When using north, south, east, and/or west (and variations) lowercase them when referring to directions and capitalize them when referring to regions. In the first sentence, southwest is a direction, so it remains lowercased. In the second sentence, Southwest is a region, so it gets capitalized.

Should region be capitalized?

University Editorial Style Guidelines - Santa Clara University. In general, lowercase north, south, northeast, northern, etc., when they indicate compass direction. Capitalize these words when they designate regions.

Do you capitalize geographical regions?

Capitalize words that are part of the formal name, but lowercase in less formal uses: he crossed the Hudson River; but: he fell into the river. Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc. when they indicate compass direction, but capitalize when they indicate a region: the West Coast.

Do you capitalize Pacific region?

Directional Region Names: Capitalized

He's from the Pacific Northwest. She's from the Far East. You also capitalize other well-known region names like East Coast, West Coast, the South of France, and Southern California.

Should Northeast South West be capitalized?

Don't capitalize names of directions like north, south, east, and west when used to refer to direction and location, but do capitalize these words when they appear in the names of places and regions. The mines are located in the western part of the plateau.

SS Southwest Region Review

Should north and south be Capitalised?

You should capitalise 'North', 'South', 'East' and 'West' when they're part of a proper noun (i.e. the name of a unique thing). The obvious examples of this are countries, states, cities, and other geographical areas: We study the history of Eastern Europe.

Should Western culture be capitalized?

eastern, southern, western or northern are all adjectives describing directions. Other than special cases, like "Northern Lights", no cap is needed. Western Appliances - as it's the name of a store, Yes, capitalized. western culture - needs no capitalization for western is just an adjective.

Do you capitalize south in south Florida?

As a compass direction, south and southern are not capitalized: Capitalize each term when it is used as a proper name or as part of a proper name, and if the region is widely known: ... The Civil War pitted the South against the North.

Do you capitalize south side?

Also, capitalize different areas as indicated: South Side, Southwest Side, North Side, Northwest Side, West Side. Also note lowercase for the suburbs: southwest suburbs, northwest suburbs, western suburbs.

Should upstate be capitalized?

We always capitalize the word Upstate; to us it is a defined area." ... "The political definition would be anything to the north of the northern borders of Westchester and Rockland counties. The geographic definition would be any part of the state found north of the Mohawk River/Erie Canal."

Are neighborhoods capitalized?

A region of a city requires capitalization if the direction word is part of its name, so the West End of London, North and South Philadelphia, and East New York all take capitals because they are official names of neighborhoods.

Is region a proper noun?

The word region is a common noun. In certain pairings, this common noun comes after a proper noun, as in 'the Highlands Region'. So region is now being specific: so the word is now capitalised because it forms part of a proper noun.

Should Midwest be capitalized?

Directions/Regions: north, south, northeast, etc. when they indicate direction; North, South, West, etc. when they indicate geographical regions. Phrases such as the Mid Atlantic, Silicon Valley, Dixie, Sun Belt, and Midwest are capitalized.

Is Southern capitalized in Southern Belle?

In short, it says to capitalize northern, southern, eastern, western and related words when they refer to the PEOPLE in a region or what they DO (i.e., their political, cultural or social activities) or are part of the place name.

Do you capitalize regions of the US?

Capitalize the traditional geographic regions in the United States: the Midwest, the North, the South, the West, and the combined regions (i.e., the Northeast, the Southeast, and the Southwest). The Midwest is the breadbasket of the United States. Colorado is part of the Southwest.

Is West and Western capitalized?

What about capitalizing western or Westerner? The same rules apply to capitalizing western as capitalizing west. If you are referring to a group of proper nouns such as “the Western States.” However, if you're referring to a general location, such as “the western winds” then western should be lowercase.

Is Western civilization a proper noun?

A proper noun as well as a conventional place name. ... A business name is a proper noun. Western civilization.

Should West London be Capitalised?

1 Answer. A region of a city requires capitalization if the direction word is part of its name, so the West End of London, North and South Philadelphia, and East New York all take capitals because they are official names of neighborhoods.

How do you capitalize Midwest?

Midwest is a proper noun in that context, so it must be capitalized. Unlike northeast, it is not a standard direction; it is referring to a specific region of the U.S. Northeast is both a direction and a region. When it is a direction, it is not capitalized unless it is used as part of a proper name.

Is Pacific Northwest capitalized?

Capitalize directions that are names; North, South, East, and West when used as sections of the country, but not as compass directions. So capitalize “The Pacific Northwest” and “Central Texas,” but not “We drove west for two hours.”

Do you capitalize Western film?

Following a Western style

If you follow the guidelines in the AP Stylebook, you'd capitalize Western when referring to the film or book genre.

Is Upstate a proper noun?

Here “upstate” is an adjective modifying “New York.” It's used much like “northern” would be. The word “upstate,” according to dictionaries, can be used as an adverb, an adjective, or a noun. Here are examples of each: Adverb: “They drove upstate last weekend.”

Is Upstate capitalized AP style?

Central New York and Upstate New York are considered “widely known sections” per AP style and are capitalized.

Is Western Pennsylvania capitalized?

Capitalize such words as northern, southern, eastern, and western when they refer to the people in a region or to their political, social, or cultural activities. Do not capitalize these words when they merely indicate general location or refer to the geography or climate of the region. ... (Climate.)

Is Southern California capitalized?

By convention, however, southern is capitalized when it refers to the region of California: I live in Southern California. We also lowercase the terms when they refer to people: My friend is a southerner.