This outstanding text provides students with the essential foundation in the historical geography of the United States. Distinguished scholar Richard L. Nostrand skillfully synthesizes decades of historical geography research in an engaging and thought-provoking overview for general readers and scholars alike. His regional geography framework emphasizes the three themes central to cultural geography—cultural ecology, cultural diffusion, and cultural landscape—to explain the formation and change of culture regions in the United States. He shows convincingly that regions are a valuable pedagogical device for developing students’ understanding of place and context.

"The Making of America’s Culture Regions is a quintessential example of the regional approach. . . . the bottom line is that this book is an outstanding example of regional geography. As geospatial techniques have become the tail wagging the dog, it is refreshing to see an example of solid regional geography. Nostrand is to be commended." - AAG Review of Books