Sunbelt n : states in the south and southwest that have a warm climate and tend to be politically conservative

The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered to stretch across the South and Southwest (the geographic southern United States). Another rough boundary of the region is the 37th to 38th parallels, north latitude — southward. The Sun Belt has seen substantial population growth in recent decades, partly fueled by a surge in retiring baby boomers who migrate domestically, as well as the influx of immigrants, both legal and illegal. Also, over the past several decades, air conditioning has made it easier for people to deal with the oppressive heat that grips the region during the summertime.

Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, South Carolina, and Texas are commonly thought to belong to the Sun Belt. Some consider parts of Arkansas, Colorado, North Carolina and Tennessee to be Sun Belt states, although their climates are slightly more "wintery" than the other states in the group. The Bible Belt occupies much of the same geography as the Sun Belt, with the exception of the southwest. The two terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Important cities in the Sun Belt include:

• Atlanta
• Albuquerque
• Anaheim
• Austin
• Baton Rouge
• Brownsville
• Carson City
• Charleston
• Charlotte
• Columbia
• Corpus Christi
• Dallas
• El Paso
• Ft. Worth
• Fresno
• Greenville
• Houston
• Jacksonville
• Las Vegas
• Long Beach
• Los Angeles
• Mesa
• Miami
• Mobile
• New Orleans
• Oakland
• Orlando
• Pensacola
• Phoenix
• Raleigh
• Reno
• Sacramento
• San Antonio
• San Clemente
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• San Jose
• Santa Fe
• Sarasota
• St. George
• Tampa-St. Petersburg
• Tucson
• West Palm Beach
• Yuma

Author and political analyst Kevin Phillips claims to have coined the term "to describe the oil, military, aerospace and retirement country stretching from Florida to California" in his 1969 book The Emerging Republican Majority.

See also

• Economy of the United States
• Silicon Valley
• Rust Belt

More information

• http://www.answers.com/topic/sun-belt?cat=travel

References

Dixie, Dixieland, Down East, East, East Coast, Middle Atlantic, Middle West, New England, North, North Central region, Northeast, Northwest, Pacific Northwest, South, Southeast, Southwest, West, West Coast, Yankeeland, eastland, northland, the Coast, westland, wild West