Virginia’s Regions Unit Interactive Notes

  • Virginia’s Relative Location & Five Regions
  • Coastal Plain (Tidewater) Region
  • Coastal Plain (Tidewater) Products & Industries
  • Piedmont Region
  • Blue Ridge Region
  • Valley and Ridge Region
  • Appalachian Plateau

WORDS TO KNOW

Atlantic Ocean
Border
Chesapeake Bay
Eastern Shore
Fall Line
Industry
Peninsula
Plateau
Poultry
Product
Recreation
Relative Location
Tourism

Virginia’s Relative Location & Regions

The relative location of places can be described in relative terms. Relative terms show connections between two places. The following are relative terms: next to, near, and bordering. In order to describe Virginia’s relative location, we use these terms. For example, Virginia is located next to the Chesapeake Bay. The Atlantic Ocean is located near Virginia. Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina are all states bordering Virginia.

Now, we need to locate each of Virginia’s bordering states and their location in relation to Virginia. We use the following sentence to do so: Mustard (Maryland) with (West Virginia) ketchup (Kentucky) tastes (Tennessee) nasty (North Carolina). Maryland is northeast, West Virginia is northwest, Kentucky is west, Tennessee is southwest, and North Carolina is south. You can remember these bordering states and their locations because these states form a letter C around Virginia.

Virginia is separated into five sections called regions. Each region has a different type of geography. The regions of Virginia have different industries where Virginians can make money and various products that are produced in those regions. An industry is a business or way of making money. A product is an item that is produced in a certain location.

Coastal Plain (Tidewater) Region

The Coastal Plain region of Virginia is also known as the Tidewater region. It is an area of low, flat land that lies along large bodies of water, the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The Chesapeake Bay separates mainland Virginia and the Eastern Shore. The Chesapeake Bay provided a safe harbor and was a source of food and transportation for early settlers. Located to the east of the Eastern Shore is the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic Ocean provided transportation links between Virginia and other countries of the world.

The Coastal Plain region has 4 peninsulas, or pieces of land bordered by water on three sides. These peninsulas are the Northern Neck, the Middle Peninsula, the Peninsula, and the Eastern Shore. The peninsulas lie between and separate 4 well-known rivers of Virginia that flow into the Chesapeake Bay. From northern Virginia to southern Virginia these rivers are the Potomac River, the Rappahannock River, the York River, and the James River. We can easily remember these rivers in order from north to south with this sentence: Please (Potomac) remember (Rappahannock) your (York) jacket (James)! Each of these rivers was a source of food and provided a pathway for exploration and settlement for early settlers.

There are several important cities that are located along these Virginia rivers: Alexandria is located on the Potomac River, Fredericksburg is located on the Rappahannock River, Yorktown is located on the York River, and Richmond and Jamestown are located along the James River.

Coastal Plain (Tidewater) Products & Industries

Some of the Coastal Plain’s industries are determined by its closeness to the ocean. Some people have jobs on fishing boats, fishingfor seafood, such as crab. Other people work in the shipbuilding yards in Norfolk, building new ships. On farms, peanuts are produced and then sold. Tourism is very important here also. Tourism is the business of helping people have fun when they are visiting a new place. Finally, this region is known for its military bases for the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and National Guard.

There are two other water features found in the Coastal Plain (Tidewater) region of Virginia. Lake Drummond is a shallow, natural lake surrounded by the Dismal Swamp. The Dismal Swamp is an area of low lying land that provides a variety of wildlife. George Washington explored and surveyed the Dismal Swamp.

Some of the Coastal Plain’s industries are determined by its closeness to the ocean. Some people have jobs on fishing boats, fishing for seafood, such as crab. Other people work in the shipbuilding yards in Norfolk, building new ships. On farms, peanuts are produced and then sold. Tourism is very important here also. Tourism is the business of helping people have fun when they are visiting a new place. Finally, this region is known for its military bases for the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and National Guard.

Piedmont Region

The Piedmont, also known as the land at the foot of the mountains, is located west of the Coastal Plain (Tidewater). It is an area of land covered with rolling hills. The Piedmont is separated from the Coastal Plain by the Fall Line, the natural border between the Piedmont and the Coastal Plain regions, where waterfalls prevent further travel on the river. The waterfalls occur because the land in the Piedmont is at a higher level than the land in the Coastal Plain. The cities of Richmond and Fredericksburg are located along the fall line.

The Potomac, Rappahannock, and James Rivers all flow downhill across the Piedmont towards the Chesapeake Bay. Located just outside of the Piedmont, to the northeast, is the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. separated from the Piedmont by the Potomac River.

Since the northern part of the Piedmont region is near Washington, D.C., many of its industries are big city industries. Many people who work for the federal government and in information technology live in the northern part of the Piedmont. Closer to Richmond there are many people working for the state government. In the southern part of this region, there is quite a bit of farming, in which tobacco products are produced to be sold. This region of Virginia is also known for its horse industry.

Blue Ridge Region

The Blue Ridge Mountains are a narrow strip of high land, located west of the Piedmont. They are old, rounded mountains that are part of a much larger mountain range known as the Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachian Mountain range stretches from northern Alabama to Canada. Due to the high land in the Blue Ridge, this region is the source of many rivers which flow downhill, east towards the Chesapeake Bay.

In the Blue Ridge, many people make money by farming. Apples are produced on these farms. Recreation activities, like hiking, fishing, camping, and canoeing are also popular here.

Valley and Ridge Region

The Valley and Ridge region, also known as the Ridge and Valley, is located west of the Blue Ridge. As its name states, the Valley and Ridge region is made up of ridges and valleys. Located to the far west of the Valley and Ridge are the Allegheny Mountains. Similar to the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Allegheny Mountains and the ridges in the Valley and Ridge are part of the mountain range known as the Appalachian Mountains. Within the Valley and Ridge region is a large valley known as the Great Valley or the Shenandoah Valley. The Great Valley provides excellent farmland because of its nutrient-rich, fertile soil. Located in the southwest corner of the Valley and Ridge region is the Cumberland Gap, a passage through the mountains for the early settlers.

The biggest industry in the Valley and Ridge is farming. There are poultry farms which produce birds we can eat, like chicken and turkey. There are also many dairy and beef farms that are full of cows, providing us with milk, cheese, hamburgers, and steaks. Last we have the farms that produce apples. Many of our apples actually come from a town in the Valley and Ridge region called Winchester.

Appalachian Plateau

The Appalachian Plateau, also known as the Allegheny Plateau, is Virginia’s smallest physical region. It is located in the southwestern part of the state. Only a small part of the plateau is located in Virginia. A plateau is an area of elevated land that is flat on top, however; the Appalachian Plateau is a mountainous area covered with thick forests. Over millions of years, streams have cut deep, narrow valleys into the land.

The most important industry in the Appalachian Plateau is coal mining. Miners go deep underground into coal mines to dig out the black coal rocks, which can be burned to provide heat energy.