The bypassed east (chapter 7) introduction

THE BYPASSED EAST

• (CHAPTER 7)

INTRODUCTION

• "Bypassed East"

• Atlantic Provinces of Canada, northern New England and the Adirondack region of New York (see map on page 127).
• A transportation shadow; i.e., an area of limited transportation development located near an area of much greater facility availability.

• Characterized by slow economic growth.

• Although settled early, the region became increasingly isolated as settlement pushed westward.

• Relatively few large urban areas.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

• Topography

• Northern extension of the Appalachian Mountains.
• Green Mountains (Vermont)
• Range to 4,600 ft
• Ice covered during the Pleistocene
• White Mountains (New Hampshire)
• Extend to 6,500 ft and have
• Upper slopes are rugged and steep
• Mountains of the Atlantic Provinces
• <2,200 ft and well rounded

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

• Climate

• Maritime impact is minimized by continental and polar air masses
• Labrador Current flows southward along the coast and serves to chill the coastal waters
• Generally, the climate is seldom hot, often cool, and usually damp.

EARLY SETTLERS

• Early 1600's - initial settlers relied upon three means to support their livelihood

• Fishing for cod and haddock from the rich banks off the Atlantic Provinces
• Timbering, especially focusing on New England's white pine
• Agriculture, mainly of the subsistence type

AGRICULTURE

• Present Trends

• <10% of New England is farmland, compared to about 50% around 100 years ago.
• Agricultural activity in the Atlantic Provinces peaked during the late 1800s and the number of farms has since decreased by 66%.
• The farming that remains today is specialized in single crop production.

KEY TERMS

• Milk shed

• A term that can be applied to the Lake Champlain lowland
• A nodal region that supplies a major metropolitan area with its milk and dairy needs

• Inshore Fishing

• A small-scale commercial activity (dominant in Eastern Canada)
• Relies on the use of small boats and requires a small capital investment
• Lobsters and cod are the most valuable catch.

AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED)

• Major Areas and Products (see map-132)

• Aroostock Valley (NE Maine)
• Has silty loam soils that are good for potatoes
• The newest commercial agricultural area and relies on large-scale mechanization
• Suffers from competition with Idaho and Oregon, and the changing American diet
• Lake Champlain Lowland
• Serves as a milk shed for the Megalopolis cities of Boston and New York

MAJOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCING AREAS

• Prince Edward Island
• Produces seed potatoes as its major commercial crop, but is a fairly diverse area
• Annapolis Valley
• An 80 mile by 90 mile area of southwest Nova Scotia
• Traditionally one of Canada's leading apple-producing regions

ECONOMIC MAINSTAYS

• Forestry

• Plays a limited role in most of New England as a result of inadequate reforestation
• Northern Maine remains a key producer of pulpwood.
• In the Atlantic Provinces, forestry products are the key exports.
• Northern New Brunswick and Newfoundland are major producers of pulp and paper.

ECONOMIC MAINSTAYS (CONTINUED)

• Fishing

• The inshore type, is the more regionally important.
• Nova Scotia leads all provinces in total catch each year.
• Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and PEI are 3rd, 4th and 5th.
• The lobster industry of Maine remains vitally important to New England, accounting for 70% of the region’s total catch.

ECONOMIC MAINSTAYS (CONTINUED)

• Mining

• Natural gas and oil (mainly offshore) and limited coal in Nova Scotia
• Building stone is abundant throughout New England.

• Tourism - a mixed blessing?

• Summer and Spring - hiking, fishing, camping, canoeing, and sightseeing
• Fall - foliage
• Winter - skiing and winter sports

• Future Economic Prospects ???

THE BYPASSED EAST

• (CHAPTER 7)