The Ridge and Valley:
Located west of the Blue Ridge is the Ridge and Valley region which stretches 1,200 miles from northern New
York to central Alabama. The Ridge and Valley has long, parallel ridges overlooking wide, rolling valleys. From
valley floor, the ridge appears to be mountains, but really the highest has a relief of only 700 feet from top to
base. Elevations within the region range from 700 to 1,600 feet above sea level.
The Ridge and Valley region is nestled between the Blue Ridge, Piedmont and Plateau regions. Unlike the
regions to the south and east, which consist of hard bedrock, the Ridge and Valley consists of softer
sedimentary rock. The ridges are composed of sandstone, while the valley floors were formed from limestone,
shale and other sedimentary deposits.
Today the sandstone ridges are forest covered. Valley floors are used for farming and pasture. The region has
a mild climate due to its lower elevation compared to the nearby Appalachian Mountains which provides an
average growing season of 210 to 220 days. A variety of crops can be grown here, including corn, soybeans
and wheat. Rows of apple orchards dominate the landscape near the town of Ellijay. The soil is moderately
suited for agriculture and accounts for four percent of Georgia’s prime farmland. The natural vegetation found
in the area is mostly hardwood and pine trees. Much of the land is used for pasture and large amounts of cattle
farms are found here. The region is however better known for its textile industry. In fact the town of Dalton,
Georgia is known as the “carpet capital of the world.”
The Etowah Indian Mounds are a nationally famous, prehistoric archaeological site that contains one of the
largest Indian mounds in North America. A number of rare artifacts were found here. The site of the ancient
fifty-four-acre Indian town is located on the Etowah River, some three miles south of Cartersville in Bartow
County. Its most prominent features are three large earthen mounds, though there are at least six mounds
altogether. The largest, a temple mound, is more than 300 square feet at the base and rises to a height of
slightly more than 60 feet.The mounds are situated along the sides of two rectangular plazas, the larger of
which stretches approximately 300 feet. Constructed in the form of four-sided, flat-topped pyramids, the
mounds served originally as platforms. Public buildings, long since vanished, were constructed on their
elevated surfaces. A ramp with log steps led from the plaza up one side of the mound to the building erected
on the mound summit. Surrounding the mound and plaza complex in the center of the town were residential
houses. A large encircling ditch protected the town. Immediately inside it was a post palisade employing
rectangular bastions, or towers, placed at regular intervals along its length.
The town was settled by the twelfth century; many archaeologists date the settlement at least two centuries
earlier. Its occupation continued, with brief periods of abandonment, into the seventeenth century.
Archaeological excavation, carried out intermittently at the site for more than a hundred years, has provided
much information about the prehistoric life of the town. Now owned by the state of Georgia, the site and an
interpretive museum is open to visitors.