Why So Few Americans Live Along The Gulf Coast Of The United States

The Gulf Coast of the United States is a beautiful area with miles of beaches and weather that most regions of the world would love. Despite this, a large section in the middle of the Gulf Coast has very low population compared to Texas and southern Florida. And there's a reason for that!

Some footage from the Prelinger Archives, all of which is public domain.

[willdickinson]

I'm from the MS gulf coast and let me tell you. Summer lasts 8 months and from June to August it's painful to walk outside. It's not like arid heat where you can get under some shade and it makes a world of difference. Shade during the summer here basically does nothing it feels like you're being steamed.

[bigrich]

I’m 67 and have lived on the Northern Gulf Coast (Mobile and Pensacola) my whole life. The summers can be brutal here for non-natives who aren’t used to it. A Yankee friend of mine came down and went fishing with me a few years ago. He said he felt like he was going to die from the heat and humidity. Now, he’ll only visit in spring and fall. Our winters on the Northern Gulf Coast are not necessarily mild like the Southern Gulf Coast of Florida. Last winter we had several days with night time temps in the 20s. But none of that is as detrimental to growth as the insurance problem we have. Due to the regularity of hurricanes, wind insurance can be prohibitively expensive. My wind insurance is $8000 a year. Wind in most Florida communities is a separate policy and the deductible is a percentage of your property value, so your deductible can be exorbitant. My homeowners is another $2500 a year, so over $10, 000 a year for wind and homeowners insurance. Now, the further inland one resides the less it can be, but I’m assuming your description of, “Gulf Coast, ” means closer to the actual coast. Insurance is a really big deal for this part of the world. I’m currently living without wind insurance because I paid off my mortgage and it was no longer required, but it’s a huge risk on my part. One good hurricane and I could be homeless. That’s a pretty good incentive to live somewhere else.

[doug]

Lived and worked in the heat and humidity in Pensacola, FL since 60s. Moved away many times and always returned. It's my home and I love it.
Doug Curled, age 72

[CrossingTalkAdmin]

I don't know too many people who "beg" for gulf coast weather. Maybe in the middle of winter North Dakotans want it to be 60° like it is down there, but the summers are downright miserable and they seem to drag on forever.

[fatmanvidz]

I'm from Houma, LA. I think one problem aside from the insane humidity and threat of hurricanes, is government corruption (in Louisiana at least. I can't speak for the rest of the region), and the fact that the only major tourist destination is New Orleans. The oilfield industry is the only real job you can get without a college degree, and nobody truly wants to work out there.

[robloxvids]

"If you don't mind the humidity" is the understatement of the year. I live in Houston. The Gulf coast from here to the tip of Florida get an ungodly amount of rain. And sometimes when it's not raining the sky looks like it will start pouring all day long. And the heat is brutal. Mixing the two plus tossing in "the occasional" tropical storm, like you say, is almost unbearable. At 4am here in August it's over 80 outside. You can't escape the heat and humidity for MONTHS. The only reason I live here is family and good economy.

[rotcoke]

It's super underrated. The coastline itself does not really get pretty until you hit Alabama. Everything west of Mobile bay is fairly dirty because of the way the Mississippi river breaks up into a delta, but there is a stretch of beautiful beach about 100 miles long from Gulf Shores, AL to Panama City, FL where the sand is brilliant white and baby powder soft. It is fairly developed for the most part, but the properties are considerably cheaper than other parts of the country. There are even a few places where you can still buy land on the ocean and build a dream home. Many people from the south call it the Redneck Riviera.

[Hypersonicmind]

Five years ago, i had to stop over in Houston on flight back to Virginia.
There was a storm that night forming in the Gulf, and i was lucky enough to sit on the right side of the plane in a window seat. The spectacle was beyond description. The interplay of cloud to cloud lightning at vast scales was both eerie and humbling. i don't think ppl can appreciate the absolute volume of wet, hot and angry air that can spin up in that hurricane hatchery we call the Gulf.

[ever]

I'm from the Gulf Coast so I have a lot of opinions of this. Firstly, New Orleans and Gulf Coast MS have prioritized hospitality and service industries jobs in terms of economic growth. They've done this instead of focusing on manufacturing and/or tech hub jobs. And the hospitality industry is so volatile that it can't sustain a city or region, especially when some sort of event, like a hurricane or Covid, takes place. I don't think it's some big coincidence that crime in New Orleans has skyrocketed since Covid. NOBODY had a job in the city. Sure, crime increased everywhere in 2020, but New Orleans is now number 1 in terms of crime.

[caseyflorida]

Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are now getting way more destructive tornadoes than they used to. Look what happened in Mississippi last Friday.

[USAR]

I remember doing Army training in the dead of summer late July-late August 2009 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. The most brutal humidity I've ever felt in my life. Our barracks had no AC and it was miserable, 90 degrees at 0500 wakeup and sweat already pouring off of you. I deployed to Iraq a year later and the dry desert heat in the 110-125 degree range was actually more tolerable than the 90-100 with humidity in Mississippi. I actually had spent a lot of time in the south during my time in the Army too (Fort Benning, Bragg, and Polk) so I wasn't totally unaccustomed to southern heat, but what I went through in Mississippi that summer was brutal. We actually had a lot of guys who passed out as heat casualties, more than I ever saw in Georgia or North Carolina. All the respect in the world to people who live down there and endure that humidity. I'll take the snow and no humidity in the midwest over that any day haha

[miliba]

Number 1 reason:
A particular swampdweller shouting "THIS IS MY SWAMP"!!

[patrickdinwiddie]

I’m original from NOLA, but just one note here, Geoff, Mobile is pronounced “Mobeel”. It’s actually yet another town with French roots in this area. Just wanted to share. Thx.

[abdlextra]

As someone from New Orleans this was a pretty fascinating watch. However, the weather is actually brutal here. The hottest parts of summer are intolerable and temperature changes feel much more extreme here because of the humidity. Not to mention the hurricanes. You're spot on about the infrastructure though. I think New Orleans is legitimately the greatest city in America though. I wish it was possible for all of the economic and systemic problems here to get fixed.

[ScterNut]

I was just on the Gulf Coast 3 days ago. I absolutely love that region.

[ernestsmith]

The actual Gulf Coast region is much narrower than your map indicates, extending only 25-50 miles inland in that area. Beyond those few miles, you're back into Eastern Forest, just like the rest of the State. Like most have stated, the frequency of hurricanes is the number one deterrent to human population growth. It's a beautiful retirement area, or would be if Biloxi/Gulfport/Mobile concentrated their effort to improve the quality and reputation of their health care facilities.

[arrynnova]

as someone who’s spent countless summers there let me give you an unabridged list. HEAT, TORNADOES, HURRICANES, humidity that would choke a horse, lack of equal education, and the bugs are effing massive!

[RickS.C.]

Cool video idea: Why most of central and northern Maine is underpopulated compared to its New England neighbors to the west?

[JohnGarnerIII]

Am moving there this summer. Spent every summer going there and the beaches are amazing. The people friendly and homes affordable. The gulf coast is Amazing

[CytoplasmicGoo]

I think you should also include that the weather down there is barely within the spectrum of tolerable during the summer months. I've had the pleasure of visiting the area, and while the people, food, culture, and scenery were amazing, the extreme heat and humidity made me immediately homesick.