Many cities in the eastern United States are located along a geographical feature known as the Fall line. The fall line marks the area where the upland region of the Piedmont meets the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The fall line is typically prominent where a river crosses it, for there will usually be rapids or waterfalls. Since these features frequently mark the head of navigation and supply ample water power, river port settlements and early manufacturing settlements often developed along this line. Many of these settlements are now major American cities. The term fall line is also referenced in the naming of geographical features in the area i.e. Falls lake or Falls of the Neuse
Some examples of Fall Line cities (listed north to south) are: