Elementary lesson on the U.S, Economic Regions with exemplars for journals included

1. Economic Regions
Are areas that have a particular industry or product
We will KNOW: The Economic regions of the U.S.
We will UNDERSTAND: Economic regions in the
U.S.
We will BE ABLE TO: Describe the economic regions
of the U.S.

2. Date:
Economic Regions
Date:
4 Regions 2-3 facts
1. Northeast -
1. South-
1. Midwest-
1. West -

3. The United States

4. The Corn Belt is an
example of an Economic
Region

5. What do you think is the main industry here?

7. Looking

8. Northeast
• A financial center with a large transportation
and trade network.
• Was once the dominant area of the nation
but that has changed over the last 50 years
• In colonial times this was an agricultural
based economy utilizing slave labor -and
was a center of the industrial revolution in
the US

10. South Region
• Historically an agricultural center with an
economy based in a system of slavery.
• In recent years new industries like high-tech
automobile and aerospace have dominated.

12. Midwest Region
• A major farming region, a leading producer of
industrial goods.
• Contains the “Corn Belt” and the “Dairy Belt”

13. West Region
• This region has historically been known for
livestock, mining and tourism.
• More recently high tech industry like in
Silicon Valley have dominated

17. Date:
Economic Regions
Date:
4 Regions 2-3 facts
1. Northeast - Financial center,
historical tourism, center of industrial
revolution in US
1. South-historically agricultural,
relied on slave trade, now high tech
industry
1. Midwest- Great plains, major
agricultural production, corn, dairy, soy
1. West - Livestock, cattle,
ranching. Mining (gold rush), silicon
valley, tourism

18. Economic Regions Day 2
History and human movement
Students will KNOW:What human activity means for
economic geography
Students will UNDERSTAND:What patterns of human activity
created the economic regions of the U.S.
Students will BE ABLE TO: Describe How patterns of human
activity affect economic regions

19. Date:
Economic Regions
Northeast
South
Midwest
West
Date:
4 Regions History
1. Northeast -
1. South-
1. Midwest-
1. West -

20. Northeast
• Home to the original colonists
• Many of these colonies were set up as business ventures
and so the Northeast was set up as a financial center from
the beginning.
• Colonies were established to take resources from the new
land and ship them back to Europe - so shipbuilding and
transportation developed as the backbone of this Region

21. South Region
• The South during the early years of America was the
agricultural center. The populations were still spread out,
and the growing seasons were longer
• Large plantations supplied the raw goods (cotton, tobacco) that would
go through the shipyards of the Northeast to Europe. Later these goods
would be processed in the mills and factories of the North.

22. Midwest Region
• The midwest contains the Great Plains. Large flat areas with rich
soil and room for livestock to graze
• During Westward expansion the transportation companies of the
East built railroads which made transportation of goods easier
across the plains. This forced many indigenous tribe off of their
land that was then taken and farmed by European settlers.
• The railroads brought jobs and helped to create towns and cities in the West
and Midwest, but also decimated the population of Indigenous people and all
but wiped out the buffalo.

23. West Region
• Many Indigenous tribes had been forced to move further and further west,
as settlers wanted more and more land for ranching, farming or railroads
• Cattle herding and ranching required large areas for grazing and transport.
• Gold was found in California and many more settlers moved west hoping to
get rich.
• The Railroad was also a big part of the economy as it connected the west to
the financial centers and agricultural centers of the east. A railroad tycoon
founded Stanford university in 1885 and this would give rise to Silicon valley
in the 20th century
• Faculty from the Standford engineering department created many of the
early technology that we have in our comuters and phones today.

24. Date:
Economic Regions
Northeast
South
Midwest
West
Date:
4 Regions History
1. Northeast - water/shipping/trade
1. South- agriculture/shipping trade
1. Midwest- railroads/agriculture
1. West - railroads/cattle gold