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Chapter 1
will find the Allegheny Mountains. All of
these mountain ridges are part of the
AppalachianMountains.
There are alsomany cities located in the
valleys. The cities of Harrisburg, Reading,
Allentown, and Bethlehem are located on
the southern side of this region. The cities
of Scranton,Wilkes-Barre, andHazleton are
locatedon thenortheast part of this region.
On the western border, you will find
Williamsport, State College, and Altoona.
In the middle of the region, you will find
Chambersburg, Carlisle, Sunbury, and
Pottsville. Perhaps you live inornear oneof
these cities.
You will not findmany cities located on
mountain ridges. Instead, they are scenic
places to visit. Many people enjoy hunting
in our mountains. Many of our state parks
are located among the mountain ridges.
You can also find some areas that are being
logged for
timber
. Any forest of trees that
canbeused as a sourceofwood is known as
timber. From timber, sawmills cut
lumber
fromwhichwood products can bemade.
Allegheny Plateau
A
s you travel west of the Ridge and
Valley region, you will enter the
AlleghenyPlateau. Youhave learned
in Lesson 2 that a plateau is land that is
higher than the surrounding area. This
region covers more than one-half of our
state. Look at the map to see how this
region covers the entirewestern part of our
state. This landform also curves to include
most of the northern part of our state.
Finally, it wraps around the northeastern
part of our state.
The Allegheny Plateau can have
elevations similar to the Ridge and Valley
region. Land can rise from 800 feet to well
over 3,000 feet.
You learned in Lesson 2 that mountains,
hills, forests, waterfalls, deep gorges, and
glens are located on our plateau. Just
southwest of the Allegheny Mountains lie
theLaurelHighlands. They reach elevations
over 2,000 feet.
There are not many large cities in the
Allegheny Plateau. This is certainly true in
the northern part of the region. However,
our second-largest city, Pittsburgh, is
located in theAlleghenyPlateau. Two rivers
formed a third river at Pittsburgh. It was a
natural place to locate a city. Johnstown is
also located in the plateau region.
Many people enjoy hunting in the
mountains of the Ridge and Valley region.
