Physical features
The Blue Ridge extends southwestward for 615 miles (990 kilometers) from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, through parts of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, ending at Mount Oglethorpe in Georgia. The range is quite narrow, only 5 to 65 miles (8 kilometers to 105 kilometers) wide, and has average heights between 2,000 and 4,000 feet (600 to 1,200 meters). Three major rivers of Virginia—the Roanoke, James and Potomac—and many small streams cut gaps through the ridge.
The Blue Ridge range includes the Black, Great Smoky, and Unaka mountains. Mount Mitchell in the Black Mountains at 6,684 feet (2,037 meters) is the highest peak in the United States east of the Mississippi River.
Places of interest
The Blue Ridge spreads through several national forests. The Shenandoah National Park in northern Virginia and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park also lie in the Blue Ridge. The Skyline Drive runs through this park and connects with the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a scenic highway established in 1936 that extends through the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia and North Carolina.
Economy
The Blue Ridge region is rather isolated. Many people in this area work in tobacco production, cattle raising, and truck farming. The forests in the ridge are a rich source of timber. The Blue Ridge region is known to have more than 700 varieties of trees and plants.