Geography’s Blueprint for Eastern Settlement

The physical geography of the Eastern US literally controlled where everyone decided to live.

When you look at a map, don't just see colors. Those brown Appalachian Mountains were basically

a giant wall that trapped early settlers but gave them massive amounts of coal. The green Coastal

Plain is flat, making it perfect for farming and building cities. Then you have the

blue zones. The Great Lakes and the Mississippi River were the original superhighways before

cars existed. Even the Fall Line dictated exactly where ships had to stop,

which is why so many major cities sit right on that edge. You aren't just

labeling a map, you are looking at the cheat code for how civilization was built.