Seven of the top 50 U.S. foreign trade freight gateways are located in the six-state region that is being studied as the Piedmont Atlantic MegaRegion, or PAM (PAM includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee).

These seven major gateways include the airports in Atlanta and Miami, as well as the ports of Charleston, Savannah, Miami, and Jacksonville. Combined, PAM gateways handled more than $167 billion in freight in 2004, up from $140 billion in 2003.*

The role of sea ports and airports in the economic competitiveness of the region has recently attracted the attention of land developers seeking to capitalize on the increasing importance of shipping, especially from China. A recent Atlanta Business Chronicle article names several large developers tapping into an emerging industrial market in growing port cities, especially Savannah.**

Researchers studying the Piedmont Atlantic MegaRegion are considering multi-state efforts to address specific opportunities and challenges, like the importance of gateway cities to the entire region. During the PAM Symposium held on January 30, 2006, almost 100 representatives of the six states discussed the MegaRegions concepts. Many symposium participants identified economic competitiveness and infrastructure as critical issues for the region.

* Bureau of Transportation Statistics
** Long, Bryan. "Beating a path to Savannah." Atlanta Business Chronicle. Jan. 20, 2006.