The Piedmont Region of
Georgia
Piedmont Region
The Piedmont
region covers
about 1/3 of
Georgia, or
18,100 square
miles.
Piedmont Region
Northwest of the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the
East Gulf Coastal Plain, the Georgia Piedmont
cuts across the state. The Piedmont is marked
by a hilly landscape in the north. Where it
touches the Appalachian regions, it is around
1,500 feet above sea level. The land loses
elevation to the southeast, where the hills
become more gently rolling and the land is only
about 400 feet above sea level.
Piedmont Region
The clear difference in landscape where the
southeastern edge of the Piedmont meets
the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the Gulf
Coastal Plain is called the Fall Line. It is
along this line that the rivers flowing from the
higher elevations of the Piedmont fall to the
lower Coastal Plains forming waterfalls and
rapids.
Piedmont Region
Did you know?
•The Piedmont Region lies in the foothills of the
Appalachian Mountains and hosts a variety of ecosystems.
•The Piedmont is known for its weathered, nutrient-poor
soils.
•Before the early 1800s, the region was covered in
hardwood forests and a thick, nutrient-rich topsoil. The
Creek Indians utilized a relatively sustainable
system of farming, creating significant impacts on forests
and landscapes but also keeping their population within
limits.
•With the arrival of European settlers, agriculture expanded
quickly, with forests being cleared and cotton being grown
in almost any place that was flat enough to plow. This
exposed the land to erosion & leaching of nutrients,
causing the valuable topsoil to wash away.
Piedmont Region
Did you know?
•By the 1930s the soil was tired and spent. Small farms
went out of business and cotton fields were abandoned.
•Forestry became the main form of agriculture instead of
cotton farming, and so the forests of the Piedmont were
replaced by a forest dramatically simplified from those that
existed a hundred years earlier.
•Urban growth between 1930 and 1960 also brought
changes to the Piedmont. When cities get bigger and little
thought is given to environmental effects, the land is paved
with hard surfaces and drainage patterns are changed.
Piedmont Region - Economy

The economy of the Piedmont Region is
strong. It has an abundance of business
and industry. Our state capital is located
in this region. Which is the home of
many businesses and corporations.
Including the world's second busiest
airport in the world, Coca-cola
headquarters and CNN headquarters.
The region is also known for its
production of wheat, soybeans, corn, and
poultry. It was also known as the cotton
belt of the antebellum days ( the period
before the civil war).
Piedmont Region
Plant & Animal Life

This area is home to an abundance of plants
and animals. Some of the trees that are
common in this area are peach, pecan, oak
and pine. Many species make this vast
region their home including raccoons,
opossum, squirrels, deer, foxes, snakes and
turkeys. Some birds one might see include
woodpeckers, blue jays, cardinals, our state
bird the brown thrasher, and our favorite,
hummingbirds.