East Coast of the United States

The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. Regionally, the term refers to the coastal states and area east of the Appalachian Mountains that have shoreline on the Atlantic Ocean, from north to south, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.[2]

East Coast of the United States
Coastline
Map of the East Coast of the United States
Country	United States
Population  (2017 estimate)
• Total	118,042,627[1]
Time zone	UTC−5:00 (Eastern Time Zone (ETZ))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4:00 (Eastern Daylight Time (EDT))

Toponymy and composition

The place name "East Coast" derives from the idea that the contiguous 48 states are defined by two major coastlines, one at the western edge and one on the eastern edge. Other terms for referring to this area include the "Eastern Seaboard" ("seaboard" being American English for coast), "Atlantic Coast", and "Atlantic Seaboard" (because the coastline lies along the Atlantic Ocean).

The 14 states that have a shoreline on the Atlantic Ocean are, from north to south, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.[2] In addition, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia border tidal arms of the Atlantic (the Delaware River and the Potomac River, respectively). The states of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, (via the Gulf of Mexico) as well as the territories of Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and Navassa Island (the latter only bordering the Caribbean Sea) have Atlantic coastline, but are not included in the definition.

Although Vermont and West Virginia have no Atlantic coastline, they are grouped with the Eastern Seaboard states because of their locations in New England and the Old South,[3] and their history as part of the land base of the original Thirteen Colonies (viz. the Colony of New Hampshire, the Colony of New York and the Colony of Virginia).

Colonial history

The original 13 colonies of Great Britain in North America all lay along the East Coast.[lower-alpha 1]

Two additional U.S. states on the East Coast were not among the original thirteen colonies: Maine (became part of the English colony of Massachusetts in 1677)[4] and Florida (part of New Spain until 1821, though held by the British from after the end of the French and Indian War until 1781). Florida's written history begins with the arrival of Europeans; the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León in 1513 made the first textual records. The state received its name from this Spanish conquistador, who called the peninsula La Pascua Florida in recognition of the verdant landscape and because it was the Easter season, which the Spaniards called Pascua Florida (Festival of Flowers).[5]

The Middle Colonies (New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware) had been owned by the Dutch as New Netherland, until they were captured by the English in the mid-to-late 17th century.

Climate and physical geography

There are three basic climate regions on the East Coast according to the Köppen climate classification from north to south based on the monthly mean temperature of the coldest month (January):

The region from northern Maine south to northern Connecticut has a continental climate, with warm summers, and cold and snowy winters. The area from southern Connecticut south to southern North Carolina has a temperate climate, with long, hot summers and cool winters, while the area from southern North Carolina south to central Florida is subtropical, with hot and rainy summers, and mild and drier winters. Around south-central Florida southward (Stuart, south through the Florida Keys) has a tropical climate, which is frost free and is warm to hot all year.

Average monthly precipitation ranges from a slight late fall (November) maximum from Massachusetts northward (as at Portland, Maine), to a slight summer maximum in the Mid-Atlantic states from southern Connecticut south to Virginia (as at Wilmington, Delaware, and Norfolk, Virginia), to a more pronounced summer maximum from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, southward along the Southeastern United States coast to Savannah, Georgia. The Florida peninsula has a sharp wet-summer/dry-winter pattern, with 60 to 70 percent of precipitation falling between June and October in an average year, and a dry, and sunny late fall, winter, and early spring.

Although landfalls are rare, the Eastern seaboard is susceptible to hurricanes in the Atlantic hurricane season, officially running from June 1 to November 30, although hurricanes can occur before or after these dates.[6] Hurricanes Hazel, Hugo, Bob, Isabel, Irene, Sandy, and most recently Florence are some of the more significant storms to have affected the region.

The East Coast is a low-relief, passive margin coast.[7] It has been shaped by the Pleistocene glaciation in the far northern areas in New England, with offshore islands such as Nantucket, Block Island, Fishers Island. From around northern New Jersey southward, the coastal plain broadens southwards, separated from the Piedmont region by the Atlantic Seaboard fall line of the East Coast rivers, often marking the head of navigation and prominent sites of cities. The coastal areas from Long Island south to Florida are often made up of barrier islands that front the coastal areas, with the long stretches of sandy beaches. Many of the larger capes along the lower East Coast are in fact barrier islands, like the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Florida Keys are made up of limestone coral and provide the only coral reefs on the US mainland.

Demographics

In 2010, the population of the states which have shoreline on the East Coast was estimated at 112,642,503 (36% of the country's total population). New York City is both the largest city and the largest metropolitan area on the East Coast. The East Coast is the most populated coastal area in the United States.[8]

Major cities and metropolitan areas

City	City Population	Metro Population	State	U.S. Rank
New York City	8,398,748	19,979,477	New York	1
Philadelphia	1,584,138	6,096,120	Pennsylvania	6
Washington	705,749	6,216,589	District of Columbia	20
Miami	470,914	6,158,824	Florida	40
Boston	694,583	4,628,910	Massachusetts	21
Baltimore	602,495	2,802,789	Maryland	30
Orlando	285,713	2,387,138	Florida	71
Jacksonville	903,889	1,523,615	Florida	12
Virginia Beach	450,138	1,725,246	Virginia	44
Portland, Maine	66,417	538,500	Maine	519
Providence, Rhode Island	179,335	1,604,291	Rhode Island	134
New Haven	130,418	862,477	Connecticut	210
Bridgeport	144,900	939,904	Connecticut	182
Stamford, Connecticut	129,775	916,829	Connecticut	211
Newark, New Jersey	282,090	19,979,477	New Jersey	73
Jersey City	265,549	19,979,477	New Jersey	78
Paterson, New Jersey	145,627	19,979,477	New Jersey	180
Elizabeth, New Jersey	128,885	19,979,477	New Jersey	215
Woodbridge Township, New Jersey	100,450	19,979,477	New Jersey	311
Edison, New Jersey	100,693	19,979,477	New Jersey	310
Wilmington, Delaware	70,635	6,069,875	Delaware
Columbia, Maryland	103,467	9,764,315	Maryland
Germantown, Maryland	90,494	9,764,315	Maryland
Alexandria, Virginia	159,428	9,764,315	Virginia
Richmond, Virginia	228,783	1,260,029	Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia	244,076	1,672,319	Virginia
Chesapeake, Virginia	244,835	1,672,319	Virginia
Newport News, Virginia	179,225	1,672,319	Virginia
Hampton, Virginia	134,510	1,672,319	Virginia
Portsmouth, Virginia	94,632	1,672,319	Virginia
Wilmington, North Carolina	122,607	282,573	North Carolina
Raleigh	469,298	1,337,331	North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina	872,498	2,636,883	North Carolina
Fayetteville, North Carolina	209,468	386,662	North Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina	136,208	802,122	South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina	133,451	838,433	South Carolina
Augusta, Georgia	196,939	600,151	Georgia
Savannah, Georgia	145,862	389,494	Georgia
Atlanta	498,044	5,949,951	Georgia
Hialeah	238,942	5,828,191	Florida
Port St. Lucie	195,248	438,095	Florida
Fort Lauderdale	182,595	5,762,717	Florida
Pembroke Pines	172,374	5,762,717	Florida
Hollywood, Florida	154,823	5,762,717	Florida
Miramar, Florida	140,823	5,762,717	Florida
Coral Springs	133,507	5,762,717	Florida
Palm Bay, Florida	114,194	543,376	Florida
Miami Gardens, Florida	113,069	5,762,717	Florida
Pompano Beach	111,954	5,762,717	Florida
West Palm Beach	111,398	5,762,717	Florida

Transportation

The primary Interstate Highway along the East Coast is Interstate 95, completed in 2018,[9][10] which replaced the historic U.S. Route 1 (Atlantic Highway), the original federal highway that traversed all East Coast states, except Delaware.[11] By water, the East Coast is connected from Boston, Massachusetts to Miami, Florida, by the Intracoastal Waterway, also known as the East Coast Canal, which was completed in 1912.[12][13] Amtrak's Downeaster and Northeast Regional offer the main passenger rail service on the Seaboard. The Acela Express offers the only high-speed rail passenger service in the Americas. Between New York and Boston the Acela Express has up to a 54% share of the combined train and air passenger market.[14][15]

Some of the largest airports in the United States are located along the East Coast of the United States, such as John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Logan International Airport in Boston, Newark Liberty Airport in Newark, New Jersey, Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Baltimore–Washington International Airport near Baltimore, Washington-Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta, Miami International Airport in Miami, Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, Tampa International Airport in Tampa and Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Florida.

Culture

As the first spot in the United States that immigrants arrived and the close proximity of Europe, the Caribbean, and Latin America, the East Coast is home to a diverse population and home to multi-cultures when compared to the rest of the USA. From the strong Latin culture in southern Florida and New York City, to the 200 year old Gullah culture of the low country coastal islands of Georgia and South Carolina, to the many historic cities in the Middle Atlantic where a strong English, German, Italian, Irish, and French culture are present, the East Coast is significantly more diverse than the rest of the United States. Chinatown in New York City and Little Havana in Miami are examples of such cultural centers in the bigger cities, .

The East Coast is home to much of the political and financial power of the United States, as well as the center for resort and travel destinations in the United States. New York City is the financial capital of the United States and one of the top financial powerhouse cities in the world. Seventy-one of the worlds fortune 500 companies have their corporate headquarters in New York City, while Midtown Manhattan with 400 million square feet of office space in 2018, is the largest central business district in the world. Washington, DC is the political nerve center of the United States. Many organizations such as defense contractors, civilian contractors, nonprofit organizations, lobbying firms, trade unions, industry trade groups, and professional associations have their headquarters in or near Washington, D.C., in order to be close to the federal government.

Miami and Florida are one of the top domestic and international travel destinations in the United States. Miami is the warmest major city in the United States in winter, this factor contributes to it being a major tourism hub for international visitors. Miami has one of the largest concentrations of international banks in the United States, and the third tallest skyline in the U.S. with over 300 high-rises, 55 of which exceed 490 ft (149 m). The port of Miami is the busiest cruise port in the world in both passenger traffic and cruise lines, with over 5.5 million cruise passengers passing through the port each year. The center for tropical plant culture and research in the United States is based in Miami at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, while the state of Florida is the number two producer of oranges in the world behind Brazil.

See also

• Atlantic coastal plain
• Atlantic Seaboard fall line
• BosWash (Boston, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C.)
• Northeast megalopolis
• West Coast of the United States
• East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry

Notes

1. Those colonies were New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. While Pennsylvania is not directly along the Atlantic shoreline, it borders the tidal portion of the Delaware River, and the city of Philadelphia was a major seaport.

References

1. "East Coast States 2020". Retrieved April 12, 2020.
2. General Reference Map Archived October 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, National Atlas of the United States, 2003.
3. "NOAA Chart Locator". National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on March 9, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
4. "1500-1667 Contact & Conflict". Maine History Online.
5. "A Brief History - Florida Department of State". www.flheritage.com.
6. Neal Dorst. "Frequently Asked Questions: When is hurricane season?". Hurricane Research Division, NOAA. Archived from the original on May 6, 2009. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
7. Gabler, Robert E.; Petersen, James F.; Trapasso, L. Michael; Sack, Dorothy (2008). Physical Geography. Cengage Learning. p. 575. ISBN 978-0495555063. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
8. 2010 Census: Resident Population Data Archived October 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
9. Griffin, Riley. "After 60 Years, I-95 Is Complete". Bloomberg. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
10. Geewax, Marilyn (August 20, 2010). "Starting A Journey On I-95, The Road Most Traveled" (transcript). NPR.org. National Public Radio. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
11. "U.S. 1: Fort Kent, Maine to Key West, Florida". Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. April 7, 2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
12. Reiley, Laura (2008). Florida Gulf Coast. Moon Handbooks. p. 373. ISBN 9781598800821.
13. Maurice J. Robinson (2008). Ponte Vedra Beach: A History. p. 89. ISBN 9781596294417.
14. Nixon, Ron (August 15, 2012). "Air Travel's Hassles drive riders to Amtrak's Acela". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. (for Acela express passenger numbers only)
15. "The Information: Most popular airline routes". Financial Times. January 17, 2009. Archived from the original on January 21, 2009. Retrieved February 2, 2010.