HOME WEB NEWS IMAGES CLASSIFIEDS YELLOW PAGESPOLLS - SURVEYS WIKI COUNTRIES PHOTOS US UK INDIA
Cities Stocks Weather Movies Coupons Travel Blogs Health Horoscope Maps ASIA EUROPE Classifieds Yellow Pages
 1
|
|
|
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008) |
|
|
Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (July 2007) |
Regional definitions vary from source to source. The states shown in dark red are usually included, while all or portions of the striped states may or may not be considered part of the Southwestern United States.
The Southwestern United States, commonly referred to as the Southwest, is a region of the western United States. The USGS does not define regions so regional definitions vary from source to source. USGS: U.S. Board on Geographic Names, Domestic Names - Frequently Asked Questions The Southwest always includes New Mexico and Arizona, but often takes in western Texas, the southern portions of Nevada, Utah, and Colorado, western Oklahoma, and southeastern California.
The population density of the region is less than three people per square mile. The Southwest is also more ethnically varied than neighboring regions, with significant Spanish American, Mexican American, and American Indian populations.
The Southwest contains many large cities and metropolitan areas of the country, despite the low population density of the region as a whole.. Los Angeles is commonly mistaken for being part of the region though it it actually just considered either Western United States or the Pacifc region of the United States. Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio, San Diego and Houston all rank among the top ten most populous cities in the South West. Fort Worth and Austin, and are in the top 20. Many of the states in this region, such as Nevada and Arizona, have witnessed some of the highest population growth in the United States. Urban areas in this region, like Las Vegas and Phoenix are some of the fastest growing cities in the country.
Tex-Mex cuisine was popularized in San Antonio, and has spread to many other areas, both in Texas and in other nearby western states. New Mexican cuisine, includes a notable focus on its respective regional emphasis on chile spice. Arizona\'s very popular Arizona-Sonoran cuisine, holds its own meld of northern Mexican states\' love of heavy sauces, as well as that regional respect for chile heat. And, the San Francisco burrito and "Fresh Mex" or Baja California-style of Mexican food is also commonly associated with the Southwest.
| Geographic regions of the United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Northeast | New England · Mid-Atlantic · East Coast · Atlantic Northeast |  |
| Midwest | E North Central · W North Central · Upper Midwest · Great Lakes · Great Plains | |
| South | South Atlantic · E South Central · (W) South Central · Southeast · Upland South · Deep South · Gulf Coast | |
| West | Pacific/West Coast · Mountain · Northwest · Southwest · Pacific Northwest · Great Basin | |
| Other | North · East · Central · Coastal · International Border | |
 | This article about a specific United States location is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia
Major topics in the