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The eastern half of the United States is home to about 80% of the country's total population. Despite this, there's a relatively large part of the East Coast that has far fewer people and no major cities. This region, stretching along the coastal areas of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia developed in a far different manner than their northeastern or Floridian neighbors. And, as usual, there's a geographic reason for this.
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Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina are home to over 26 million people between the three
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of them. Despite this, every major metropolitan area within these three states are located well
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inland away from the Atlantic coast, which is very different from the northeastern states and
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Florida. So why don't more people live in the empty east coast
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Hello and welcome to Geography by Jeff. Today we're off to explore another relatively empty
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region of the United States. This time though, we're heading to the southeast. And while this
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area does have millions of people living in it, compared to the northeast and Florida
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it's quite odd that there aren't more people living on the coast of this region. And as usual, there's a geographic reason for this. But first, this week I have an extra special
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podcast episode where Hunter and I ran through various other underpopulated regions of the
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country in even greater detail. I also run through a few additional empty regions of the country that
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will be featured on this channel in the future. You can listen right now by clicking this link
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or by looking in the description below. The empty east coast, encompassing the eastern counties of Georgia, South Carolina, and North
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Carolina, is home to a pretty unique range of geographic features that have both facilitated
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and hindered human settlement and economic activity. The region we're talking about in
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this video is generally characterized by smooth, sandy beaches, barrier islands, and extensive salt marshes
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These barrier islands, while very picturesque and emblematic of the southeast coast
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offer a sort of double-edged sword. They provide some protection against the wrath of the Atlantic
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but are often not stable enough to support large-scale, permanent human activities such as major port operations
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Further inland, the land starts to rise gradually into the rolling hills and low mountains
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offering a different set of opportunities and challenges. This geography has influenced the types of industries that have flourished here
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historically centered around agriculture, especially the plantation economy of cash crops like tobacco
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cotton, and rice in Georgia and South Carolina. It was this penchant for plantations and agriculture
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that would eventually lead to a drastic increase in slavery within these states
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as running such enormous operations required an incredible amount of labor. This part of the Southeast history has left an indelible mark
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not only on the economy of the region, but also the demographic makeup of the southeast
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which is still home to the majority of black Americans. As of 2021, the entire southern region
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of the United States was home to about 56% of the country's black population, with Atlanta alone
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being home to about 2.2 million, behind only New York City. In North Carolina, the topography
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becomes a bit more varied, with the flat coastal plain giving way to the elevated Piedmont region
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and eventually the Appalachian Mountains, adding forestry and mining to the region's economic activities
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The empty East Coast is also marked by significant rivers such as the Savannah which also serves as the natural boundary between Georgia and South Carolina and the Cape Fear River in North Carolina But while these rivers have been essential for internal trade and transport they were not large enough to facilitate any meaningful
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amount of maritime trade in the same way that the Mississippi River and St. Lawrence River were for
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the Midwest of the United States and Canada, respectively. Finally, another important aspect
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to consider is the region's vulnerability to climate extremes, particularly hurricanes. This
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has not only shaped the natural landscape, but also human activity and settlement patterns
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The risk of natural disasters has always been a background factor in planning and development
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along the coast of this region specifically. Since 1990, 56 hurricanes and tropical storms
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have slammed into this region specifically, making it one of the most dangerous areas to
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live in with regards to natural disaster preparedness. Only Florida gets more hurricanes
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overall, but that's due to a combination of receiving hurricanes from the Atlantic Ocean
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and the Gulf of Mexico. The empty east is a fascinating region of the country, but if you
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haven't picked up on it yet, its history and geography have created issues in establishing
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large population centers on the coast, and we're going to explore why that is right now. But first
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if you're enjoying this video, hit that subscribe button. More fun geography videos are just a
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single click away. The southeast coast of the United States, specifically the states of Georgia
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South Carolina, and North Carolina evolved in a much different manner from their northern neighbors
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Unlike states such as New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts, with their deep
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glacier-carved harbors that facilitated the growth of major urban centers, the southeast coastline has a vast swath of barrier islands, salt marshes, and flat plains
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The absence of natural harbors along this stretch meant that these states never developed into
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significant maritime trade hubs. And it's this geographic constraint that led to a cascading
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effect on the region's population, steering it towards an agricultural focus that has had
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lasting implications well into today. The region's barrier islands provide some shelter against the
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Atlantic Ocean, but aren't actually stable enough to support large-scale maritime activities required
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for major port activities. New York City, for example, is built on a natural harbor that was
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formed by glaciated ice tens of thousands of years ago, which has allowed it to pack so much weight
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on top of it with minimal impact. Without the benefits of natural harbors, the southeastern
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states couldn't easily partake in the transatlantic trade that catalyzed the industrialization and
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urbanization of northeastern cities. Instead, the southeast saw a growth of the plantation
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economies driven by cash crops like rice, cotton, and tobacco. The broad, flatlands away from the
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coast were well-suited for large-scale agriculture, and the hot, humid climate of the region provided
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an ideal environment for these crops to thrive. Plantations required a large labor force
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leading to the horrible importation and enslavement of Africans, a historic atrocity that has had enduring social and cultural consequences for the region and the country at large
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And unlike the diversified economies of the Northeast which included manufacturing shipping and eventually technology the Southeast became economically specialized in the plantation economy fueled by forced labor of slaves
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And it was this exact plantation economy which also discouraged urbanization. Plantations were largely self-sufficient entities
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that didn't rely on urban centers for labor or goods in the same way that manufacturing did
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The small towns and cities that did emerge were usually oriented towards supporting agricultural practices
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not industrial production. Even the significant rivers in this region, such as the Savannah and Cape Fear, couldn't compensate for the lack of natural harbors, serving more as conduits for internal trade rather than gateways for international commerce
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Today, the legacy of this geography continues to be felt. Even as the modern economy diversifies and technology diminishes the limitations of geography, the Southeast's historic focus on agriculture has left an indelible imprint
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Although cities like Atlanta and Charlotte have emerged as major metropolitan areas
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due to becoming transportation hubs and diversifying their economies, the coastal areas still bear the marks of a bygone era dominated by plantations and an agrarian lifestyle
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While the coastal regions of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina are rich in natural beauty
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they haven't attracted the dense populations we see in areas like the Northeast, Florida
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or even the nearby metropolitan centers like Atlanta and Charlotte. Setting aside historical factors such as the lack of natural harbors and a plantation-focused economy
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several contemporary reasons explain this discrepancy in population density. Cities and metropolitan areas are the primary magnets of population
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and job opportunities in these coastal regions are often less abundant and diverse compared to other regions of the country
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While tourism and some forms of agriculture and fishing are prominent, there just aren't that many jobs within these industries as compared to popular industries like manufacturing
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And while major metropolitan areas like Atlanta, Charlotte, and the Raleigh-Durham Research Triangle have become major corporate hubs, attracting young professionals and creating a wide range of jobs, they've become all-consuming for the region at large
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In a way, these metro regions have sucked the economic vitality from cities that might otherwise have become a major city on the coast
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And much of this comes on the back of infrastructure, specifically as it relates to transportation
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Major cities are often transportation hubs, making it easy for residents to travel both domestically and internationally
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And in this region specifically, Atlanta has become the dominant transportation hub, sucking the air out of most other regional cities
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Atlanta was once known for being one of the largest rail hubs in the country and continues to have the largest airport
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As such, cities like Savannah, Georgia do not have nearly as many transportation options
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thus further discouraging businesses to set up shop in them. Today, the entire region we're talking about is home to just over 10 million people
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That's actually quite a lot of people. But compared to the development of other regions in the eastern half of the country
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it's still relatively empty. The largest metropolitan areas in the region would be Columbia and Charleston South Carolina with about 820 and 800 people respectively Fayetteville and Wilmington North Carolina with 520 and 282 people and Savannah
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Georgia with 404,000 people. And while none of these metro areas are tiny, all of them combined
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are less than half of Atlanta's 6.1 million people, which is interesting because Charleston
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specifically predates Atlanta by more than 150 years. Interestingly, despite Atlanta being far and away the largest city in the southern region
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of the country, Charleston, South Carolina predates Georgia's capital by more than 150 years
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And given its location on the Atlantic coast, the desire by colonial rulers for easy access
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to their new lands, and a need for transportation methods tied to water, the South Carolina city
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probably should have grown to become the dominant Southeast city and not Atlanta
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But alas, that's not how history typically goes. One of the key factors in the evolution of the two cities
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is the role Atlanta has played as a transportation hub. Initially founded as a railway junction named Terminus
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Atlanta's strategic location offered a nexus for multiple forms of transport, linking the agricultural richness of the South with markets in the Midwest and Northeast
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This central positioning was further bolstered by the development of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
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which has grown to become one of the busiest airports in the world, attracting businesses and residents alike
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And while Charleston has had over a hundred years head start, its physical geography was limiting in a way that Atlanta's was not
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You see, Charleston is located on a peninsula, constrained by the Cooper and Ashley Rivers and the Atlantic Ocean
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This geographical limitation has somewhat curtailed its ability to expand, unlike Atlanta, which had more room for outward growth and development
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The low-lying coastal terrain around Charleston also makes it more vulnerable to sea level rise and extreme weather events
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possibly deterring some forms of heavy investment and large-scale urban development. Social and cultural factors have also played into the city's divergent paths
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While both cities are vibrant cultural centers, Atlanta has garnered a reputation as the unofficial capital of the South
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attracting international events like the 1996 Summer Olympics and serving as the birthplace of influential civil rights movements
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Charleston, though culturally rich and historically significant, has not been the stage for events of similar international or national impact
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Bottom line, Atlanta simply had too much going for it when it was founded that
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by 1890, it was already larger than South Carolina's most populous city
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It's really interesting looking at the Northeast and Southeast and how they've developed geographically
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There's almost a line you can draw where, as you head south, you can see the major population centers drift away from the Atlantic coast
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But while many of these coastal communities lack the same population as Atlanta or Charlotte
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they still have much or more to offer in terms of cultural and historic amenities
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I hope you enjoyed learning more about the United States' empty East Coast. If you did, please subscribe to my channel
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If you wanna check out the podcast I talked about earlier, you can do so here. And if you wanna watch more of my videos
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here's one especially for you. Thanks for watching. See you next time
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