Britannica describes The Coastal Plain, as the Tidewater. It consists of a low-lying alluvial plain on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay between the Atlantic Ocean and the Fall Line. It is crossed by the Potomac, Rappahannock, York, and James rivers and their tidal estuaries. The Great Dismal Swamp, astride the boundary with North Carolina to the south. Rich with history and natural beauty, the first English settlements in America were founded here beginning with Jamestown in 1607.