion, architecture, music, and cuisine. Sociological research shows that Southern collective identity comes from political, historical, demographic, and cultural differences from the rest of the country, though this identity has weakened since the late 20th century as many Southern areas have become a melting pot. Broadly, studies indicate Southerners tend to be more conservative than most non-Southerners, with liberalism mostly found in Black-majority areas or urban parts of the South. The region contains nearly all of the Bible Belt, an area of high Protestant church attendance, especially evangelical denominations like the Southern Baptist Convention. In the 21st century, the South is the fastest-growing region in the U.S., with Houston as its largest city.
The South is meteorologically diverse, with temperate, subtropical, tropical, and arid zones, though it’s generally known for being hot and humid, with long summers and short, mild winters. Most of the region—except higher elevations and areas near the western, southern, and some northern fringes—has a humid subtropical climate. Crops thrive because the growing season lasts at least six months before the first frost. Common environments include bayous and swamps, southern pine forests, warm temperate montane forests in the Appalachians, savannas of the southern Great Plains, and subtropical jungle and maritime forests along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Unique plants include magnolia, rhododendron, cane (bamboo), palm, hickory, and oak. The region’s fauna is diverse, with many amphibians, reptiles like the green anole, venomous cottonmouth snake, and American alligator, mammals such as the American black bear, swamp rabbit, and nine-banded armadillo, and birds like the roseate spoonbill and the extinct but symbolic Carolina parakeet.
Defining the South’s boundaries and subregions has long been debated. The U.S. Census Bureau defines the Southern region as including sixteen states and the District of Columbia. As of 2010, an estimated 114,555,744 people—37% of all U.S. residents—lived in the South, making it the nation’s most populous region. The Bureau divides it into three smaller divisions: the South Atlantic states (Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, and others), plus the East South Central and West South Central divisions.
- Region type
- Census region of the United States
- Census Bureau definition
- 16 states and the District of Columbia
- Population (2010)
- 114,555,744 (37% of U.S. residents)
- Largest city
- Houston
- Climate
- Humid subtropical (most areas), with temperate, sub-tropical, tropical, and arid
- Notable subregions
- Southeast, South Central, Upper South, Deep South, Border States
Lore & Background
The historical and cultural development of the South has been profoundly influenced by the institution of slave labor, especially in the Deep South and coastal plain areas, from the early 1600s to mid-1800s. This includes the presence of a large proportion of African Americans within the population, support for the doctrine of states' rights, and legacy of racism magnified by the Civil War and Reconstruction era (1865–1877). Following effects included thousands of lynchings, a segregated system of separate schools and public facilities established from Jim Crow laws that remained until the 1960s, and the widespread use of poll taxes and other methods to deny Black and poor people the ability to vote or hold office until the 1960s. Scholars have characterized pockets of the Southern United States as being authoritarian enclaves from Reconstruction until the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The politics and economy of the region were historically dominated by a small rural elite.
Reader's Guide
The Southern United States matters as a region that has developed its own distinct culture, with different customs, fashion, architecture, musical styles, and cuisines, distinguishing it from other areas of the United States. Sociological research indicates that Southern collective identity stems from political, historical, demographic, and cultural distinctiveness from the rest of the United States; however, this has declined since around the late 20th century, with many Southern areas becoming a melting pot of cultures and people. The region contains almost all of the Bible Belt, an area of high Protestant church attendance, especially evangelical churches such as the Southern Baptist Convention. In the 21st century, it is the fastest-growing region in the United States, with Houston being the region's largest city. Studies have shown that Southerners tend to be more conservative than most non-Southerners, with liberalism being mostly predominant in places with a Black majority or urban areas in the South. The South is home to some of the most racially diverse areas in the United States.
Did You Know?
- As of 2010, an estimated 114,555,744 people, or thirty-seven percent of all U.S. residents, lived in the South, the nation's most populous region.
- The Federal Aviation Administration includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands as part of the South.
- The South contains almost all of the Bible Belt, an area of high Protestant church attendance, especially evangelical churches such as the Southern Baptist Convention.
- The South is the fastest-growing region in the United States in the 21st century, with Houston being the region's largest city.
- The U.S. Census Bureau defines the Southern region as including sixteen states and the District of Columbia.
Colonial Foundations of the Southern Territory
The southern portion of what would become the United States traces its roots to a patchwork of colonial holdings established before 1776. Among the thirteen recognized colonies, five were situated in the South: Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Beyond these, the region hosted numerous other settlements and administrative units.
Acquisitions from Foreign Powers
The southern and southwestern United States expanded dramatically through purchases and cessions from European and neighboring nations. Texas, annexed from Mexico in 1846, included most of present-day Texas plus portions of Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming, and the disputed No Man's Land, with the dispute persisting until the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848.
Native American Land Cessions in the South
The southern interior was reshaped by a series of land cessions and purchases from Native American nations over several decades. The Cherokee Strip, a disputed two-mile-wide tract of land between the Cherokee Nation and Kansas, was ultimately ceded to Kansas in 1866. These transactions collectively carved out the interior landscape of the modern South, displacing indigenous communities and redrawing boundaries that persist to this day.
Failed and Unrecognized Southern Entities
The southern region was dotted with colonial and pre-statehood entities that never achieved lasting recognition or survival. Several proposed colonies—Charlotina, Mississippi Colony, Vandalia, and Westsylvania—were conceived in planning documents but never realized on the ground. These failed and phantom entities reveal that the southern borderlands were a contested, ever-shifting space long before the modern state system took shape.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the Southern United States?
The Southern United States, commonly nicknamed Dixie or the American South, is one of four census regions defined by the U.S. Census Bureau and comprises 16 states plus the District of Columbia. It spans from the Atlantic coastline westward to the Western states, with the Gulf of Mexico forming its southern border.
What are the Southern United States's powers or role?
The region's defining strength is its deeply layered cultural identity, built on centuries of agrarian life, a painful legacy of enslaved labor, and a long history of racial segregation. It also carries major demographic and economic weight, housing the nation's largest city, Houston, and accounting for roughly 37% of all U.S. residents in the 2010 census.
How does the Southern United States's story end?
The South has no fixed narrative endpoint; its arc runs from antebellum plantation economies through Reconstruction, the Jim Crow era, and the Civil Rights Movement into a present-day region still reshaping its identity. Its humid subtropical climate, diverse subregions, and evolving demographics keep that story in constant motion.
Why is the Southern United States important?
The region is a cornerstone of American history, the stage for pivotal events like the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement, and a place where the nation's most defining struggles over race, labor, and self-governance played out. Its 16 states and D.C. collectively represent a major share of the country's population, economy, and cultural output.
What subregions make up the Southern United States?
The Census Bureau divides the South into the Southeast and South Central, while cultural geographers often carve it into the Upper South, Deep South, and Border States. Each subregion carries its own dialect, food traditions, and historical character within the broader Southern identity.
More in Cultural And Historical Regions 1-24
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