Twin Tiers

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This map indicates the area known as the Twin Tiers. Counties in DARK GREEN are almost always considered part of the Southern Tier. Counties in DARK RED indicate the Northern Tier. Counties in BLUE are those in Pennsylvania that use the name "Northern Pennsylvania," and counties in LIGHT GREEN are those that sometimes consider themselves Southern Tier Counties. The LIGHT BLUE areas are associated with the Twin Tiers but are not part of the region proper.

The Twin Tiers is a geographical term that refers to the collective counties that lie on the New York-Pennsylvania border adjacent to the 42nd parallel north.

Separately, the two halves of the Twin Tiers region are known as the Southern Tier region in the state of New York and the Northern Tier region in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The region is predominantly rural and contains many small towns. It is usually defined as including the following counties:

In an oddity, McKean, Potter and (less often) Cameron Counties refer to themselves as part of the Twin Tiers but almost never consider themselves part of the Northern Tier, instead going by the name "Northern Pennsylvania." There is often significant "bleedover" in regions: for instance, the western part of the region (McKean and Potter Counties) often will associate themselves with St. Marys, a city larger than any city in that area but in Elk County, just south of what is considered "Northern Tier" by any standard.

Erie County, Pennsylvania and Warren County, Pennsylvania are almost never considered part of the Twin Tiers, though portions of Warren County are occasionally associated with the rest of the region.

Though the region has much in common, there are a few differences. Most notable is the choice of sports teams: the Southern Tier has a tendency to support Buffalo and, in the eastern part of the state, New York City teams, while Northern Tier areas almost universally root for teams from Pittsburgh.

See also

• Northern Tier
• Southern Tier
• Erie Triangle
• New York-Pennsylvania border