Tri-State Region

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New York City, showing the Five Boroughs (red) and the approximate area of the Tri-State Region (yellow).

The Tri-State Region or Tri-State Area is a colloquialism used by residents in and around New York City to unambiguously refer to the greater metropolitan area. Sometimes the phrase is shortened to "the Tri-State." The term is especially favored in advertising and the broadcast news media, but is used in common speech as well.

Roughly speaking, the term encompasses the populated areas in the states of New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut (hence the term "tri-state") that are within a typical commuting distance of Manhattan, either by car or rail, or alternatively, the coverage area of the broadcast television stations that operate from Manhattan.

The appeal of the term over "New York Metropolitan Area" probably arises in part from its avoidance of the use of "New York," which would have the effect of placing the other two states in a subordinate status. In particular, the decentralization of economic activity within the region has led to a movement among residents of northern New Jersey to consider their region to be co-equal in importance to New York City. This opinion is bolstered somewhat by the naming of several professional sports franchises for New Jersey (although the NFL franchises that play their home games in New Jersey are still named after New York).

A second advantage of the term is that it allows the inclusion of more outlying rural areas that are still within commuting distance of Manhattan.

These areas generally include at minimum the following areas:

The term is sometimes taken to include additional counties in New York north of Westchester County, as well less urbanized counties in northern New Jersey, and along the Jersey Shore.


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