Maps related to
Southeastern
Pennsylvania
Physical Relief Map of Pennsylvania
revealing the Piedmont Plateau (Southeastern PA)
area in the
lower right section that is bordered by the
Appalachian Mountains
(showing an S-like shape as they span
from the bottom left-central
part of the state to its upper
right corner.)
Pennsylvania Land Use
Notice the different pattern for the Southeast PA area
conforming to the physical
patterns shown above.
Pennsylvania Sub Regions
South/East Pennsylvania Autumn Foliage Zone 3
Pennsylvania Trout Season Map
with a different seasonal date for the
"18 southeastern"
counties.
Pennsylvania Regions
Approved
Trout Waters
SEPTA Region Map
i.e., the Southeastern Penna. Transportation Authority
Southeastern Pennsylvania RC&D
Logo for the Resource Conservation &
Development Council
Pennsylvania Tourism Regions
Philadelphia and the Countryside area highlighted.
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Southeastern
Pennsylvania is part of the rolling Piedmont region
containing the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains which border the region. It is also a sub-region in
the greater Mid-Atlantic (Middle Atlantic)
region. It has some of the best farmland in the state.
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 more common usage, however you will also see the
shortened name of Southeast PA used for convenience.
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 at the core 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 such 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?
Depending on your point of view, Southeastern Pennsylvania is made
up of as few as 3 counties (Chester, Delaware and Philadelphia
counties, sometimes referred to as the Southeast "corner" of the
state) to as many as 18, with the most common understanding that it
is made up of at least 5 counties
(which make up the PA side of the greater Delaware Valley):
If using the shortened form of "Southeast PA", it will
almost always be referring to Philadelphia and it's surrounding
counties (5), with possibly all or portions of the outer row of
Lancaster, Berks, Lehigh and Northampton counties (and
occasionally Lebanon and Schuylkill counties).
If
you combine the 13 county Pennsylvania Highlands region and the overlapping 10 county Pennsylvania Dutch Country
region, with the PA side of the Delaware Valley region, throwing
in the bordering Juniata and Schuylkill
counties, you will have the 18 county region known officially in
some departments at the state level as the greater Southeastern
Pennsylvania region:
18 County Southeastern Pennsylvania
including Juniata County
The Pennsylvania Highlands area is part
of the Appalachian Mountains and has many ecological features including large wooded
areas, is also subdivided into two overlapping (Lehigh County is
included in both) regions: Pennsylvania Dutch County and the Lehigh Valley Region (Lehigh and Northampton counties).
Rarely, unless
it's being viewed at the state level, do most people consider all 18
counties to be Southeastern Pennsylvania. From my experience
it's more common for people to be referring to the immediate
5-county area (or sometimes adding the outer counties to the 5:
Berks, Lancaster, Lehigh, Northampton.)
Note: To make things a little more
"interesting", Southeastern, PA
is also a USPS post office address that is used for mail drops. It
is located in Chester County.
See also:
Pennsylvania Fast Facts
County Map of Pennsylvania
Click on map for larger image
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