Fall Line
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In the American South, the Fall Line refers to the line marking the natural boundary between the Piedmont Plateau and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Generally speaking, the areas below the Fall Line are those which lay underwater in prehistoric times. The Fall Line also marks the point of various waterfalls as the rivers that flow over it drop down onto the coastal plain. As a general rule, the Fall Line marks the point where rivers are no longer navigable upstream, usually due to waterfalls, rapids, or shallow depths. As a result, many cities started as river ports along the Fall Line.
The Fall Line runs roughly from Richmond, Virginia, south to Raleigh, North Carolina. From there it runs southwest to Columbia, South Carolina, and then southwest again to Augusta, Georgia. From there it runs southwestward to Macon, Georgia, and then Columbus, Georgia. The Fall Line then continues due west to Montgomery, Alabama.
The following major rivers are navigable upstream until the Fall Line:
