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Then why is Florida's gulf coast such a dud economically? All that coastline and not much to talk about.
There's a large metro on FL's Gulf Coast where you'd naturally expect one due to an advantageous geographical feature. Outside of that, it's pretty much all retirees and tourists. Although not quite on the Gulf Coast, I think Tallahassee had the potential to be something like the Research Triangle if state leaders had some vision.
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Why have coastal cities in MS and AL never really been able to gain any name recognition?
I'd say Mobile has some name recognition and it would have more along the same lines as Charleston and Savannah if city leaders did a better job with historic preservation. But for the most part it and coastal MS became overshadowed by NOLA in large part because it lies at the mouth of a very major river and Mobile and the coastal MS towns do not.
There's a large metro on FL's Gulf Coast where you'd naturally expect one due to an advantageous geographical feature. Outside of that, it's pretty much all retirees and tourists. Although not quite on the Gulf Coast, I think Tallahassee had the potential to be something like the Research Triangle if state leaders had some vision.
I'd say Mobile has some name recognition and it would have more along the same lines as Charleston and Savannah if city leaders did a better job with historic preservation. But for the most part it and coastal MS became overshadowed by NOLA in large part because it lies at the mouth of a very major river and Mobile and the coastal MS towns do not.
Alabama has it’s own drainage basin, New Orleans shouldn’t have stopped Mobile’s potential, there are plenty of other major cities that coexist such as Chicago and Milwaukee.
The Gulf Coast is far more important strategically in terms of international trade. From the Port of New Orleans, you can go anywhere in the world. From the Port of Chicago, you can go to Canada. The Gulf Coast also has an infinitely superior climate to ANYWHERE bordering any of the Great Lakes whether its Chicago, Detroit, Erie, Cleveland, or Buffalo. The entire Great Lakes region is a frozen wasteland at least 6 months out of the year with maybe 2 months of truly decent weather. Here in Louisiana, 7 months of the year are perfect weather, 3 months are a little on the hot and humid side (but I would still prefer that over a Chicago winter), and two months are chillier than I'd prefer.
Economically the Gulf Coast is far stronger. The Texas and Florida cities are growing especially fast. New Orleans has recovered its pre Katrina population in the metro area, while cities like Cleveland, Duluth, Buffalo, and Detroit have never recovered their population decline due to economic ruin. Baton Rouge is doing well economically and Biloxi-Gulfport now have the second largest concentration of casinos in the country, surpassing Atlantic City. The Gulf Coast of Florida is the nicer side of Florida, with fewer illegal immigrants and poverty/crime which dominates Miami.
Most of the Great Lakes is in the Rust Belt even though our President is trying very hard to help that region and bring back manufacturing, but the Gulf Coast has a strong manufacturing sector with less regulations and less unions.
Milwaukee is a former "Rust Belt" city, and it's stunning. No one would ever think this city is doing "bad." When I drive along Lake Michigan, I see cars parked from many, many different states. People out walking, and enjoying the beauty. Take a look at my attachments...I had a hard time not posting more. All of this, sits on Lake Michigan, and, a river runs through downtown.
It's recovering but it's still a rust belt city. From another thread, this link did a fairly good job of ranking the recovery of rust belt cities. Milwaukee placed 13 out of the 17 cities they looked at.
To answer the orginal question, i lean towards the Great Lakes for most of the same reasons mentioned by posters above. The Gulf is tremendous for energy and tourism but the Great Lakes do provide their own energy via an indirect way in wind power just not to the degree of the Gulf. Tourism is also big on the Great Lakes, though probably not as big as the Gulf. Since fresh water is important, the Gulf provides nothing of value there and the Great Lakes obviously do; so for that reason, the Great Lakes win.
China gets smacked every year with typhoons. And guess what? They thrive with multiple mega cities sitting right on the coast.
Hurricanes provide ample time to make necessary preparations. Use the time wisely, and they basically become big rainstorms. Great weather to chill with some Netflix.
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Originally Posted by As Above So Below...
Ive never viewed the Great Lakes winters as "moderate". Compared to Siberia perhaps.
New Orleans should never have been built where it is, but its going to be fine because it has to be. Well just keep engineering short term solutions for it. Houston is fine. The same areas flood over and over but the overwhelming majority of the city doesnt flood at all.
You're both welcome for the rest of us paying our homeowners insurance. If you were left to your own devices you wouldn't dismiss the destruction so easily.
Currently the Gulf Coast. Be it oil, more trading, whatever, it's more important.
However in the future the Great Lakes might be. With climate change and places running out of freshwater, the day may come that freshwater is just as valuable as oil, and the Great Lakes region has plenty of that.
You're both welcome for the rest of us paying our homeowners insurance. If you were left to your own devices you wouldn't dismiss the destruction so easily.
Oh please. My home has never flooded so you’re personally doing me no favors. The overwhelming majority of homes here never have either. It’s about 10-15% of the city that floods over and over.
It's recovering but it's still a rust belt city. From another thread, this link did a fairly good job of ranking the recovery of rust belt cities. Milwaukee placed 13 out of the 17 cities they looked at.
To answer the orginal question, i lean towards the Great Lakes for most of the same reasons mentioned by posters above. The Gulf is tremendous for energy and tourism but the Great Lakes do provide their own energy via an indirect way in wind power just not to the degree of the Gulf. Tourism is also big on the Great Lakes, though probably not as big as the Gulf. Since fresh water is important, the Gulf provides nothing of value there and the Great Lakes obviously do; so for that reason, the Great Lakes win.
Obviously, you take great delight in the term "Rust Belt", even though it's derogatory and outdated. Milwaukee is a beautiful city, and no matter how it placed, it doesn't look "Rust Belt."
And another thing, you can take the argument of "we have all the fresh water" somewhere else. The Gulf is not hurting for freshwater at all and given the amount of rain we get, probably never will. If you want to bring that up on a Great Lakes vs. Desert Southwest thread, it would be much more appropriate. Here, its irrelevant.
And another thing, you can take the argument of "we have all the fresh water" somewhere else. The Gulf is not hurting for freshwater at all and given the amount of rain we get, probably never will. If you want to bring that up on a Great Lakes vs. Desert Southwest thread, it would be much more appropriate. Here, its irrelevant.
It wasn't in regard to the Gulf States. I was saying that if water became a problem in the US, or the world, the Great Lakes water becomes gold. Asia has already tried to get some of it....not happening.
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