Gulf Coast | |
---|---|
Country | United States |
States | Alabama Florida Louisiana Mississippi Texas |
Principal cities | Houston Tampa Mobile New Orleans Pensacola Gulfport Tallahassee |
Largest city | Houston |
Largest metropolitan area | Greater Houston |
Population | |
• Total | 64,008,345[1] |
The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South or the South Coast, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, and these are known as the Gulf States.[2]
The economy of the Gulf Coast area is dominated by industries related to energy, petrochemicals, fishing, aerospace, agriculture, and tourism. The large cities of the region are (from west to east) Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Houston, Galveston, Beaumont, Lake Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Gulfport, Biloxi, Mobile, Pensacola, Panama City, St. Petersburg, and Tampa. All are the centers or major cities of their respective metropolitan areas and many of which contain large ports.