I was born & raised in Westfield, New Jersey and my wife hails from Mattoon, Illinois.
We are currently long-time residents of Decatur, Illinois....the original home of the Chicago Bears (Formerly the Decatur Staleys) and the town where the fly swatter was invented.
The Northeast encompasses a larger area -- as Dan's map shows. The original poster made an error (I do everytime I post a poll) -- the states listed are a part of the Northeast (as are the Middle Atlantic States) but are really the New England states. New Jersey is still north of the Mason Dixon line so it is part of the Northeast, not Southeast.
I'm from PA----just north of the Philly area---but feel like I live in Canada this week due to this artic blast we've gotten ! I believe it was in the single digits last night ! Looking forward to FL for retirement which won't be soon enough !