What are the BSA’s regions and areas?

Update, April 5, 2017: New maps have been updated and posted to reflect councils with new boundaries and/or names.

Some are pretty obvious: the Connecticut Yankee Council is in the Northeast Region, the South Florida Council is in the Southern Region, the Mid-Iowa Council is Central and the San Francisco Bay Area Council is Western.

Others are less so. Like, is the Pittsburgh-based Laurel Highlands Council in the Central or Northeast Region? Is the El Paso, Texas-based Yucca Council in Southern or Western? (The answers, by the way: Northeast and Western.)

Figuring out the region and area of some Boy Scouts of America councils requires a little bit of guesswork.

Or — better yet — a really good map.

Fortunately, the BSA has a ready answer to those asking “What BSA region and area am I in?” Just check out these handy maps, which are available at no charge to Scouts, Scouters and Scouting professionals.

There’s one big (as in suitable for extra-large printing) map of the entire U.S. divided into four BSA regions: Western, Southern, Northeast and Central. For more detail, you can download separate maps of each region. Or zoom in even further and grab area maps within each region.

The BSA’s split into regions and areas helps councils share services and leadership. It allows youth to have higher-level leadership positions, too. In Venturing, for example, each area and region has a youth president and vice presidents who report to the National Venturing President.

As for adults, each area and region has its own Key 3 made up of two volunteers and one professional. (What’s a Key 3? Click here to find out.)

Which region is best?

Well that’s a question I can’t answer; they’re all great. But I bet you have an opinion, so let’s hear some region pride in the comments.