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Coastal Plain or Tidewater Region
The Coastal plain is located east of Virginia's Fall Line along the Atlantic coast. It is also called the Tidewater Region because it is an area affected by tides. Tides cause different bodies of water to rise and fall. The largest body of water located in the Tidewater Region is the Chesapeake Bay. There are many good harborsG along the eastern coast of Virginia. Boats and ships come into the harbors to load and unload their cargo. The rivers in this area are slow and wide. This makes it easy for ships to travel on them.
The cities and towns in the Tidewater region are some of the oldest in Virginia. For example, Norfolk, Newport News, and Chesapeake have served as ports for goods to be brought into and taken out of Virginia. Today, some people live and work in the coastal city of Virginia Beach, and others live in Norfolk and work for the United States Navy. The coastal cities are important to Virginia because they provide jobs for Virginians and promote Virginia's growth.
Fall Line
The Fall Line is the natural border between the Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions, where waterfalls prevent further travel on the river. Long ago, people traveled in boats to the Fall Line when they were moving to western parts of Virginia. People were always forced to go around the waterfalls and rapids at the Fall Line by land.
Many important Virginia cities have grown along the Fall Line. For example, Alexandria, Fredericksburg, Richmond, and Petersburg served as transportation centers. Transportation is the moving of products and/or people from one location to another. Many of the small transportation towns grew into large Virginia cities. Other cities grew along the Fall Line because of the tobacco industry. Other cities took advantage of the waterfalls and rapids and used the water to produce power.
Piedmont Region
The Piedmont Region is located west of Virginia's Fall Line and is mostly made of rolling hills. Cities and towns in the Piedmont grew up on the banks of rivers because travel to them was easy.