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Which one is your personal favorite between the Gulf Coast(Florida over to Texas) or the southern Atlantic Coast(Virginia down to Florida) in terms of :
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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In the state of Florida, I like the Gulf Beaches a little more with emerald green water and powder white sand beaches. Nice and laid back over on that side, good for a relaxing vacation. I'd like to see more of the Gulf Coast up by the Florida Panhandle/AL/MS, and on over to New Orleans.
The Atlantic side is pretty good too though. The Outer Banks in North Carolina are some of the nicest, cleanest, and most beautiful beaches I've seen anywhere, and I've seen a lot of beaches. I can't decide which coast I like better.
Fore now I can only comment on beaches. I need to see more of the Gulf Coast and as far as cities go, I still have New Orleans on the bucket list.
Last edited by Champ le monstre du lac; 12-11-2013 at 07:58 PM..
I'm partial to the South Atlantic Coast, but I dig the Gulf Coast also. They are two distinct parts of a larger region, so they have similar characteristics in some respects and unique markers in others. Trying to be objective here:
Beaches: I know the Gulf Coast beaches in Alabama and Florida are very pretty with the white sand and pretty water, but to the west of there over to Texas, I don't think the beaches are much to write home about from what I've read. For the South Atlantic, the Florida beaches are gorgeous, the GA and SC beaches are so-so, and they tend to improve from NC to VA. I think the South Atlantic beaches also give you more wave action, so I think I'd give the edge here to the South Atlantic.
Food: The Gulf Coast is noted for its cuisine, especially NOLA. For the South Atlantic, you've got Charleston, Savannah, and Miami. I know many would give this to the Gulf Coast just for NOLA, but I don't know...could wind up being a tie overall.
Cities: For the Gulf Coast, you've got Corpus Christi, Houston, Galveston, New Orleans, Biloxi, Gulfport, Mobile, Pensacola, Panama City, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Fort Myers, Cape Coral. For the South Atlantic coast, you've got Hampton Roads, Wilmington, Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Beaufort/Hilton Head, Savannah, Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach, Miami. This one might be a tie also.
Climate: Seems like the Gulf Coast is more humid and muggy. Not sure of that though.
People: Eh, tie.
Throwing some other categories out there...the Gulf Coast wins on higher ed, mainly with Rice and Tulane. Infrastructure would be an interesting category, if you included ports, highways, transit, etc. I know Houston's and NOLA's ports are beasts in their own right, and I'm sure Mobile's and Tampa's boast respectable numbers, but I wonder how they all stack up to Hampton Roads, Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville, and Miami? As far as transit goes, Houston has light rail (which is undergoing expansion) and NOLA has vintage streetcars. On the South Atlantic coast, Savannah has vintage streetcars (not nearly as extensive as NOLA's though), Miami has Metromover, Jacksonville has the Skyway (the last two being people movers), south Florida has Tri-Rail (commuter rail) and Hampton Roads has light rail. I think the South Atlantic coast probably wins this, but not by much. For economy, the Gulf Coast would win this for Houston alone.
Cities: For the Gulf Coast, you've got Corpus Christi, Houston, Galveston, New Orleans, Biloxi, Gulfport, Mobile, Pensacola, Panama City, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Fort Myers, Cape Coral. For the South Atlantic coast, you've got Hampton Roads, Wilmington, Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Beaufort/Hilton Head, Savannah, Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach, Miami. This one might be a tie also.
Throwing some other categories out there...the Gulf Coast wins on higher ed, mainly with Rice and Tulane. Infrastructure would be an interesting category, if you included ports, highways, transit, etc. I know Houston's and NOLA's ports are beasts in their own right, and I'm sure Mobile's and Tampa's boast respectable numbers, but I wonder how they all stack up to Hampton Roads, Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville, and Miami? As far as transit goes, Houston has light rail (which is undergoing expansion) and NOLA has vintage streetcars. On the South Atlantic coast, Savannah has vintage streetcars (not nearly as extensive as NOLA's though), Miami has Metromover, Jacksonville has the Skyway (the last two being people movers), south Florida has Tri-Rail (commuter rail) and Hampton Roads has light rail. I think the South Atlantic coast probably wins this, but not by much. For economy, the Gulf Coast would win this for Houston alone.
Strange you mention Panama and Gulfport but not Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Lake Charles.
Port of Mobile is ranked 12th in total tonnage, one spot behind Miami.
Strange you mention Panama and Gulfport but not Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Lake Charles.
Port of Mobile is ranked 12th in total tonnage, one spot behind Miami.
For the most part, I was wanting to list a sizable and/or notable city or two from every state that actually touches the coast (Neither Gulfport or Biloxi are sizable or notable, but I just wanted to give MS some representation).
Beaches: The NC coast is probably the best on the South Atlantic. NC has done more to maintain the natural integrity of their coastline than other states. Jetties, groins, and other structures are illegal so most of the coastline is open and natural. High Rise development is also not as extensive along the NC coast as it is in other Atlantic states. The Florida and Alabama coasts are the prettiest on the Gulf because of the sugary white sand. Because of the silt drainage from the Mississippi River the sand gets much darker on the Mississippi and LA coasts, which doesn't necessarily affect the quality of the beach..just ascetics. The beaches of Texas have never impressed me very much..always had a dumpy vibe to them, but that's just my 2 cents.
Food: With the Cajun culture, the Gulf has more variety in food.
Climate: About the same. Humidity I believe is worse along the Gulf (or it feels that way). The NC and VA coasts can get down right cold in the winter, especially with a prevalent north wind.
People: Kinda depends. Culturally it's all the South (with the exception of South Florida) so you'll be treated nice pretty much everywhere you go. A great number of people from the Northeast vacation along the Outer Banks and Florida, so you might find more attitude in those places, but not enough to make or break spending time there.
Beaches- easily the Atlantic coast. Basically from New Jersey all the way down to Miami finds long stretches of public beaches with lots of great resorts. But in terms of the southeastern coast, you have Virginia Beach, the Outer Banks, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Tybee Island, and of course almost 400 miles of Atlantic Florida beaches. On the Gulf side, Florida's and Texas from Corpus Christi on down have just as good beaches, but I find the SE Texas, LA, MS, and to a lesser degree AL's beaches to be murkier thanks to the oil wells and the runoff from the Mississippi.
Food- Gulf Coast. With Tex-Mex, BBQ, Cajun, and Creole compared to the more whitebread southern cuisine on the Atlantic side with the exception of Florida's Cuban, there's lots more exciting food found on the Gulf side.
Cities- A draw. Both Houston and Miami provide world-class culture, with Houston more diversified and Miami focusing more on the Latino and tourism markets. You have Galveston, New Orleans and Mobile on the Gulf side for historic southern charm while you have Wilmington, Charleston and Savannah on the Atlantic side.
Climate- Atlantic Coast. The Gulf Coast is not only consistantly hot/humid with long summers, but are more prone to hurricane damage and can even have some occassionally chilly winter days due to the lack of mountains. Coastal SC, GA and north FL is among the best that there is to offer with mild winters, pleasant springs and falls, cooling summer seabreezes/thunderstorms, and tropical storms that tend to impact more to their north in NC or south in central/south FL.
People- For real southern hospitality, head for the Gulf coast. Plus you'll find the friendly and cool Louisiana culture and Texas attitude. I find the Atlantic side to have the more sterile "New South" types in addition to the occassional transplants/vacationers from the Northeast, though mixed with regular Old South folks, though they tend to not be quite as engaging as those on the Gulf side.
Food: With the Cajun culture, the Gulf has more variety in food.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Borntoolate85
Food- Gulf Coast. With Tex-Mex, BBQ, Cajun, and Creole compared to the more whitebread southern cuisine on the Atlantic side with the exception of Florida's Cuban, there's lots more exciting food found on the Gulf side.
Seems that you guys aren't giving the South Atlantic coast its due with the Gullah/Lowcountry cuisine in SC and GA here, which is basically its version of Creole cuisine. I'm not saying it wins this category, but it's being sold short.
Beaches: The NC coast is probably the best on the South Atlantic. NC has done more to maintain the natural integrity of their coastline than other states. Jetties, groins, and other structures are illegal so most of the coastline is open and natural. High Rise development is also not as extensive along the NC coast as it is in other Atlantic states. The Florida and Alabama coasts are the prettiest on the Gulf because of the sugary white sand. Because of the silt drainage from the Mississippi River the sand gets much darker on the Mississippi and LA coasts, which doesn't necessarily affect the quality of the beach..just ascetics. The beaches of Texas have never impressed me very much..always had a dumpy vibe to them, but that's just my 2 cents.
Food: With the Cajun culture, the Gulf has more variety in food.
Climate: About the same. Humidity I believe is worse along the Gulf (or it feels that way). The NC and VA coasts can get down right cold in the winter, especially with a prevalent north wind.
People: Kinda depends. Culturally it's all the South (with the exception of South Florida) so you'll be treated nice pretty much everywhere you go. A great number of people from the Northeast vacation along the Outer Banks and Florida, so you might find more attitude in those places, but not enough to make or break spending time there.
Does Louisiana even have beaches? Because I heard its mostly swamp and marshland along the coast, with the exception of Grand Isle. Texas Beaches are not all dumpy, especially Padre, which has very clear water.
Also, Texas isn't really the south. It's more of a "western" appeal.
Beaches- easily the Atlantic coast. Basically from New Jersey all the way down to Miami finds long stretches of public beaches with lots of great resorts. But in terms of the southeastern coast, you have Virginia Beach, the Outer Banks, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Tybee Island, and of course almost 400 miles of Atlantic Florida beaches. On the Gulf side, Florida's and Texas from Corpus Christi on down have just as good beaches, but I find the SE Texas, LA, MS, and to a lesser degree AL's beaches to be murkier thanks to the oil wells and the runoff from the Mississippi.
Food- Gulf Coast. With Tex-Mex, BBQ, Cajun, and Creole compared to the more whitebread southern cuisine on the Atlantic side with the exception of Florida's Cuban, there's lots more exciting food found on the Gulf side.
Cities- A draw. Both Houston and Miami provide world-class culture, with Houston more diversified and Miami focusing more on the Latino and tourism markets. You have Galveston, New Orleans and Mobile on the Gulf side for historic southern charm while you have Wilmington, Charleston and Savannah on the Atlantic side.
Climate- Atlantic Coast. The Gulf Coast is not only consistantly hot/humid with long summers, but are more prone to hurricane damage and can even have some occassionally chilly winter days due to the lack of mountains. Coastal SC, GA and north FL is among the best that there is to offer with mild winters, pleasant springs and falls, cooling summer seabreezes/thunderstorms, and tropical storms that tend to impact more to their north in NC or south in central/south FL.
People- For real southern hospitality, head for the Gulf coast. Plus you'll find the friendly and cool Louisiana culture and Texas attitude. I find the Atlantic side to have the more sterile "New South" types in addition to the occassional transplants/vacationers from the Northeast, though mixed with regular Old South folks, though they tend to not be quite as engaging as those on the Gulf side.
You are wrong about the climate. Nowhere on the Atlantic Coast, with the exception of Central and South Florida, has a warmer, less freeze prone climate than the Gulf Coast. Despite the supposed disadvantage of no mountains, everywhere on the Gulf Coast averages less freeze days, and has a longer growing season than the Atlantic Coast from Georgia to South Carolina. Coastal SC , even in the southern portions like Charleston, have average winter lows in the 30s, and sees nearly 30 days with frost and freeze. Savannah Georgia averages over 20 nights with frost and freeze. People seriously underestimate how much of a subtropical paradise the Gulf Coast is.
As for hurricanes, everywhere on the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts is capable of getting them. But it doesn't matter, with hurricanes, you can make preparations.
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