 The Tidewater is a coastal plain between the Atlantic coast and the fall line . It includes the Eastern Shore and major estuaries of Chesapeake Bay . The Piedmont is a series of sedimentary and igneous rock @-@ based foothills east of the mountains which were formed in the Mesozoic era . The region , known for its heavy clay soil , includes the Southwest Mountains around Charlottesville . The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the Appalachian Mountains with the highest points in the state , the tallest being Mount Rogers at 5 @,@ 729 feet ( 1 @,@ 746 m ) . The Ridge and Valley region is west of the mountains and includes the Great Appalachian Valley . The region is carbonate rock based and includes Massanutten Mountain . The Cumberland Plateau and the Cumberland Mountains are in the southwest corner of Virginia , south of the Allegheny Plateau . In this region , rivers flow northwest , with a dendritic drainage system , into the Ohio River basin . 
