South (United States)

South (United States)
Name	Southern United States
Other names	The South, Dixie
Area km2	1200000
Population	127000000
Density km2	105
States	Alabama; Arkansas; Florida; Georgia; Kentucky; Louisiana; Mississippi; North Carolina; Oklahoma; South Carolina; Tennessee; Texas; Virginia; West Virginia
Largest city	Houston
Capital	Richmond

Contents

South (United States) The South is a region of the United States centered on the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, the Piedmont, and the Interior Lowlands, encompassing states such as Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. Historically and culturally distinct, the region is associated with institutions and events including Plantation economy, Antebellum era, the American Civil War, the Reconstruction era, and the Civil Rights Movement. The South's urban centers like Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Charlotte, and New Orleans drive contemporary growth in sectors linked to NASA, SpaceX, Boeing, AT&T, and Bank of America.

Definition and Boundaries

Defining the South involves geographic, political, and cultural borders: coastal features such as the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean; physiographic provinces including the Piedmont and Mississippi River basin; and membership in regional organizations like the Southern Baptist Convention, Southeastern Conference, and the Council of State Governments. Federal definitions appear in datasets from the U.S. Census Bureau and agencies such as the Department of Commerce, while historical definitions reference the Confederate States of America. State-level identities reference capitals like Montgomery, Raleigh, Nashville, and Austin as markers of regional scope.

Colonial-era settlement involved actors such as Jamestown, Plymouth Colony, Spanish Florida, French Louisiana, and trade networks tied to the Transatlantic slave trade. The tobacco and cotton economies expanded under innovations like the Cotton gin and were shaped by planters such as Robert E. Lee’s contemporaries and by legal frameworks including the Three-Fifths Compromise. The antebellum period culminated in secession by states forming the Confederate States of America, leading to major engagements like the Battle of Gettysburg, Battle of Antietam, and sieges such as Vicksburg Campaign. Reconstruction policies under presidents Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, and Ulysses S. Grant interacted with amendments including the Thirteenth Amendment, Fourteenth Amendment, and Fifteenth Amendment. The Jim Crow era featured legal cases like Plessy v. Ferguson, while the 20th-century civil rights struggle involved figures and organizations such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and legislation including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Population trends reflect migrations such as the Great Migration and recent influxes from Latin America, India, and China. Religious life features denominations including the Southern Baptist Convention, United Methodist Church, African Methodist Episcopal Church, and institutions like Morehouse College and Howard University alumni networks. Cultural production includes musical traditions tied to Blues, Country music, Jazz, Gospel music, and artists associated with Memphis, Nashville, and New Orleans scenes; literary figures trace through William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, Zora Neale Hurston, and Toni Morrison. Sporting culture engages conferences such as the Southeastern Conference and teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Braves, and New Orleans Saints.

The South houses energy resources including Gulf of Mexico oil platforms, Permian Basin, and refineries owned by firms like ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Shell Oil Company. Industrial clusters include aerospace in Huntsville, Alabama with NASA activity, automotive plants for Toyota Motor Corporation, Honda, and BMW in states like Alabama and South Carolina, and technology corridors centered on Research Triangle Park and companies such as IBM, Microsoft, and Amazon. Agriculture remains important with commodities such as cotton, soybean, tobacco, and sugarcane and agribusiness firms like Archer Daniels Midland and Cargill. Tourism hinges on destinations like Walt Disney World, Las Vegas (indirect migration), French Quarter, Savannah, and natural preserves including Everglades National Park.

Political realignments feature party dynamics between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, with milestones including the Southern strategy and Supreme Court cases such as Shelby County v. Holder. State governments in Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Virginia pursue policy priorities reflected in gubernatorial offices like those held by Ron DeSantis, Greg Abbott, and Brian Kemp and legislatures such as the Georgia General Assembly. Federal representation includes senators like Mitch McConnell and representatives from delegations tied to regions including the Fourth Circuit and the Fifth Circuit. Advocacy and civil rights groups such as the ACLU, NAACP, League of United Latin American Citizens, and labor organizations engage in litigation and campaigns affecting voting and civil liberties.

Topography ranges from coastal wetlands like the Mississippi River Delta and Chesapeake Bay to mountain ranges including the Appalachian Mountains and Blue Ridge Mountains. Climate zones include humid subtropical regions affecting cities like Charleston and Mobile, and subtropical flora and fauna protected in sites like Shenandoah National Park and Big Thicket National Preserve. Environmental challenges involve hurricanes such as Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Michael, oil spills like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and conservation efforts by organizations including The Nature Conservancy and the Sierra Club.