What Are Some Facts About Georgia’s Piedmont Region?
Georgia’s Piedmont region is the second-largest and most highly populated geographical region in Georgia. The Piedmont region consists of hilly terrain and sits approximately 500 feet above sea level.
Georgia’s Piedmont region sits between the Coastal Plain region and north Georgia. The terrain has valleys and tall hills that resemble mountains. The Piedmont region has large areas of solid bedrock made of gneiss, marble, granite and stone. Piedmont bedrock is hard, so when soil is washed away by wind or rain the bedrock is left exposed in areas called outcrops.
The Flint River and the Chattahoochee River are the two main rivers of the Piedmont region. The region also contains the town of Warm Springs, which was President Roosevelt’s vacation retreat. The mineral springs in Warm Springs maintain temperatures of 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Georgia’s Piedmont region is also home to the largest mass of exposed granite in the world called Stone Mountain.
Piedmont soil has a conspicuous red color due to its high concentrations of iron minerals. When the exposed bedrock in outcrops erodes and combines with water, a rusty red clay is produced, which is called “Georgia red clay.”
Crops that grow well in Piedmont soil include soybeans, cotton and wheat. Large forests, especially Pine forests, grow in the Piedmont region and are important to the timber industry. Georgia’s Piedmont region raises dairy cattle and beef cattle, but is best-known for its chicken broilers.
