Do you live at sea level or in the mountains? Is your street flat or hilly? How close are you to the nearest stream and river? Where is that river's floodplain? If your neighborhood has lots of hills, do you live on a hillside facing the north or south, or are you on top of a ridge? Photo courtesy of Andrew Fong

Topography describes the physical features of a place, or the terrain, such as mountains, valleys and floodplains. Topography, or the pattern of hills and valleys, slopes and plateaus, influences water drainage, soil erosion, and plant growth. The amount of energy needed to heat or cool your home depends in part on the amount of sunlight that reaches your home site. Topography also directly impacts construction and maintenance of roads or buildings. Photo courtesy

Particularly important to North Carolina residents, are floodplains, or normally dry areas that are susceptible to inundation by a stream, river or lake. When an unusual amount of rain falls, rivers can swell and overflow their banks flooding the flat valley land on either side. Human development in river basins and flood plains can drastically alter the way water flows. Straightening and deepening streams, draining wetlands, building roads or bridges that act as dams all affect the way water flows. A home or business built outside the 100 year flood plain 30 years ago might find itself in the middle of the floodplain today.

Check This Out!

Topo Maps
http://www.topozone.com/states/North Carolina.asp
Click on your county and then choose the map you want to look at. Most are listed by street name or facility name, including by school!

Google Earth
http://earth.google.com
If you haven't downloaded Google Earth yet, you're REALLY missing out. It's free! Once you download it, you can zoom in from a full-Earth view to YOUR house!

NC OneMap
http://www.nconemap.com/
Just click on the NC OneMap logo to launch the program. Once launched, on the left side under the "Query" subheading, click on the mailbox icon. This allows you to type in your address. Enter your address and click the "Find Address" button. A box will come up with X and Y coordinates. Click where it says "GoTo" to zoom in to your address on the map. On the right side of the page are all of the layers you can turn on and off. NC OneMap can show you everything from river basins to elevation, landcover to weather. It's a FANTASTIC resource, and a great place to start learning about your ecological address!


For More Resources

The North Carolina Geological Survey
http://www.geology.enr.state.nc.us/
The North Carolina Geological Survey (NCGS) examines, describes and maps the geology and mineral resources of North Carolina and publishes these findings in NCGS reports and maps. The NCGS administers cooperative geologic mapping agreements with the US Geological Survey, other federal agencies such as the National Park Service, and other state and local government agencies.