The Florida Panhandle region is in Northwest Florida. The far western border of the Panhandle is the Florida-Alabama border, while the Apalachicola River marks the region's eastern boundary. Florida has 10 counties west of the Apalachicola River: Washington, Escambia, Calhoun, Jackson, Santa Rosa, Gulf, Holmes, Bay, Walton and Okaloosa. For marketing purposes, the State of Florida calls the Gulf of Mexico the stretch from Pensacola to Panama City. The largest city in the Florida Panhandle is Pensacola at approximately 53,000 people.
South Alabama is not an official region of the state but locals consider south Alabama any area of the state south of the Black Belt, a stretch of land running through Central Alabama. Many of Alabama's historic plantation farms were in the Black Belt area due to the abundance of soil and artesian wells. Alabama's southern coastal plain includes counties such as Washington, Monroe, Baldwin, Mobile, Escambia, Clarke and Conecuh. Mobile is the largest city in South Alabama at over 400,000 residents.
Known locally as the "North Shore," the Florida Parishes is a collection of parishes in Southeast Louisiana. These parishes are north of Louisiana's Lake Ponchatrain to the south and Mississippi to the north. The region's name originates from the 18th century, when the Spanish controlled this area of Louisiana as part of West Florida. East Baton Rouge, West Feliciana, Washington, St. Tammany, Livingston, Tangipahoa and St. Helena parishes are in this region. Louisiana's state capital, Baton Rouge, is the largest city in the Florida Parishes at nearly 230,000 people.
The Gulf Coastal Plain overruns much of Mississippi with the exception of the northeastern region of the state, which is in the Tennessee River Valley. Most of the coastal plains are in the central and southern parts of the state, while a stretch of plains runs up the state's western border. The western region of the state is locally known as "the Delta," an area with rich soil and a strong agricultural heritage. The largest city in Mississippi's coastal plains region is Jackson, the state capitol. The U.S. Census says Jackson has approximately 175,000 residents.
