Old Southwest

For US territory north of the Ohio River, see Old Northwest. For US territory that became Tennessee, see Southwest Territory.
Not to be confused with the American frontier, also known as the Old West.

The "Old Southwest" is an informal name for the southwestern frontier territories of the United States from the American Revolutionary War c. 1780, through the early 1800s, at which point the US had acquired the Louisiana Territory, pushing the southwestern frontier toward what is today known as the Southwest.

After numerous wars and an ethnic cleansing campaign, this region was eventually divided among six states that joined the union as Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia and Florida. The portions of Georgia furthest from South Carolina and the Atlantic are usually considered part of this region. Conversely, the Florida peninsula (i.e. not including the Florida Panhandle) and the Appalachian portions of Tennessee and Kentucky are not always considered part of this region.