Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1989. Wilson, Charles Reagan, and William Ferris, eds. Washington, D.C.: Population Reference Bureau, 1989. America in the 21st Century: A Demographic Overview. New York: Free Press, 1985.ĭe Vita, Carol J. The Population of the United States: Historical Trends and Future Projections. Nationally, experts predicted that the economic growth and increasing influence of the Sun Belt marked a permanent change in the demographic, economic, and political structure of the nation. Some people opposed the changes, but others saw them as positive signs of progress and prosperity. These trends provoked many controversies, which continued into the 1990s. The impacts of growth and development became matters of urgent concern as many Sun Belt communities experienced suburban sprawl, congestion, and pollution, along with an erosion of their traditional regional characteristics and identities. California suffered serious economic recession and social stresses in the late 1980s and early 1990s, which caused a significant migration of businesses and residents to nearby states. Texas and other energy-oriented states experienced a steep, if temporary, economic decline in the mid-1980s because of a fall in oil prices. Despite areas of prosperity, the Southeast continued to have many sections of poverty. The Sun Belt also faced difficult issues, including social problems that many migrants had hoped to escape. Hispanic cultures of the Southwest and Florida gained prominence. Southern culture and values became influential, such as the nationwide popularity of country and western music. presidential elections between 19 were from the Sun Belt, reflecting the increased representation in Congress of key states like Texas, Arizona, and Florida, which helped Republicans win majority representation in Congress during the 1990s. As populations grew, southern and western states gained increasing political and economic power. The lifestyles and natural beauty of Sun Belt states also attraced many newcomers. A national emphasis on developing domestic fuel sources in the early 1970s stimulated growth in Texas, Colorado, and other states. The Sun Belt attracted domestic and international businesses for many reasons, including lower energy costs and nonunion wages, state policies favorable to business, and, in the West, proximity to the increasingly important Pacific Rim nations. This pattern intensified in following decades as many states in the North lost industries, population, and representation in Congress. California and oil-rich Texas had established themselves as thriving economies, and newer regions of prosperity had begun to emerge throughout the West. The term "New South" came into use to describe economic progress and social changes in the Southeast. With the advent of air conditioning, however, year-round comfort became possible in both regions.Ī shift from northeastern dominance was evident by the early 1970s. Much of the Southwest was settled later and remained sparsely populated well into the twentieth century because of its remote location and an inhospitable desert climate that regularly reached triple-digit temperatures in summer. The Southeast had a smaller population, a less robust economy, and hot, humid summers that many northerners considered uncomfortable. Historically, most of the nation's population and economic power was based in the Northeast and the upper Midwest. The Sun Belt stretches approximately from Virginia south to Florida and west to California but also includes western mountain states, such as Colorado and Utah, that have experienced similar economic growth. The term was coined to describe both the warm climate of these regions and the rapid economic and population growth that have been characteristic since the 1960s. SUN BELT comprises the states of the South and the Southwest.
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