Toponymy and Composition
– The East Coast is also referred to as the Eastern Seaboard, Atlantic Coast, and Atlantic Seaboard.
– The 14 states with a shoreline on the Atlantic Ocean are Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
– Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. border tidal arms of the Atlantic Ocean.
– The term ‘East Coast’ comes from the idea that the contiguous 48 states are defined by two major coastlines.
– Other terms for this area include the Eastern Seaboard, Atlantic Coast, and Atlantic Seaboard.
Colonial History
– The original Thirteen Colonies of Great Britain were located along the East Coast.
– Maine became part of the English Colony of Massachusetts in 1677.
– Florida was under British control from the end of the French and Indian War until 1781 and was later part of New Spain until 1821.
– Juan Ponce de León made the first records of Florida during his 1513 voyage.
– Delaware Colony, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania were initially colonized by the Dutch as New Netherland.
Geography and Climate
– The East Coast has three basic climate regions: humid continental, warm temperate, subtropical, and tropical.
– The humid continental climate spans from northern Maine to western Maryland and has warm summers and cold winters.
– The warm temperate climate extends from Martha’s Vineyard to western North Carolina and has hot summers and cool winters.
– The subtropical climate is found from the southern Delmarva Peninsula to central Florida and has hot and rainy summers and mild winters.
– The tropical climate is exclusive to the southern region of Florida and is warm all year round.
Demographics
– In 2010, the population of the states on the East Coast was estimated at 112,642,503, which accounted for 36% of the country’s total population.
– New York City is the largest city and metropolitan area on the East Coast.
– The East Coast is the most populated coastal area in the United States.
– Major East Coast cities and metropolitan areas include Port St. Lucie and Washington, D.C.
– The East Coast has a significant population density due to its large cities and metropolitan areas.
Physical Features
– The East Coast is a low-relief, passive margin coast, except for eastern Maine.
– The coastal areas are shaped by Pleistocene glaciation and are made up of barrier islands.
– Long stretches of sandy beaches can be found along the East Coast.
– Many larger capes, such as the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Cape Canaveral in Florida, are actually barrier islands.
– The Florida Keys are composed of limestone coral and are home to the only coral reefs on the US mainland. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Coast_of_the_United_States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean.
East Coast of the United States | |
|---|---|
 The East Coast of the United States. States with a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean are highlighted in dark blue. States considered part of the East Coast without a coastline are highlighted in light blue. | |
| Country |  United States |
| Principal cities | Boston Providence Hartford New York City Newark Philadelphia Baltimore Washington, D.C. Richmond Virginia Beach Raleigh Charlotte Charleston Atlanta Jacksonville Orlando Tampa Miami |
| Largest city | New York City |
| Largest metropolitan area | New York metropolitan area |
| Population (2017 estimate) | |
| • Total | 118,042,627 |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
The region is generally understood to include the U.S. states that border the Atlantic Ocean: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia, as well as the federal capital of Washington, D.C., and non-coastline states: Pennsylvania, Vermont, and West Virginia.
