The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered to stretch across the Southeast and Southwest. This region has seen substantial population growth since the 1960s from an influx of people seeking a warm and sunny climate, a surge in retiring baby boomers, and growing economic opportunities.

Sun Belt Region

The Sun Belt comprises the southern tier of the United States, including the states of Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, South Carolina, Texas, roughly two-thirds of California (up to Sacramento), and parts of Arkansas, North Carolina, Nevada, and Oklahoma.

The main defining feature of the Sun Belt is its warm climate, with extended summers and brief, relatively mild winters. Within the region, semi-desert (California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas), Mediterranean (California), humid subtropical (Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina), and tropical (Florida) climates can be found.

Jobs & Industries

Industries such as aerospace, defense, and oil boomed in the Sun Belt as companies took advantage of the low involvement of labor unions in the region and the proximity of military installations that were major consumers of their products.

The oil industry helped propel states such as Texas and Louisiana forward, and tourism grew in Florida and Southern California. Moreover, high-tech driven new economy have been major drivers of growth in California, Florida, and Texas. Texas and California rank among the top five states in the nation with the most Fortune 500 companies

Quick Fact: Texas and California rank among the top 5 states in the nation with the most Fortune 500 companies. Lot’s of jobs here for sure.

Sand States

Five of the states — Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, and Texas — are sometimes collectively called the Sand States because of their abundance of beaches or deserts.

Factors such as the warmer climate, the migration of workers from Mexico, and a boom in the agriculture industry allowed the southern third of the United States to grow economically. The climate spurred not only agricultural growth, but also the migration of many retirees to retirement communities in the region, especially in Florida and Arizona.

Environment

The environment in the belt is extremely valuable, not only to local and state governments but to the federal government. Eight of the ten states have extremely high biodiversity (ranging from 3,800 to 6,700 species, not including marine life).

Sun Belt Distinct Ecosystems

Chaparral

Deciduous

Desert

Grasslands

Tropical rainforest

Wild Life

Some of the endangered species live in the sun belt, such as:

American Crocodile

Black-capped Vireo

California condor

Florida panther

Red-cockaded woodpecker

Longleaf Pine

Sun Belt Cities

Los Angeles

Dallas

Houston

Miami

Atlanta

Tampa

Phoenix

San Diego

Charlotte

Orlando

Las Vegas

San Jose

August 24, 2017 4:48 pm Published by Salil Jha