Charlanta is one of the

Megaregions of the United States Megaregions of the United States are generally understood to be regions in the U.S. that contain two or more roughly adjacent urban metropolitan areas that, through commonality of systems—of transport, economy, resources, and ecologies—exp ...

, and is part of the Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion. Extending along the

I-85 Corridor Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, n ...

, the region stretches from

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

. With more than $1 trillion in economic output, it is considered one of the 12 regional powerhouses that drive the

economy of the United States The United States is a highly developed mixed-market economy and has the world's largest nominal GDP and net wealth. It has the second-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP) behind China. It has the world's seventh-highest per capita ...

. Based on projections, this region's urban areas will "expand 165%, from 17,800 km² in 2009 to 47,500 km² in 2060," ultimately connecting the

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

of Atlanta and Charlotte. Researchers have expressed concern that this urban development will create a warmer climate along the corridor and increase flood risks in the region.

References

{{Reflist Geography of Atlanta Geography of Charlotte, North Carolina Geography of Greenville, South Carolina Megapolitan areas of the United States