[justin230]

I'm sick of Florida & how developers are determined to turn all our small rural towns into cities. Problem here is you'll find a nice small town, & within 20 years it gets all built up. I don't even consider Florida a southern state anymore either. At least to me it don't feel like one.

[EscAlaMike]

Alabama's stretch of beaches is definitely getting more and more development, but it's such a small portion of the state, that it doesn't affect the rest of it much. Florida is surrounded by beaches.

Inland North Florida is still relatively untouched.

A big part of it is just marketing the stereotypes. When Northerners think of the word "Florida", they immediately think of warm weather, beaches, and theme parks. This is not accidental, but a long time conscious effort by Florida's tourism and development industries. When they think of "Alabama", they think of rednecks and poverty. Alabama has made some effort to rebrand itself, but not much, and old habits/stereotypes die hard.

Based on my experience, out of staters who actually visit Alabama find it delightful and beautiful, but the type of tourist who visits Alabama is generally not looking for the same thing as the typical Florida tourist.

As long as that mindset from the rest of the country persists, Florida and Alabama will have different growth dynamics.

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

Originally Posted by FSUMike

Inland North Florida is still relatively untouched.

Agreed. If you want small towns in Florida, get off the beach, and there are plenty of them.

And to answer your question, I see the coast only getting more developed, all along it, from Texas to Maine.

[Saskia Calico]

I don't think Florida has ever been thought of as a typically southern state, even if it is the southernmost one.

The farther south you go in Florida, the less southern it becomes. Northern Florida (except for the beaches) is IMO more "southern" than southern Florida.