• Many pioneers settled in the Shenandoah Valley.wagon image by Gina Smith from Fotolia.com
  
  The Northeast region of the United States consists of several states, including the smallest state, Rhode Island, and the entire area referred to as New England. Many of the states in the Northeast border the Atlantic Ocean. This region is said to be the wealthiest in America and is home to many natural landforms, including several mountain ranges and valleys.
  
  

Shenandoah Valley

• Located in the Great Valley of the Appalachians, the Shenandoah Valley is split into two parts by the Massanutten Mountain ridge, with the Shenandoah River flowing on both sides. The valley runs through Virginia and West Virginia. Its principle cities are Front Royal, Winchester, Staunton and Waynesboro in Virginia. From the early settlers to the Civil War, the Shenandoah Valley has an interesting place in American history. For the westward pioneer movement, the agriculturally rich valley provided settlers with land for farms, pastures and orchards. During the Civil War, the valley served as a principal storehouse for Confederate soldiers and an avenue of approach for the South's invasion of the North, and it played a part in Stonewall Jackson's "valley campaign" in 1862. Today, the Shenandoah National Park offers many recreational activities for visitors.
  
  

Catskill Mountains

• Located approximately 100 miles northwest of New York City near the Hudson River, the wooded terrain of New York's famous Catskill Mountains covers more than 6,000 square miles. Although the Catskill Mountains proved difficult to farm, the area provided the resources of timber, bluestone and flagstone to early settlers, causing a rapid growth of settlements and leading to the building of the Canajoharie and Catskill railroads. According to Encyclopedia.com, a conservationist movement caused by the despoiling of the mountains resulted in the protection of the Catskills ordered by state legislation in 1885. This eventually led to the designation of approximately 300,000 acres as a preserve. The Catskills are now home to many waterfalls, vistas, mountain lakes and woods.
  
  

Adirondack Mountains

• Formed by the upthrust of granite and other rocks, the New York Adirondack Mountains are mostly metamorphic in composition, with a rugged topography that includes waterfalls, ponds, streams, gorges and 46 mountain peaks. These mountains have produced resources such as lumber, iron ore, titanium, talc and vanadium. The Adirondack Park, one of the largest in the United States; the Adirondack Museum; and Wild Center Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks are establishments that provide information on the natural and human histories of the area.