Major Rivers of the US East Coast: More Than Just the Hudson

The U.S. East Coast is threaded with rivers that shaped colonies, commerce, and cities. The major ones, north to south:

1. St. John River (ME/NB border) → Bay of Fundy.
2. Penobscot River (ME) — historic logging, salmon.
3. Kennebec / Androscoggin (ME) — mill towns.
4. Merrimack River (NH/MA) — Lowell textile mills.
5. Connecticut River (NH/VT/MA/CT) — longest in New England (407 mi).
6. Housatonic / Thames (CT) — sub bases, industry.
7. Hudson River (NY) — 315 mi, tidal to Troy, Erie Canal link.
8. Delaware River (NY/NJ/PA/DE) — 330 mi, Philly port, no dams main stem.
9. Susquehanna River (NY/PA/MD) — 444 mi, largest Atlantic drainage by flow (Chesapeake).
10. Potomac River (WV/MD/VA/DC) — 405 mi, DC’s water, historic border.
11. Rappahannock / York / James (VA) — Chesapeake tributaries. Jamestown on James.
12. Roanoke / Chowan (VA/NC) — Albemarle Sound.
13. Cape Fear / Neuse / Tar-Pamlico (NC) — sounds, estuaries.
14. Santee / Cooper (SC) — Charleston harbor.
15. Savannah River (GA/SC) — 301 mi, Savannah port, DOE Site.
16. Altamaha River (GA) — "Little Amazon," undammed.
17. St. Johns River (FL) — 310 mi, flows NORTH, huge basin.
18. Indian River Lagoon (FL) — estuary, not river.

Common thread: Fall Line cities (Richmond, Columbia, Augusta) where Piedmont meets Coastal Plain = head of navigation = power + port = capital.