 Gulf
Shores is a coastal city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. Baldwin
County as a whole, has experienced rapid population growth, second only
to Shelby County in Alabama. Gulf Shores is part of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley
micropolitan area.
Gulf Shores is one of three
seaside resorts in the state of Alabama (Orange Beach and Dauphin Island
being the other two). Most of the city is therefore devoted to beachfront
hotels, condominiums, vacation houses and a tourism/real estate based economy.
Gulf Shores (like Orange Beach and Dauphin Island) has a large beach, fronting
the Gulf of Mexico between New Orleans, Louisiana and Florida. The adjacent
resort city of Orange Beach offers direct access to the Gulf of Mexico
for vessels, via Perdido Pass. The greater area is home to a large charter
fishing fleet. Gulf Shores is served by Jack Edwards Airport, which is
located on the north side of town.
Unincorporated Ft. Morgan,
the City of Gulf Shores and the City of Orange Beach are contiguous from
west to east. The Intracoastal Waterway forms a canal starting at Mobile
Bay to the west, and cuts through to the east, into Wolf Bay. The beach
from Ft. Morgan to Perdido Pass is about 30 miles (48 km) long. From there,
a bridge connects Orange Beach to Perdido Key, Alabama which continues
to the Florida state line.
The Alabama Gulf Coast beach
is known for its bright, "sugar white" quartz sand. Although quite abrasive
to CDs, sunglasses etc., it is powdery, soft and comfortable to the feet.
The Gulf of Mexico waters along the beachfront tend to have an emerald
green tint due to the close proximity of the Mobile Bay estuary to the
west, where the Mobile river meets the Gulf of Mexico. The prevailing west
to east current along the beach brings suspended silt from the Mobile river
delta toward the Florida panhandle, giving the water its green tint.
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