East Coast of the United States

Not to be confused with Eastern United States.

The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard or the Atlantic Seaboard and commonly shortened to East Coast, refers to the easternmost coast of the United States along the Atlantic Ocean. The states which have shoreline on the East Coast are, from north to south, the U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

Physical geography

The East Coast is a low-relief, passive margin coast. It has been shaped by the Pleistocene glaciation as far south as New York, with offshore islands Nantucket, Block Island, Fishers Island, Long Island and Staten Island the result of terminal moraines.^{citation needed} Longshore drift currents have formed an intermittent series of barrier beaches that enclose sounds that stretch from Long Island Sound southward along the unglaciated coast. The coastal plain broadens southwards, separated from the Piedmont districts by the Atlantic Seaboard fall line of the East Coast rivers, often marking the head of navigation, prominent sites of cities.

The 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.

Colonial history

Twelve of the original Thirteen Colonies of the United Kingdom in North America that later become the original states of the United States, each founded between 1607 (Virginia) and 1733 (Georgia), lay along the East Coast. Two additional U.S. states on the East Coast were not among the original Thirteen Colonies: Maine (settled by the French, but later became part of British colony of Massachusetts in 1677) and Florida (which traded hands between the British and Spanish until 1821). 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 British in the mid to late 17th century.

Political geography

The fourteen states which have shoreline on the East Coast are, from north to south, the U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Pennsylvania and Vermont have no Atlantic coastlines, but they are grouped with the Eastern Seaboard states.

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).

Transportation

The primary Interstate Highway along the East Coast is Interstate 95. I-95 (completed in the late 1970s) replaced the historic U.S. Route 1 (Atlantic Highway), which was the original federal highway that traversed all east coast states. By water, the east coast is connected from Norfolk, Virginia 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.

See also

• Atlantic Coastal Plain
• Atlantic Seaboard fall line