The
East Coast of the United States, also known as the "Eastern Seaboard" or "Atlantic Seaboard", refers to the easternmost coastal states in the central and northern
United States, which touch the
Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to
Canada. While in a strict geographical sense it includes the entire eastern seaboard, in popular usage the term "East Coast" is most often used to specifically refer to the northern half of this region, which is also known as the
Northeastern U.S. The southern half of this region is frequently considered to belong more strongly to the
South or
Southeast.
The term "East Coast" is often associated with the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States, particularly for cultural concepts such as an "Eastern college" or "East-coast liberal" or the "I-95 Corridor" (referring to Interstate 95). The Southeastern portion of the coast from Virginia to Florida is more typically associated culturally with the larger American South. "East Coast" may also refer even more narrowly to the highly urbanized strip along the coast from Boston, Massachusetts, to Washington, D.C., which is also known as the "Northeast Corridor", a definition which excludes the less densely populated areas of Upstate New York, Western Pennsylvania, and northern New England.
First encountered by Europeans in 1524 by Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, this region of the North American continent became part of the Atlantic world, and had elaborate trade interconnections with Britain, France, Africa, as well as with the British, French and Spanish colonies of the New World. It was also the scene of large scale colonization by the British starting in the 1580s. Some colonies failed but most thrived. On the other hand the Dutch, Swedish, Spanish and other colonies were eventually taken over by the English speakers. A series of wars between Britain and the French (and Indians), and Spanish, and then wars between the Americans and the British and their Indian allies, kept the frontier regions violent down to 1814. The Americans grew rapidly, and moved to frontiers in the west, and also to the North and South, in unstoppable waves after 1750. The attempts by the (British) Government to prevent European settlement west of the Appalachians (in order to pacify former Native American allies following Pontiac's War) were a primary cause of the American colonist's rebellion. The very rapid demographic growth was due to enormous amounts of good land, ample food, and a favorable disease environment. The Americans doubled in number every 25 years by natural increase. This was augmented before 1775 by steady flows of new migrants from Britain, as well as large numbers from Germany, plus slave purchases. Immigration fell off after 1775, then resumed about 1840. Millions of "old" immigrants came from Britain, Ireland, Germany and Scandinavia before 1890, and even more millions came from Southern and Eastern Europe between 1890 and 1914, when war and immigration restrictions stopped most population movement. Large scale immigration did not resume until the 1960s.
The 13 colonies developed their own political culture in the 18th century, called republicanism. They revolted in 1775, creating the new "United States of America" in 1776.
