How might geography have shaped the location of major metropolitan areas in the United States?

The geography played a crucial role in the establishing of the major cities of the United States. Most of the major cities are located along the coastline or very close to it. The reason for this is that they had access to the sea so they were able to trade overseas, exploit the sea, and have economic development. The climate was also much better along the coastline so naturally the people wanted to live there. Also, multiple major cities have been located along major water bodies, such as large, navigable rivers, or large lakes. The reason for this was that the water bodies were providing freshwater, irrigation water, lot of resources, and made it easy for traveling and transportation. The major mountains, the interior of the country, and the deserts mostly lack large metropolitan areas, with the main reasons being that there is not enough water, they didn't had god connectivity in the past, and the climate conditions are not very pleasant.