Gulf States
Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and are known as the Gulf States.
Although many people have retired to these areas, the threat of hurricanes has led many others to seek other year-round destinations.
Further from the coast, there are nice retirement communities, such as San Antonio, and many other towns in the other states.
The economy is founded in the petro-chemical industry, but agriculture, aerospace, biomedical research, and tourism, make up most of the rest of the economy.
The nice weather in the winter months, have attracted many 'snowbirds' to winter here as well. So like Arizona, many retirees live here for part of the year only.
These temporary residents coupled with winter tourist, are a major factor in the winter economy, particularly along the coasts of Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle.
The Gulf Coast is made of many inlets, bays, and lagoons. The coast is also intersected by numerous rivers, the largest of which is the Mississippi River. Much of the land along the Gulf Coast is, or was, marshland. These landforms protect numerous bays and inlets providing as a barrier to oncoming waves. The central part of the Gulf Coast, from eastern Texas through Louisiana, consists primarily of marshland. The eastern part of the Gulf Coast, predominantly Florida, is dotted with many bays and inlets.
Climate
Due to the Gulf's proximity to the subtropical waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf Coast area is vulnerable to hurricanes as well as floods and severe thunderstorms. Tornadoes are infrequent at the coast but do occur, however the frequency at which they occur in inland portions of Gulf Coast states is much greater.