Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Actually it isn't really that, the OP highlighted that himself when he stated that certain segments of the population don't view it as a real coast or neglect it:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70
There is so much talk of the East and West Coast, and also the "coastal elite" or "which coast do you like better" and it sounds like many people either overlook the Gulf Coast or don't consider it to be a real coast.
What people view as real or not is insignificant to actual facts. The fact is that it is apart of the ocean. What people say in their own personal opinion for it is not relevant towards its official classification.
There are a whole lot of people that think the Earth is flat. They're allowed to think that, America is a free country, but it doesn't mean that it is a fact and it doesn't mean that they don't look stupid saying that out loud. All any of this proves is that there are some stupid people out there. Sometimes I wonder how so many of these uneducated people even land jobs or build careers for a living.
Actually it isn't really that, the OP highlighted that himself when he stated that certain segments of the population don't view it as a real coast or neglect it:
What people view as real or not is insignificant to actual facts. The fact is that it is apart of the ocean. What people say in their own personal opinion for it is not relevant towards its official classification.
There are a whole lot of people that think the Earth is flat. They're allowed to think that, America is a free country, but it doesn't mean that it is a fact and it doesn't mean that they don't look stupid saying that out loud. All any of this proves is that there are some stupid people out there. Sometimes I wonder how so many of these uneducated people even land jobs or build careers for a living.
It's obvious that his real question is "Why is the phrase 'the coasts' typically exclusive of the Gulf Coast?" People who keep responding that this is a "stupid" or "weird" question would understand this if they took the time to read the original post.
People who keep responding that this is a "stupid" or "weird" question would understand this if they took the time to read the original post.
Not at all. People aren't wrong to respond the way they have and frankly it is warranted. If the OP is really asking the question that you say he is asking, then why is it that you've done a better job at writing out that question than even the OP in his own discussion?
That's because he constructed the premise of his thread poorly. There is no singular line of thought and unless you write things out for people, they may or may not get it. This is a forum, not real life where people can explain things more vividly and much more quickly. Things online develop more slowly than they would in person. So context is relevant here. Not everyone reads things the same way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mutiny77
It's obvious that his real question is "Why is the phrase 'the coasts' typically exclusive of the Gulf Coast?"
Political, economical, and cultural.
The coasts is a reference to a hard left skewing political culture, a creative class economy that innovates entire industries, and cultural characteristics (in the 1990s it was dotted by the Hip Hop battle and fashion sense of the Northeast versus the West Coast).
It's the same question as how places like North Carolina and South Carolina are on the Atlantic and officially are the East Coast but when someone is culturally, socially, politically, and economically referring to the East Coast they are simply talking about the Northeast Corridor and Southeast Florida (the Miami/Fort Lauderdale Metropolis). On one hand, there is a very real coastline to the ocean in these Southern states, but on the other hand the term "coast" as it is used in that instance is being referenced for more than just the physical attribute but instead the cultural, economical, social, and political ones. It's also why we call Washington D.C. and the DMV "the East Coast" even though the entire metropolitan area is inland and quite a drive from the Atlantic. It is being called East Coast due to those cultural, political, and economical aspects not the physical one.
In that same regard, obviously yeah, the Gulf Coast is a very real coast as it is apart of the ocean and has all the physical coastal attributes of a coastal region (seafood, piers, boardwalks, beaches, resorts, cruise terminals, seaports, marine life, coastal natural disasters, coastal breeze, coastal sports, so on and so forth) but it is excluded from "the coasts" because of those cultural, political, and economical differences. The Southern Atlantic states, save for maybe Florida, are as well for that reason in popular culture. Even though they are officially the East Coast and to any educated person should be recognized as such. Same goes with the Gulf Coast, but in the end these things don't really matter on a day-to-day operational basis for most people. In the blogosphere, I guess.
Not at all. People aren't wrong to respond the way they have and frankly it is warranted. If the OP is really asking the question that you say he is asking, then why is it that you've done a better job at writing out that question than even the OP in his own discussion?
That's because he constructed the premise of his thread poorly. There is no singular line of thought and unless you write things out for people, they may or may not get it. This is a forum, not real life where people can explain things more vividly and much more quickly. Things online develop more slowly than they would in person. So context is relevant here. Not everyone reads things the same way.
People often comment on these threads without reading the original post; it literally happens all the time, so I think the issue is the actual subject of the thread. He could have kept his original post the same, but if the subject were "Why does the phrase 'the coasts' usually exclude the Gulf Coast?," I guarantee you you wouldn't see all these other posts about how the question is weird or dumb or whatever.
I still don't know what the hell you guys are talking about lol, I grew up in the Northeast, and I wasn't really into beaches until I moved to the South. The only Major Cities to have a STRONG beach culture, are Miami and LA. But The Gulf Coast has a beach culture, and it's completly different from the East and West. From my experience, the GC Beach Culture is much more party oriented; South Padre, Hangout Fest in Gulf Shores, Spring Break Panama City, Black Beach in Biloxi, etc.
Indeed the Northeast beach culture isn't the strongest in the country, and the beaches there aren't the most ideal. But, the beach culture there is still prominent enough for an entire scene to present itself around with (see: Jersey Shore reality TV series). Even ignoring beach culture specifically, there is still the dominant coastal atmosphere given the scale of the BosWash corridor (with the largest city of the corridor, as well as the country, being right on the Atlantic shores).
And even going further to limit to just LA and Miami having strong beach cultures, it still ends up being that both the West and East coast have cities with STRONG beach cultures (as you put it), while the Gulf does not.
It's obvious that his real question is "Why is the phrase 'the coasts' typically exclusive of the Gulf Coast?" People who keep responding that this is a "stupid" or "weird" question would understand this if they took the time to read the original post.
I mean it's pretty self explanatory. It's cultural and political. "The Coasts" are where the big elite cities are. The Gulf coast doesn't have the major cities or the coastal elite culture so regardless of your political persuasion no one want to categorize them together.
Indeed the Northeast beach culture isn't the strongest in the country, and the beaches there aren't the most ideal. But, the beach culture there is still prominent enough for an entire scene to present itself around with (see: Jersey Shore reality TV series). Even ignoring beach culture specifically, there is still the dominant coastal atmosphere given the scale of the BosWash corridor (with the largest city of the corridor, as well as the country, being right on the Atlantic shores).
And even going further to limit to just LA and Miami having strong beach cultures, it still ends up being that both the West and East coast have cities with STRONG beach cultures (as you put it), while the Gulf does not.
Well, you didn't even include the Tampa Bay area in your "major cities" of the Gulf Coast, so I assume that you're just speaking for NOLA west.
Growing up on the Gulf Coast of FL, I totally disagree. Beach culture is the draw to all the major central and SW coastal metro areas in FL. Clearwater, St. Pete, Sarasota, Ft. Myers, Naples- the whole region is known worldwide for its beautiful white sandy beaches, and the areas are far from uninhabited. They may not be as frequently represented by pop culture, but that's probably a good thing. Plenty of people are aware of them, and it's more of a retirement and high dollar destination.
Maybe you TX folks are speaking for just TX; I don't know. But people living near the coast from Tampa to Ft. Myers don't consider themselves part of the south and identify more as coastal. The Greater Tampa Bay area is 4 million+ (including Sarasota) and the 11th largest media market in the country- and closely connected via the I-4 corridor to another 2 million+ metro area and some of the biggest tourist destinations in the world. Not global elites as far as cities go, but far from some backwater and not what I've ever imagined when I hear the term flyover country.
I would posit that the term "Gulf Coast" means different things to different people, and isn't a one-size fits all term. The culture of the Gulf Beaches on the peninsular part of the state is much more like what people elsewhere generalize as "Florida" and the ultimately the East Coast than it is like the Redneck Riviera, Bayou Country, or the TX shore.
Last edited by bartonizer; 09-11-2017 at 06:11 PM..
No. I don't consider the Gulf Coast an actual coast. I consider it a mountain region. I mean sure. There's water. But if you use your imagination, you will see a mountain range that resembles the Rocky Mountains.
Growing up on the Gulf Coast of FL, I totally disagree. Beach culture is the draw to all the major central and SW coastal metro areas in FL. Clearwater, St. Pete, Sarasota, Ft. Myers, Naples- the whole region is known worldwide for its beautiful white sandy beaches, and the areas are far from uninhabited. They may not be as frequently represented by pop culture, but that's probably a good thing. Plenty of people are aware of them, and it's more of a retirement and high dollar destination.
But people living near the coast from Tampa to Ft. Myers don't consider themselves part of the south and identify more as coastal. The Greater Tampa Bay area is 4 million+ (including Sarasota) and the 11th largest media market in the country- and closely connected via the I-4 corridor to another 2 million+ metro area and some of the biggest tourist destinations in the world. Not global elites as far as cities go, but far from some backwater and not what I've ever imagined when I hear the term flyover country.
I would posit that the term "Gulf Coast" means different things to different people, and isn't a one-size fits all term. The culture of the Gulf Beaches on the peninsular part of the state is much more like what people elsewhere generalize as "Florida" and the ultimately the East Coast than it is like the Redneck Riviera, Bayou Country, or the TX shore.
Nowhere on the Gulf Coast has a truly defined, identifiable "beach scene." Sure, lots of popular, beautiful beaches all over the coast which draw tourist, but there just isn't some sort of large-scale brand and culture associated with the Gulf Coast beaches. This applies even to those sugar-white sand beaches on the FL Panhandle.
For example, the West Coast beach scene, centered on Los Angeles, has spawned entire TV shows, clothing lines (see: Hollister, TheHundreds, etc) well known across the US. You just don't have that from the Gulf yet.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
