Map of United States Megaregions

A Megaregion (sometimes referred to as a Megalopolis) is a large network of metropolitan regions that share several or all of the following:

• Environmental systems and topography
• Infrastructure systems
• Economic linkages
• Settlement and land use patterns
• Culture and history

More than 70 percent of the nation's population and jobs are located in 11 Megaregions. Most of the nation's rapid population growth, and an even larger share of its economic expansion, is expected to occur in 11 megaregions.Megaregions are becoming the new competitive units in the global economy, characterized by the increasing movement of goods, people and capital among their metropolitan regions.
The megaregion concept provides cities and metropolitan regions a context within which to cooperate across jurisdictional borders, including thecoordination of policies, to address specific challenges experienced at the megaregion scale, such as planning for high-speed rail, protecting largewatersheds, and coordinating regional economic development strategies.