The US is as vast in size as it is diverse in population. Within different regions of the country, there are various kinds of landscapes and cultural distinctions. Consequently, newcomers are often surprised when cultural and language differences occur from place-to-place. For ease of understanding, think of the regions generally as:

• The Northeast: from Maine to Washington, D.C. and west to include Pennsylvania
• The South: from Virginia to Florida and west to include Texas and Oklahoma
• The Midwest: from Ohio west to Wisconsin and south to include the Great Plains
• The West: from the Rocky Mountains and New Mexico to the Pacific Ocean.

The country is the third largest in the world in area, following Russia and Canada. Its physical environment ranges from the Arctic to the subtropical, from swamplands to the arid desert, and from the rugged mountain peak to the flat prairie.

The 290 million people in the USA—most of them descendants of immigrants from every continent—live in diverse geographic areas that range from congested urban centres to small towns surrounded by hundreds of miles of empty land. This mixture of ethnicities, ancestral cultures, and vastly different living conditions creates a complex national character that varies widely depending on the geographic location. Even though there is a national cultural character recognized as "American" by the rest of the world, regional differences are pronounced from place to place.

The NortheastHighly industrialized and urban, this area of the US is ethnically and socioeconomically diverse and highly individualistic. People are overtly proud of the history of the area, whether it is their state’s role as one of the original 13 colonies or their part in the wave of immigration that made their area strong. Heavily unionized, and at the same time, the centrepiece of American commerce and finance, the people of this region proudly see themselves as a source of global business innovation and trendsetting.

To Americans from other regions, Northeasterners from cities such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Newark, and Baltimore appear to be more direct and transactional, who place greater emphasis on time and productivity than relationships and hospitality.

Washington, DC
Chosen by George Washington (the first American president) and designed by French architect Pierre Charles L’Enfant, Washington, DC (District of Columbia) became the nation's capital in 1791. The 10-square-mile piece of land, not far from President Washington’s home in Mount Vernon, is divided into a four-section grid and was designed in a Baroque style, dotted with many landscaped parks.

Congress and the second president, John Adams, moved to Washington, DC in 1800. The construction of the Capitol building was completed in 1826. Today, with its plethora of museums (including the Smithsonian) and renowned monuments (such as the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial), the city attracts millions of international businesspeople, foreign service individuals, and tourists every year. Unfortunately, the city is also infamous for a high crime rate.

New York City
Known as the Big Apple, New York City is recognized as one of the world's greatest cities and the financial capital of the world. Arts, media, business, and finance thrive in New York and resonate throughout the world. Home to major news organizations, world-class cultural institutions, the New York and American Stock Exchanges as well as the NASDAQ, New York is truly "the city that never sleeps".

New York, which was the nation's capital for a brief period of time, has historically been—and continues to be—a magnet for immigrants, and the resulting diversity forms the basis of its dynamic, international flavour. Each of city's five boroughs—Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the Bronx—reflect this colourful history.

New York City's skyline is replete with national symbols—the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and the Brooklyn Bridge. The city is still focusing on an appropriate way to commemorate the many lives lost in the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center and to renew the downtown area.

As the site of countless films and the topic of books and plays, New York has an allure and syncopation all its own. Indeed, few cityscapes rival Times Square at night, lit up by colourful neon and blinding electronic signs. At the same time, New York is a congested, impatient city with traffic problems and expensive living conditions.

South (including Texas)In general, this area is more rural than urban, and more hierarchical and conservative—socially and politically—than other regions. Southerners have a distinct dialect, called a "drawl." Historically homogenous (with the exception of African slaves who had been forced to live in the area), this homogeneity is changing as people from different ethnic and cultural groups move into the area and as major cities expand and emulate urban centres of the Northeast.

The people take pride in what is called, "Southern hospitality". Etiquette, genteel manners and formal behaviour are more prevalent and important. With some exceptions, religion plays a more central role in daily life, and social stability is more prevalent, with many families able to trace their roots back generations to ancestors who have lived in the same general area. Because of the agrarian background, the family unit tends to be strong, and group dependence is higher than in the Northeast and Midwest.

Houston
Known as the Bayou City and named after General Sam Houston, Houston is Texas’s largest city. The winding waterways and lakes surrounded by lush green landscape give the city an open feel despite its high-rise skyline. It has been a business centre, particularly oil, since "black gold" was discovered in Beaumont in 1901. It is also the home of NASA and the Johnson Space Center, where astronauts are trained.

The port area is a thriving business district as are the areas surrounding the Energy Corridor, the Galleria and the Medical Center. The Downtown area has undergone a renaissance, as both a residential and entertainment district. Arts aficionados can enjoy the permanent ballet, orchestra, opera, and theatre companies that provide year-round enjoyment.

Dallas
Once a frontier trading post, Dallas, Texas is a major centre for banking, finance and oil. Combined with its twin city, Fort Worth, which is located across the Trinity River, the cities are often referred to as the Metroplex.

Sometimes called the Big D, after the notion that everything in Dallas is larger-than-life, the city boasts having one of the largest airports in the world, the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, or DFW.

The MidwestAn enormous geographic area, the Midwest (also referred to as the Great Plains, America’s Breadbasket, and also—unfortunately—as the Rust Belt) is a study in contrasts. It ranges from sparsely to densely populated regions with large, urban industrialized centres, such as Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee, and enormous stretches of farms and ranchlands dotted by small towns. While the cities face the 21st century plight of urban decay and the challenge of socioeconomic disparity, the smaller cities and towns tend to be homogenous with the population originally coming from Northern and Western Europe.

The Midwest is the home of major universities and cultural centres, and feeds the American passion for the automobile.

This region has its own distinctive cultural behaviours. Capitalizing on ancestral traditions, values of punctuality, individuality, hard work and egalitarian principles prevail. It dispenses with the social niceties of the South in exchange for achieving greater efficiency and egalitarianism.

Chicago
Chicago is known as the Windy City, not for its bitter coldness, but instead for its long-winded late 19th-century politicians. The third largest city in the US, Chicago is situated in Illinois on the western shore of Lake Michigan, one of the Great Lakes.

Chicago has been the financial, commercial, and cultural hub of the Midwest for many years. Not surprisingly, because of its central location in the vast United States, it has operated as a transportation crossroads connecting all parts of the country. At one point, it was the largest railroad centre in the world and operated a huge port on Lake Michigan. It is currently home to O'Hare Airport, one of the busiest international airports.

Traditionally, it has been a manufacturing giant, a centre for the meat packing industry, with vital dance, art, and music schools as well. Home to the Chicago School and the Prairie School, modern architecture is a key highlight of the city. Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright are two of the famous architects who have contributed to the city’s remarkable skyline.

The WestThe people of this region differ from much of the rest of the United States by their love of the outdoors and their willingness to trade achievement for other types of personal and family pursuits. If there is one shared principle between the peoples of this vast region, it would be concern for the environment and recognition of the interplay between people and the ecology. The effect is a more relaxed, measured style.

Majestic mountains and wide-open spaces—both deserts and forests—characterize the geography of the region. The major cities—Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, Salt Lake City—are home to a significant number of global companies and the resulting expatriate and international visitor populations.

Home of the entertainment, high-tech, and aerospace industries, the area attracts and welcomes innovators and risk-takers.

Los Angeles
Known as a symbol of the 21st century city—with no centre—Los Angeles, California is a sprawling megalopolis. Defined by the automobile, its year-round sunny climate, and its location on Santa Monica Bay, many refer to LA as a "relaxed" culture. People drive everywhere, and you will rarely see pedestrians, except in specific areas. Known as the movie capital of the world, Los Angeles includes many filmmaking areas, including Hollywood, Burbank, and Century City.

Los Angeles is the second largest city in the US and also plays host to a wide array of technology, aerospace and auto manufacturing businesses.

United States National AnthemWindows Media audio file archived on Encarta