The Great Valley is a west-to-east
valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...
through the center of
Chester County, Pennsylvania
Chester County (Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Tscheschter Kaundi''), colloquially known as Chesco, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the Delaware Valley region of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53 ...
, United States. It is also sometimes referred to as Chester Valley,
[''E.g.'', ]Erwin Raisz
Erwin Raisz (1 March 1893, Lőcse, Hungary – 1 December 1968, Bangkok, Thailand) was a Hungary, Hungarian-born American cartographer, best known for his Physical geography, physiographic maps of landforms.
Early life and education
Born in LÅ ...
, ''Landforms of the United States'', 6th rev. ed. 1957. and both names are in use throughout the region. The valley stretches from the
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania. The river was improved by navigations into the Schuylkill Canal, and several of its tributaries drain major parts of Pennsylvania's Coal Region. It f ...
in
Montgomery County in the east, southwesterly through Chester and
Lancaster counties. The valley is most distinct in central Chester County, although traces of it can be followed almost the entire distance between the
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
and
Susquehanna rivers.
Valley Creek flows along the base of eastern Great Valley, towards the Schuylkill River. A second creek, also named Valley Creek, flows westward from
Frazer into the
East Branch Brandywine Creek. Beaver Creek flows eastward along the northern side of the valley from around Thorndale into the East Branch Brandywine Creek. Multiple branches of both the Brandywine and
Octoraro creeks cross the valley.
Communities
Significant communities in the Great Valley include, from east to west,
King of Prussia
The monarchs of Prussia were members of the House of Hohenzollern who were the hereditary rulers of the former German state of Prussia from its founding in 1525 as the Duchy of Prussia. The Duchy had evolved out of the Teutonic Order, a Roman C ...
,
Valley Forge
Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the ...
,
Chesterbrook,
Paoli,
Malvern,
Exton,
Downingtown,
Thorndale,
Coatesville,
Parkesburg, and
Atglen.
Transportation
The Great Valley forms a natural route to the west from the Philadelphia area. Both the
Pennsylvania Turnpike
The Pennsylvania Turnpike (Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike) is a toll highway operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. A controlled-access highway, it runs for across the state. The turnpike's w ...
and
U.S. Route 202
U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a spur route of US 2. It follows a northeasterly and southwesterly direction stretching from Delaware to Maine, also traveling through the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massa ...
follow the eastern portion of the valley.
U.S. Route 30
U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...
enters the valley around
Malvern and serves as the main thoroughfare in the valley as far west as
Coatesville, where
Pennsylvania Route 372
Pennsylvania Route 372 (PA 372) is an east–west highway in York County, PA, York, Lancaster County, PA, Lancaster, and Chester County, PA, Chester counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Its western terminus is at Pennsylvania Route 74, ...
becomes the main road along the valley to its western end. The Great Valley is also served by
Amtrak's Keystone Service and
SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale Line rail service for much of its length.
This Great Valley is near and parallel to, but distinct from, the
Great Appalachian Valley
The Great Appalachian Valley, also called The Great Valley or Great Valley Region, is one of the major landform features of eastern North America. It is a gigantic trough—a chain of valley lowlands—and the central feature of the Appalachian M ...
.
References
External links
*
{{Pennsylvania
Landforms of Chester County, Pennsylvania
Landforms of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Landforms of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Valleys of Pennsylvania