Belt regions of the United States

In the United States, roughly defined regions that have a feature in common are colloquially called "Belts". The common feature may be cultural, economical, geographical, or some combination of the three. The term "Belt" is derived from the word belt, referring to a band of clothing worn about the waist, and applied metaphorically to contiguous geographic regions; it is unrelated to the geologic or astronomical use of the term.

The first "Belt" coinage is the Bible Belt, which has a clear east-west orientation, perhaps contributing to the use of "belt" as a metaphor..

These regions are not formal by any means; they frequently overlap each other and have vaguely-defined borders. The precise boundaries of these perceived regions vary greatly within the population, and from region to region. Many "Belts" are neologisms coined by tourism or commercial promoters or by writers ad hoc.

List of regions

• Bible Belt, southeastern and midwestern states where fundamentalist Protestantism is prevalent
• Borscht Belt, a region of Jewish resorts in the Catskills
• Citrus Belt, a region running across the southern and southwestern states, but particularly Southern California and Florida, known for its oranges and grapefruit
• Corn Belt, midwestern states where corn is the primary crop
• Cotton Belt, southern states where cotton is or was a primary crop
  • Black Belt, an term given Mississippi and Alabama for their formerly rich soil
• Grain Belt, sometimes Wheat Belt, northern midwestern states where most of North America's grain and soybeans are grown
• Jello Belt, western states with a large Mormon population
• Lake Erie Grape Belt, northern Ohio where Concord grapes are grown
• Peach Belt, southeastern states where peaches are grown
• Porn Belt, a derisive term coined by The Wall Street Journal for the coastal states which voted for Al Gore in the 2000 U.S. presidential election
• Rice Belt, southern states where rice is a major crop
• Rust Belt (a.k.a. Manufacturing Belt), northeastern and central northern states where heavy industrialization—and some economic stagnation—is common
• Snow Belt, areas in the Northeast and northern Midwest prone to lake effect snow
• Sun Belt, southern, hot-weather states stretching from coast to coast
• Tobacco Belt, southeastern states where tobacco is or was a primary crop
• Tornado Belt, more commonly Tornado Alley, central states reputed to receive many tornadoes

See also

• Belt regions of Australia
• List of regions of the United States