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Regional Landscape Studies NORTHLANDS <<
©AFG 2017 HAWAII nomic development.
Chapter 6 and parts of 4, 8, 13, 15
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Vacation area Heat and humidity The South’s Sub-regions The South Growing cities Hurricanes When you think about this region, Southern cooking Major sub-regions: H E A R T L A N D what images come into your mind? Mississippi R delta Civil War • Atlantic Coastal Plain Plantations • Piedmont Beaches/ • Florida Peninsula resorts • Gulf Coastal Plain Bible Belt • Mississippi Delta
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Overlapping Vernacular Other Vernacular Terms Regional Terms of the South
Old South: area of the five southern plantation colonies Bible Belt: Coined by a Dixie: origin is uncertain. (MD, VA, NC, SC, GA). journalist during the 1925 Could be from French Deep South: area from South Carolina to east Texas, Tennessee vs Scopes Louisiana currency (dix = excluding peninsula Florida but including the Mississippi Delta region teaching-of-evolution trial. 10) or the Mason-Dixon Upland South: Piedmont and lower elevations of the A region whose people Line (area south of the line). Southern Appalachians. espouse religious o During the American Civil Mississippi Delta: ancient delta of Mississippi River, fundamentalism and War, the song “Dixie” extending S from the Ohio River confluence to the Gulf of Mexico the literal interpretation became the unofficial (not just the deltaic landform of Louisiana at mouth of Mississippi River) of the Bible. anthem of the Confederate Southern Coastlands: Atlantic and Gulf coastal plain, States of America. . What is a “Bible Belt” including peninsula Florida. . What is a “Dixie” land- landscape? scape?
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OVERVIEW: The South OVERVIEW: Physical Landscape . Humid subtropical climate (Cfa): long summers/mild winters Characterized by heat and humidity. W . Low-lying coastal area focused on the sea: natural harbors Strong sense of regional identity: that become ports; susceptible to storm surge/sea level rise. similar beliefs, customs, attitudes throughout the region. A . Continental shelf off the coast is wide: prime areas for Long standing relationship with the land: fishing (commercial/sport) and mineral exploration (Gulf of Mexico) rural population and agricultural orientation. . Sandy barrier islands and lagoons parallel the coast: Regionalism is reinforced from the outside: T allowed for the creation of a sheltered coastal waterway system often perceived/portrayed superficially and in caricature and the 20th century development of vacation homes/resorts. by outsiders. . Coastal plain has relatively flat terrain with slow flowing Diversity within the regionalism: many sub-regions E rivers, swamps and marshes (bayous): insect/reptile pests. with their own version of “southern culture”. Historically focused human attention away from the coast. Coastal South is faced with increased danger from R . Piedmont section of the Appalachians: cooler, less humid, natural hazards: severe storms; flooding; sea level rise; better water supply; variety of trees. Fall Line marks the sharp coastal erosion. boundary between the Piedmont and Coastal Plain. 7 8
OVERVIEW: Changing OVERVIEW: Economic Landscape Cultural Landscape Five Economic Sub-regions Growing urbanization. 1. Atlantic Coast: tourism, vacation homes, port Growing “non-Southern” population. facilities (import-export trades) 2. Piedmont: manufacturing, R&D, finance New manufacturing enterprises. 3. Gulf Coast - East: recreation, agriculture, New agricultural orientations. retirement communities, sport fishing Improved race relations. 4. Gulf Coast - West: resource extraction, industrial production, commercial fishing, trade (break-of-bulk “Southern way” of doing things has been and transshipment) altered (by Federal law and in-migration). 5. Mississippi Delta Region: agriculture (cotton and rice), transportation services, food processing Feeling less regional and more national.
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Physical = fall line Cfa - Humid Subtropical - Climates throughout the region; hot Landscapes humid summers, mild winters; year-round precipitation. . Very long growing season (over 270 days) . Altitude cools the Piedmont (vertical zonation) differentiating it from the rest of The South. EXCEPTIONS: . Continental Shelf: the undersea extension of the South Florida is Aw: tropical continent; wide and relatively shallow ocean areas. savanna (winter dry). . Coastal lowlands: generally flat to rolling terrain South Texas is BS: hot semi-arid inland, with a low-lying, marshy, indented shoreline. . Mississippi Delta Region: ancient delta of Mississippi . Tornados especially in spring and autumn. R.; now a flood plain with very fertile alluvial deposits. . Thunderstorms throughout the year; Tampa Bay area is #1 in US . Piedmont: Part of the Appalachian system. Fall Line . Hurricane threat annually. divides the Piedmont from the Coastal Plain. 11 . Global warming with rising sea levels is a concern. 12
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Hurricane Hurricane Damage Hazard Zone Outer Banks, NC Galveston, TX Irene, 2011 Ike, 2008
South Florida, Andrew, 1992
Hurricane strikes by county. Red is most, blue is least. Source: NOAA
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/index.php?season=2016&basin=atl 13 Hurricane of 1928 14
Piedmont Coast to Mountains SC Piedmont = foothills of the Appalachian Mts. Geologic cross-section of North Carolina GA from Cape Hatteras to the Blue Ridge Mts. forested area; varied resources; good water. Vertical zonation of climate is evident across the region. This allowed colonists Ecoregions of to get relief from the heat and humidity of South Carolina the coastal plain. . Inland region subject to occasional severe weather: frost, freezing rain, ice storms and snow in winter; thunderstorms, flooding rains and tornadoes in spring, summer and autumn. Southern edge of the zone of interaction between tropical and polar air masses.
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Louisiana Coasts in Crisis Barrier Island Coastline Because of five interrelated factors, sandy shorelines are altered and barrier islands Barrier island: long, narrow sand island with a low profile; form, change shape and disappear. runs parallel to the mainland and is separated from it by a lagoon
LAGOON
Built of sandy sediment moved by water and wind (no rock base). Shaped by long shore currents, They are temporary waves and wind. geologic features. Subject to overwash and breach during severe storms. http://www.ladigitalcoast.uno.edu/PDFs/ider1887- Then came Hurricane 18 2005_shrlnchng.pdf Andrew in 1992 . 17
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Barrier Island Galveston, TX The Outer Banks Landscape North Carolina The Outer Banks is a 200 mi long string of barrier islands.
Cape Hatteras lighthouse had to be Area of tidal lagoons and
Offshore Louisiana moved 1500 ft. inland (1999) to save it low-lying tidal marshlands from collapsing into the sea. Offshore Offshore Pensacola, FL area is called the “graveyard of ships.” Cape Hatteras Hilton Head, SC
Cape Lookout
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Intracoastal Waterway Bayou
Created by improving the channels between Defined as either: the barrier islands and the mainland. a. Wetland (swamp) or body of water Extends from TX to NJ and shelters barges and found in flat, low-lying areas. small craft from ocean influences. b. Extremely slow moving stream with a poorly defined shoreline.
Probably comes from the Choctaw word bayuk (a small stream), and applied by French Acadian immigrants to any waterway.
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Landscape of the Meander and Oxbow Ancient Delta Region Lake Formation Meandering Mississippi River Extremely flat area (low gradient) sub- ject to frequent flooding, sediment deposition and shifting channels.
A portion of the Mississippi River boundary between the state of Mississippi (right) and Arkansas and Louisiana. 23 24
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Meander Mouth of the Mississippi: Scars Bird’s foot delta formation • Southern tip of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. • Saltwater/freshwater interface where the river meets the gulf. • Constantly changing: sediment dependent (inland and longshore) and subject to coastal storms, waves, currents and sea level. • Largest and most diverse natur- Stream channels change course, especially in times of flood. al wetland habitat of N. America. A “meander scar” is created when the old channel dries up. Scars tend to have fertile soil and are used for farming. • Home of unique cultural groups influenced by inaccessibility. https://youtu.be/mTTNFWOr4vU 25 https://www.lacoast.gov/new/About/Basin_data/mr/ 26
Sinkhole Formation Satellite View of New Orleans Sink Holes A Menace from Florida to Texas New Orleans: most important port of the region and focus High annual precipitation plus a limestone of trade to continental interior via Mississippi River . Portions are below sea level due to subsidence bedrock allows for the creation of sink holes. LANDSAT IMAGE . Central Florida Lake Pontchartrain
B
A
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The Everglades South Florida A unique ecological region Conflict Zones created by climate and geology. It’s a “river of grass” 60 mi wide, flowing south from Orlando to the tip of Florida. It is in danger because of fresh water diversion to Miami and farmland and because of east-west road construction. The mangrove forest exists in briny water. MIAMI May be adversely affected by sea level rise.
Burmese python, an invasive species
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Exploration of . Spanish explorers Florida Keys traveled inland from the Gulf Coast. Spain Florida Keys: a 130 mi chain of CORAL the Southeast claimed Florida and the ISLANDS, NOT SAND, linked by causeways Gulf coastal area. from Key Biscayne to Key West. Florida Key Formation is the world’s 3rd . The French moved largest barrier reef. downstream along cay or key: low coral island (Sp. cayo = shoal) the Mississippi River to its mouth. France and Spain contested the Mississippi River Basin. . English colonists settled coastal areas US Route 1, the Overseas between Virginia and Highway, connects the Keys Georgia. They claimed with the U.S. mainland. Influences of all three are found on the all land west to the South’s visual and cultural landscapes. Pacific Ocean.
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Settlement Sequence Distinctive Demography • St. Augustine, FL was the site of the first permanent European settlement in North America High in-migration since 1980s. (Spain,1565). Most residents of today’s South were born elsewhere. • Jamestown, VA and Roanoke Island, NC: sites of the A large very “non-southern” population. earliest English settlements (early 1600s). Mix of refugees (Cubans, Haitians) and retirees. Snowbirds: People from the northern states Early settler goals were and Canada who spend the winter in Florida. commercial and exploitative. Pull Factor: favorable climate and tax rates Geographical advantages: Unique historic local cultural groups: Areas were suitable for agriculture. Creoles, Cajuns, Gullahs Game was plentiful. Navigable rivers allowed movement away from coast and ac- cess to interior forests and resources as far as the Fall Line.
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Creoles and Cajuns Gullah
Creoles: people of French/Spanish/ Gullah: descendants of African slaves Afro-Caribbean descent usually brought to cotton plantations on the from the West Indies. Associated with Sea Islands. speaking a pidgin language combining Noteworthy for their distinc- words from other languages with French. tive African language and Cajuns: people of French Canadian culture, which has been descent. They were expelled after the handed down by generations French and Indian War. Settled in U.S. relatively intact. Remain distinctive: French dialect, Once isolated, their Catholic religion, food. unique culture is now threatened by develop- Red = high % of French-speakers ment and tourism on the coastal islands.
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Demographics Ethnic Concentrations
DENSITY HISPANIC concentrations BLACK concentrations
POVERTY
Note difference in southern Louisiana, southern Texas and Florida peninsula.
RELIGION AGE: percent of pop. Percent of total county population, 2010 US Census over 75 yrs old
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Tribes of the Southeast Hispanics and Cherokee Chickasaw Native Americans Creek Choctaw Caribbean Islanders Natchez Seminole With the spread of white settlement • Hispanics (South Texas and South Florida) there was a forcible removal of local Indians to Oklahoma (1830s). – From Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Rep Descendents of those who escaped relocation remain in the South: – Social/cultural landscape remains distinctive: • Eastern Cherokee (NC) • Spanish-speaking • Choctaw (MS) • Catholic • Seminole (FL) • Cuisine • Caribbean Islanders (South Florida) – From Haiti and the West Indies – French, English and South-Asian backgrounds
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Plantation Triangle Trade Agriculture Route Plantations grew specific . Small local populations See maps in historical atlas cash crops that could not led to use of slave labor: be grown in Europe. first local Indians and . Highly structured indentured Englishmen, rice agricultural organization then Africans. (Europeans tobacco have a history of using forced cotton . Usually tied to a single labor.) Sailing ships on the Triangle indigo cash crop for export. Trade route (1600s-1800s) used sugar Only the richer planta- global winds and ocean . Were self-sufficient units: tions had mansions. needed much land and a currents to cross the Atlantic. Most plantations had large labor force requiring their own docks. Front- people with many different c.12 million Africans were taken as slaves age on a deep, protected and brought to the Western Hemisphere. skills. waterway was important. 41 42
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James River Boone’s Hall Plantation
Plantations VIRGINIA near Charleston, SC
Main entrance to manor house Slave quarters were located off the main entrance road near the manor house.
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Economics: North vs. South Civil War Aftermath See Section 5 of Historical Atlas See map, p. 41 of Historical Atlas Before the Civil War, Most Civil War battles slaves were found in all North’s economy (1860-1865) were fought Southern states except the was based on on Southern soil = much Confederate currency/bonds counties within the industry and trade. were worthless. Appalachian Highlands. destruction. South’s economy Railroads were disrupted Large portion of the labor Greatest concentration was based on or in disrepair. force was eliminated. of slaves was in the plantation agric. plantation areas of the Equipment was confiscated • Emancipation of slaves Demand for cotton coastal plain and lower • White labor pool decimated by increased the need or destroyed. Civil War fatalities/injuries. Mississippi Valley – areas for laborers to work Shipping terminals were in producing cotton, rice, the fields. ruins. Large land holdings were sugar cane and tobacco. heavily taxed and/or sub- divided. Reconstruction began. 45 46
Post-Civil War Transition Monumental Landscapes (1865-1880s) Lauding the Confederacy • Southern White reaction to • Few jobs outside of farming MD LA GA MS emancipation was institution- − Poor farmers (both blacks alized segregation. and whites) made arrange- • Few opportunities for blacks ments with land owners. until World War I (Great Sharecropping System Migration to northern areas). – Rent and repayment of loans for a share of the crop. • Greater national isolation of SC the South. – Debt perpetual, sharecrop- AL • Persistent regional poverty: per bound to land until paid. – Reinforced by “Black Codes” – Destruction of economic infra- Hundreds of monuments remem- restricting black movement. structure and plantation econo- bering the Confederacy can be my by Civil War battles fund throughout the South. In addition, numerous national and – Lack of economic state battlefield parks tell the development incentives. 47 story of Civil War events. 48
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Delayed Urban Development Development of Manufacturing early 1900s • The South did not experience the influx of the • Attractions of Piedmont South: urban Europeans as did the Northeast. – High levels of underemployment – Little immigration from Europe during 1800s; very small – Opportunity to modernize operations proportion foreign-born by 1900. – No receiving ports; no industry. – Lower taxes – Cities developed late. • Cotton textile industry • Ports/small market centers developed in 1800s. – Originally based in New England – Collection/transshipment points for cash crops – Shifted south after the Civil War – Little contact with each other; orientation was to the North – Carolina Piedmont and N. Georgia or to Europe – Drew other industries (clustering) – Distinctly local allegiances – Economic impact – Most people lived in isolation on farms • Workers paid low wages • Areas remained strongly rural until late 1900s. • Low land tax rates • Less regulations 49 50
Changes in Economic Other Industrial Developments Landscape The South’s economy has • Railroads: construction, other public improvements become more national in increased access structure and less regional • Cigarettes: manufacturing; local tobacco farms: NC, VA since the 1970s. • Timber resources: Has greatly diversified: automobile, pulp and paper, textiles – Furniture manufacturing (NC, VA) and apparel, oil refining, aluminum, Percent non-agricultural – Pulp and paper petrochemicals, food processing. labor force in manufacturing Plus tourism, banking and finance. • Atlanta (GA) - Birmingham (AL) - 1950 2000 Chattanooga (TN) Triangle – Resources plus low wages encouraged manufacturing
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Agricultural Harvesting Cotton Setting • Humid subtropical climate
– Long growing season (from 9-12 mo.) Oranges N Grapefruits – Average rainfall greater than 50 in./yr Lemons Advantages for agriculture Limes S 1860 2012 • Can grow crops that cannot be grown elsewhere as citrus and sugar cane: Introduced by Spanish in the 1500s. – Produced only in Florida, Texas and Calif. – Double-cropping possible – Winter vegetables
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Florida Tourism Fishing
Commercial Fishing Sport Fishing
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Mineral Resources Oil Refinery Louisiana Oil and gas fields located in LA and TX and under the continental shelf Gulf of Mexico area contains extensive oil and gas deposits. Rock salt – from underground salt domes Sulfur – from cap rock over salt deposits Phosphorus – deposits in Florida. Proximity to coal fields of Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee gives the region access to cheap coal for power plants. Political issues and environmen- tal problems related to the extraction and use of resources. 57 58
Houston: 4th largest US city. Houston It is a major business and industrial N E X T center and focus of the oil industry. Port of Houston is located 40 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, link- ed to it by the Houston Ship Channel (1873).
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