Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Gulf Coast shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Gulf Coast offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Gulf Coast at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Gulf Coast? Wrong! If the Gulf Coast is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Gulf Coast then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Gulf Coast? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Gulf Coast and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Gulf Coast wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Gulf Coast then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Gulf Coast site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Gulf Coast, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Gulf Coast, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
are shown in redThe
Gulf Coast region of the
United States comprises the coasts of states which border the
Gulf of Mexico. The states of
Texas,
Louisiana,
Mississippi,
Alabama, and Florida are known as the
Gulf States. All Gulf States are located in the
Southern United States region of the United States.
Geography and climate
The Gulf Coast is intersected by numerous rivers, the largest of which is the Mississippi River. Land along the Gulf Coast tends to be low and flat, and much of it is (or was) marshland. The western portions of the Gulf Coast include many barrier islands and
peninsulas, including the 130 mile (210 km)
Padre Island and
Galveston Island. These landforms protect numerous bays and inlets. The central part of the Gulf Coast, from eastern Texas through Louisiana, consists primarily of marshland. Even though it is a gulf, geographically it is technically part of the east coast of the US, even though it is not popularly thought of as such.
Because of its proximity to the subtropical waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf Coast area is vulnerable to tropical cyclone. Floods and severe thunderstorms also affect the region; tornadoes are infrequent at the coast but do occur (they are much more frequent in the inland portions of those states). Earthquakes are virtually unheard of, but a surprise 6.0 earthquake in the Gulf of Mexico on September 10,
2006, was felt from New Orleans to Tampa.{{cite web|url=http://www.wftv.com/news/9817047/detail.html|title=Central Florida Feels Quake|publisher=WFTV|accessdate=2006-12-27-->
Economic activities
The Gulf Coast is a major center of economic activity. The marshlands along the Louisiana and Texas coasts provide breeding grounds and nurseries for ocean life that drive the
Fishing industry and
shrimping industries. The
Port of South Louisiana (between New Orleans, Louisiana and Baton Rouge, Louisiana in Laplace, Louisiana) and the Port of Houston are two of the ten busiest ports in the world by cargo volume. {{cite web] and natural gas deposits along the coast and offshore, combined with easy access to shipping, have made the Gulf Coast the heart of the U.S. petrochemical industry. Besides this the region features other important industries including
aerospace and
Texas Medical Center, as well as older industries such as agriculture and, especially since the development of the Gulf Coast beginning in the 1950s and the increase in wealth throughout the United States, tourism.
History
The history of the Gulf Coast is an important part of United States history; as economically important as the Gulf Coast is to the United States today, it arguably once held an even greater position of prominence in the U.S.
The first Europeans to settle the Gulf Coast were primarily the French Colonial Empire and the
Spanish Empire. The
Louisiana Purchase, the Texas Revolution, and the Mexican–American War made the Gulf Coast a part of the United States during first half of the 19th century. As the U.S. population continued to expand its frontiers westward, the Gulf Coast was a natural magnet in the American South providing access to shipping lanes and both national and international commerce. The development of sugar and cotton production (enabled by History of slavery in the United States) allowed the South to prosper. By the mid 19th century, the South, including the Gulf, by some standards was populated by the nation's wealthiest people. The city of New Orleans in particular, being situated as a key to commerce on the Mississippi River and in the Gulf, had become the largest U.S. city not on the Atlantic seaboard and the fourth largest in the U.S. overall.
Two major events were turning points in the earlier history of the Gulf Coast region. The first was the American Civil War, which caused severe damage to some economic sectors in the American South, including the Gulf Coast. The second event was the Galveston Hurricane of 1900. At the end of the 19th century
Galveston was, with New Orleans, one of the most developed cities in the region. The city had the third busiest port in the U.S. and its financial district was known as the
"Wall Street of the Southwest." {{cite web] in particular has benefited tremendously from this industry over the course of the 20th century and economic diversification has made the state a magnet for population and home to more
Fortune 500 companies than any other U.S. state.
Florida has grown as well, driven to a great extent by its long established tourism industry but also by its position as a gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America. As of 2006, these two states are the second and fourth most populous states in the nation, respectively (see List of U.S. states by population). Other areas of the Gulf Coast have benefitted less, though economic development fueled by tourism has greatly increased property values along the coast, and is now a severe danger to the valuable but fragile ecosystems of the Gulf Coast.
Population
Metropolitan areas
The following are the 10 largest List of United States metropolitan statistical areas by population
along the Gulf Coast of the United States.{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right; margin-left:60px"|-! Rank !! align=center |Metropolitan Area !! Population !! State|-
|-| 1 ||align=left | Houston, Texas–
Sugar Land, Texas–
Baytown, Texas ||
5,180,443 ||
Texas–[St. Petersburg, Florida–
Clearwater, Florida ||
2,587,967 || Florida–[Metairie, Louisiana–
Kenner, Louisiana ||
1,319,589 || Louisiana–[Bradenton, Florida–Venice, Florida ||
651,862 || Florida–[Daphne, Alabama–
Fairhope, Alabama ||
588,246|| Alabama–[Fort Myers, Florida || 514,295
|| Florida–[Ferry Pass, Florida–Brent, Florida || 437,135||
Florida || 409,741|| [Texas–[Port Arthur, Texas || 383,443||
Texas || 331,655|| [Florida|}
See also
Notes
are shown in redThe
Gulf Coast region of the United States comprises the coasts of states which border the
Gulf of Mexico. The states of
Texas,
Louisiana, Mississippi,
Alabama, and
Florida are known as the
Gulf States. All Gulf States are located in the Southern United States region of the United States.
Geography and climate
The Gulf Coast is intersected by numerous rivers, the largest of which is the
Mississippi River. Land along the Gulf Coast tends to be low and flat, and much of it is (or was) marshland. The western portions of the Gulf Coast include many barrier islands and peninsulas, including the 130 mile (210 km) Padre Island and Galveston Island. These landforms protect numerous bays and inlets. The central part of the Gulf Coast, from eastern Texas through Louisiana, consists primarily of marshland. Even though it is a gulf, geographically it is technically part of the east coast of the US, even though it is not popularly thought of as such.
Because of its proximity to the subtropical waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf Coast area is vulnerable to tropical cyclone. Floods and severe
thunderstorms also affect the region;
tornadoes are infrequent at the coast but do occur (they are much more frequent in the inland portions of those states).
Earthquakes are virtually unheard of, but a surprise 6.0 earthquake in the Gulf of Mexico on
September 10, 2006, was felt from New Orleans to Tampa.{{cite web|url=http://www.wftv.com/news/9817047/detail.html|title=Central Florida Feels Quake|publisher=WFTV|accessdate=2006-12-27-->
Economic activities
The Gulf Coast is a major center of economic activity. The marshlands along the Louisiana and Texas coasts provide breeding grounds and nurseries for ocean life that drive the
Fishing industry and shrimping industries. The
Port of South Louisiana (between New Orleans, Louisiana and
Baton Rouge, Louisiana in Laplace, Louisiana) and the Port of Houston are two of the ten busiest ports in the world by cargo volume. {{cite web] and natural gas deposits along the coast and offshore, combined with easy access to shipping, have made the Gulf Coast the heart of the U.S. petrochemical industry. Besides this the region features other important industries including
aerospace and Texas Medical Center, as well as older industries such as agriculture and, especially since the development of the Gulf Coast beginning in the 1950s and the increase in wealth throughout the United States, tourism.
History
The history of the Gulf Coast is an important part of United States history; as economically important as the Gulf Coast is to the United States today, it arguably once held an even greater position of prominence in the U.S.
The first Europeans to settle the Gulf Coast were primarily the
French Colonial Empire and the Spanish Empire. The Louisiana Purchase, the
Texas Revolution, and the
Mexican–American War made the Gulf Coast a part of the United States during first half of the 19th century. As the U.S. population continued to expand its frontiers westward, the Gulf Coast was a natural magnet in the American South providing access to shipping lanes and both national and international commerce. The development of
sugar and
cotton production (enabled by History of slavery in the United States) allowed the South to prosper. By the mid 19th century, the South, including the Gulf, by some standards was populated by the nation's wealthiest people. The city of New Orleans in particular, being situated as a key to commerce on the
Mississippi River and in the Gulf, had become the largest U.S. city not on the
Atlantic seaboard and the fourth largest in the U.S. overall.
Two major events were turning points in the earlier history of the Gulf Coast region. The first was the
American Civil War, which caused severe damage to some economic sectors in the American South, including the Gulf Coast. The second event was the Galveston Hurricane of 1900. At the end of the 19th century Galveston was, with New Orleans, one of the most developed cities in the region. The city had the third busiest port in the U.S. and its financial district was known as the
"Wall Street of the Southwest." {{cite web] in particular has benefited tremendously from this industry over the course of the 20th century and economic diversification has made the state a magnet for population and home to more
Fortune 500 companies than any other U.S. state. Florida has grown as well, driven to a great extent by its long established tourism industry but also by its position as a gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America. As of 2006, these two states are the second and fourth most populous states in the nation, respectively (see List of U.S. states by population). Other areas of the Gulf Coast have benefitted less, though economic development fueled by tourism has greatly increased property values along the coast, and is now a severe danger to the valuable but fragile ecosystems of the Gulf Coast.
Population
Metropolitan areas
The following are the 10 largest List of United States metropolitan statistical areas by population
along the Gulf Coast of the United States.{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right; margin-left:60px"|-! Rank !! align=center |Metropolitan Area !! Population !! State|-
|-| 1 ||align=left | Houston, Texas–Sugar Land, Texas–Baytown, Texas ||
5,180,443 ||
Texas–[St. Petersburg, Florida–Clearwater, Florida ||
2,587,967 || Florida–[Metairie, Louisiana–
Kenner, Louisiana ||
1,319,589 || Louisiana–[Bradenton, Florida–
Venice, Florida ||
651,862 || Florida–[Daphne, Alabama–
Fairhope, Alabama ||
588,246|| Alabama–[Fort Myers, Florida || 514,295
|| Florida–[Ferry Pass, Florida–Brent, Florida || 437,135||
Florida || 409,741|| [Texas–[Port Arthur, Texas || 383,443||
Texas || 331,655|| [Florida|}
See also
Notes
wellness.gulfcoast.edu - /
Wednesday, October 08, 2003 3:41 PM _layouts Wednesday, April 02, 2008 9:55 AM 1754 _vti_inf.html Wednesday, October 08, 2003 3:41 PM _vti_log
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