SUMMARY OF INFLUENCES AND RESPONSES
THAT SHAPE THE CHARACTER OF THE
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
ECOLOGICAL INFLUENCES
Exposed geology with rocky ridges.
Highly dissected mountains.
Cool and wet winter climate.
Dramatic temperature swings.
Winter storms that approach from the west.
Shallow soils with rock and clay.
Figure of a line graph demonstrating increase of rainfall in areas of high altitude and low temperatures.
Low Temperature = High Rainfall
High Temperature = Low Rainfall
Figure of the Anatomy of ridges:
Grassy balds
High, dry slopes pines
Lower slopes oaks
Slash and burn grazing and
Wet coves
Other Ecological Influences include:
Richer soils in valleys and coves.
Fast-rushing rivers and waterfalls.
Elevations up to 6,000 feet.
Coves forested with hemlock and white pine.
Mixed oaks and hardwoods at higher elevations.
Coniferous forests at higher elevations.
Presence of baldsmountain clearings
preserved for habitat and vistas.
Limited flat land that limits potential
building sites.
Figures of natural landscapes in the Upper Piedmont and in the
Ridges and valleys
SOUTHEAST
CULTURAL INFLUENCES
Early settlers were subsistence farmers,
loggers, and frontier people.
English, German, and Scotch-Irish settlers
imported their vernacular building types.
Land ownership pattern is private in valleys
and public on ridges.
Figure of ownership of Ridges and valleys- public land occupies the ridges and private land the Valleys
Other CULTURAL INFLUENCES:
Logs were a favored building material well into
the 20th century.
CCC legacy of rustic-style lodges and
recreation facilities is seen.
Small towns are more common than big cities.
Early rural settlers preferred coves or
hollows as home sites.
Figures of the following:
Log cabin
English stone house
Rural piedmont homestead
CCC rustic pavilion