The Foothills is a region of transitional terrain between the Piedmont Plateau and the Appalachian Mountains, extending from the lower edge of the Blue Ridge escarpment into the upper Catawba, Yadkin, Broad, Saluda, and Savannah River valleys. The eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge drop sharply to the foothills section, going from 3500-4000 feet (1,000-1,200 m) at the top to only 1000-1500 feet at the base. The foothills region contains numerous lower peaks and isolated mountain ranges such as the South Mountains, Brushy Mountains, and Stone Mountain State Park. The foothills are divided into many small river and creek valleys that contain much of the region's population. Although no large cities are located in the foothills, the region does contain many small towns; the towns often developed around a single industry such as furniture or textiles. As these industries steadily moved to low-wage markets in Asia and Latin America since 1990, the foothills towns that depended upon them have often suffered from job and population loss; some of these towns are developing a new economy based on tourism and catering to affluent retirees who have settled in the region. Many farmers in the northern foothills are poultry farmers as well, and winemaking and vineyards are growing in popularity. Among the towns of the foothills region in North Carolina are Tryon, Columbus, Chimney Rock, Lake Lure, Forest City, Rutherfordton, Spindale, Mount Airy, Elkin, and Marion and the cities of North Wilkesboro, Wilkesboro, Hickory, Lenoir, Shelby, and Morganton.The southern mountains refer to counties bordering South Carolina. Hendersonville, Brevard, and Columbus are in this area.