Southeastern Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley -- Compared and Contrasted

Southeastern Pennsylvania

Southeastern Pennsylvania is a geographic region in the state of Pennsylvania that does not exactly correspond to counties within the geographic region, but is usually defined by county for convenience.

Southeastern Pennsylvania is part of the Piedmont region encompassing the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains which border the region.  It is also a sub-region in the greater Mid-Atlantic region. The area is identified as a separate climate division called Pennsylvania Southeastern Piedmont by the NOAA.  
 
While the name, "Southeastern Pennsylvania", can be slightly shortened to Southeast Pennsylvania (or Southeastern PA or even Southeast PA), Southeastern Pennsylvania (or Southeastern PA) is the much more common usage.
 

Delaware Valley and the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Region

Pennsylvanians that are Philadelphia City centric, tend to think in terms of Greater Philadelphia, while those in the surrounding suburbs and outer areas tend to think more in terms of the Delaware Valley, with Philadelphia a part of it.   
 
The Greater Philadelphia Region (or District or Market Area) also extends into South Jersey and Northern Delaware (also called the "Tri-State area").
 
Delaware Valley includes not just Pennsylvania, but counties in Southern NJ and Northern DE  (i.e., the Tri-State area), and Cecil County, MD if you go for it's broadest use.
 
Pennsylvanians often use the terms interchangeably (Greater Philadelphia = Delaware Valley = Southeastern Pennsylvania) when talking casually. And depending on where you live, they can have overlapping meaning, but they are not the same.  
 
Since Pennsylvania is a large state, you have to know the context and the viewing perspective when a region within PA is discussed.


So What IS the Southeastern Pennsylvania Region?


Click here to continue with Southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware Valley

Copyright 2008 by Lawrence Yerkes. All Rights Reserved.