Sun Belt
Warm southern region
The Sun Belt is the southern tier of the United States, roughly from Florida to Southern California, characterized by warm climates and rapid population growth since the mid-20th century.
The term emerged as air conditioning made these regions more livable and retirees, businesses, and industries migrated from the colder Rust Belt and Northeast: Phoenix and Atlanta are classic Sun Belt boomtowns.
48th state admitted
- TexasSecond-largest American state
- FloridaSoutheastern American peninsula state
- CaliforniaWest coast megastate
- GeorgiaName shared by country and state
Nevada · New Mexico · North Carolina · South Carolina · Alabama · Mississippi · Louisiana · Tennessee
People finished working permanently
- snowbirdsCold-weather climate refugees
- relocationPermanent change of residence
- transplantsSurgical tissue transfers
- newcomersThose recently arrived
exodus · job seekers · remote workers · population shift · outmigration · affordable housing · cost of living · quality of life
Rapid increase in people
- urbanizationPopulation shift toward cities
- sprawlExtend in disorderly fashion
- developmentProgress toward maturity
- boomtownsFast-growing frontier settlements
construction · housing · real estate · infrastructure · tech hubs · job creation · economic expansion · startups
Prolonged abnormally high temperatures
- humidityMoisture in atmosphere
- scorchingExtremely hot, burning
- swelteringExtremely hot, uncomfortably so
- balmyMildly warm, soothing
arid · desert · subtropical · mild winters · warm weather · hot summers · drought · air conditioning
Slow-cook over coals
- Tex-MexAmerican-influenced northern cuisine
- sweet teaChilled, sugared leaf infusion
- country musicRural Southern folk-pop genre
- rodeoCowboy skills competition
cowboy · ranching · megachurches · NASCAR · college football · Latino culture · border culture · military bases
Arizona
48th state admitted
- TexasSecond-largest American state
- FloridaSoutheastern American peninsula state
- CaliforniaWest coast megastate
Georgia · Nevada · New Mexico · North Carolina · South Carolina · Alabama · Mississippi · Louisiana · Tennessee · Arizona
retirees
People finished working permanently
- snowbirdsCold-weather climate refugees
- relocationPermanent change of residence
- transplantsSurgical tissue transfers
newcomers · exodus · job seekers · remote workers · population shift · outmigration · affordable housing · cost of living · quality of life · demographics
population boom
Rapid increase in people
- urbanizationPopulation shift toward cities
- sprawlExtend in disorderly fashion
- developmentProgress toward maturity
boomtowns · construction · housing · real estate · infrastructure · tech hubs · job creation · economic expansion · startups · investment
heatwave
Prolonged abnormally high temperatures
- humidityMoisture in atmosphere
- scorchingExtremely hot, burning
- swelteringExtremely hot, uncomfortably so
balmy · arid · desert · subtropical · mild winters · warm weather · hot summers · drought · air conditioning · outdoor living
barbecue
Slow-cook over coals
- Tex-MexAmerican-influenced northern cuisine
- sweet teaChilled, sugared leaf infusion
- country musicRural Southern folk-pop genre
rodeo · cowboy · ranching · megachurches · NASCAR · college football · Latino culture · border culture · military bases · suburban lifestyle
- American RegionsMidwest, Southwest, Northwest, Deep South, Pacific Northwest
- Americanismsaluminum, fixin' to, apartment, howdy, candy
- retirement spotsFlorida, Arizona, retirement community, senior living, assisted living
- Southern PoliticsDixiecrats, Jim Crow, poll tax, poll taxes, one-party rule
- Sports Divisionsdivision one, division two, NFC, AFC, American League
- SunbeltArizona, Texas, Florida, California, Nevada