East Coast of the United States
Atlantic coastal region of the United States
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The region is generally understood to include the U.S. states that border the Atlantic Ocean: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia, as well as some landlocked states (Pennsylvania, Vermont, West Virginia, and the district of Washington, D.C.).
Toponymy and composition
The toponym derives from the concept 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, which is another term for coastline, 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. Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. border the Delaware River and the Potomac River, respectively, both of which are tidal arms of the Atlantic Ocean.
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Colonial history
The original Thirteen Colonies of Great Britain in North America all lay on or near the East Coast.
Two additional U.S. states on the East Coast were not among the original Thirteen Colonies: Maine became part of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1677 and Florida was held by the British from the end of the French and Indian War until 1781 and was part of New Spain until 1821.
In present-day Florida, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León made the first textual records of the state during his 1513 voyage. The state was initially named for Ponce de León, who called the peninsula La Pascua Florida in recognition of the verdant landscape and because it was the Easter season.
Delaware Colony and the provinces of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania had been colonized by the Dutch as New Netherland until they were ceded to the British in the mid- to late-17th century. From 1777 to 1791, Vermont was an independent nation as the Vermont Republic.
Geography and climate
In simplest terms, three (3) basic climate regions occur on the East Coast; 1) A cold-winter continental climate, from the US-Canadian border south to southern Rhode Island and western Maryland, 2) a temperate climate, from coastal Rhode Island south to western North Carolina, and 3) a subtropical climate from extreme southeast Virginia south to central Florida.
The humid continental climate region (Dfa/Dfb/Dc) includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, most of Massachusetts, most of Rhode Island, almost all of Connecticut, most of New York State, most of North Jersey, most of Pennsylvania, and western Maryland. This region features warm to occasionally hot summers and cold winters with frequent snow (especially in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire). All locations have a least one month with a mean temperature below 0 °C (32 °F) and four to seven months averaging above 10 °C (50 °F).
The area from extreme southern Rhode Island southward (areas of coastal Connecticut, Long Island, New York City, most of New Jersey, most of Delaware, most of Maryland, most of Virginia, and western NC) has a warm temperate climate (Cfa/Do) with long, hot, humid summers and cool to cold winters with occasional snow. The mean temparature in the coldest month is 0 °C (32 °F) or higher. Normally, at least one month has a mean temperature over 22 °C (71.6 °F) and six to seven months average above 10 °C (50 °F)..
The area from the southern Delmarva Peninsula, southeast Virginia, and central North Carolina south to central Florida is humid subtropical (Cfa/Cf), with hot summers that have almost daily (but brief) thundershowers and mild and drier winters. In this zone, at least eight months have a mean temperature above 10 °C (50 °F). The region of Florida from the south-central region of the state south to the Florida Keys has a tropical climate (Af/Aw/Ar) that is usually frost-free and warm to hot all year, and all of the 12 months of the year average above 18 °C (64.4 °F). This region of Florida is the only tropical climate in the continental United States.
The least common climate on the East Coast is the oceanic (Cfb/Do), which is only found on Block Island, Nantucket, and the Outer Cape and Chatham on Cape Cod, and in areas of the southern Appalachian Mountains. This zone has all monthly averages between 0 and 22 °C and six to seven months above 50 °F. Although winter precipitation is more likely to fall as rain than as snow, occasional heavy snow is possible.
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. Hurricanes Hazel, Hugo, Bob, Isabel, Irene, and Sandy, and most recently Florence, Isaias, Henri, and Ida are some of the more significant storms to have affected the region.
The East Coast, with the exception of Eastern Maine, is a low relief, passive margin coast. It has been shaped by the Pleistocene glaciation in the far northern areas in New England, with offshore islands such as Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Block Island, and Fishers Island. From 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 U.S. mainland.
Demographics
In 2010, the population of the states that have shoreline on the East Coast was estimated at 112,642,503 (about 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.
Transportation
The primary Interstate Highway along the East Coast is Interstate 95, completed in 2018, which replaced the historic U.S. Route 1 (Atlantic Highway), the original federal highway that traversed all East Coast states except Delaware.
By water, the East Coast is connected from the Annisquam River in Gloucester, Massachusetts to Miami, Florida, by the Intracoastal Waterway, also known as the East Coast Canal, which was completed in 1912. 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.
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 Queens, New York City, Logan International Airport in Boston, Newark Liberty Airport in Newark, New Jersey, Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Baltimore–Washington International Airport near Baltimore, Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., Hartsfield–Jackson 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 U.S. From the strong Latin culture in southern Florida, 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 Mid-Atlantic, where strong English, German, Italian, Irish, and French culture are present, the East Coast is significantly more diverse than the rest of the United States. Numerous Chinatowns 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 and a center for resort and travel destinations in the United States. New York City is the most populous city in the country and a major world financial center. Seventy-one of the world's 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, D.C. is the federal capital and 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 is one of the top domestic and international travel destinations in the United States. It is the warmest major city in the continental United States in winter, which 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-largest skyline in the U.S. with over 439 high-rises, 68 of which exceed 490 ft (150 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. The state of Florida is the second-largest producer of oranges in the world behind Brazil.