East River (New River tributary)

East River
The East River in Hardy, West Virginia
A map of the East River and its watershed
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWest Virginia, Virginia
CountiesMercer, Giles
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationBluefield, West Virginia
 • coordinates37°16′53″N 81°10′31″W / 37.2815066°N 81.1753726°W / 37.2815066; -81.1753726[1]
 • elevation2,304 ft (702 m)[2]
MouthNew River
 • location
Glen Lyn, Virginia
 • coordinates
37°22′26″N 80°52′01″W / 37.3740097°N 80.8670240°W / 37.3740097; -80.8670240[1]
 • elevation
1,489 ft (454 m)[1]
Length24 mi (39 km)
Basin size76.4 sq mi (198 km2)
Basin features
Hydrologic Unit Codes050500020603, 050500020604 (USGS)

The East River is a tributary of the New River, 24 miles (39 km) long,[3] in southern West Virginia and southwestern Virginia in the United States. Via the New, Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 76.4 square miles (198 km2)[4] in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians.

The East River was named for its easterly course.[5] It rises from East River Mountain in Mercer County, West Virginia, in the eastern part of the city of Bluefield, and flows generally east-northeastward through southern Mercer County, generally in parallel to East River Mountain to its south, through the unincorporated communities of Ada, Ingleside, and Hardy; the town of Oakvale; and the unincorporated communities of Kellysville and Willowton. It flows into the New River soon after entering Virginia, in the town of Glen Lyn in Giles County. The stream is paralleled for much of its course upstream of Oakvale by West Virginia Route 112, and downstream of Oakvale by U.S. Route 460.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Geographic Names Information System. "Geographic Names Information System entry for East River (Feature ID #1483219)". Retrieved 2014-03-21.
  2. ^ The National Map elevation for GNIS source coordinates. Retrieved 2014-03-21.
  3. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data downloaded from The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2014-03-21.
  4. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset, area data for East River watershed, 12-digit Hydrologic Unit Codes 050500020603 and 050500020604. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2014-03-21
  5. ^ Kenny, Hamill (1945). West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains. Piedmont, WV: The Place Name Press. p. 221.
  6. ^ The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 2014-03-21