Washington and the Coastal South have certain features in common. The Coastal South's citrus industry is being challenged by increased international competition (Hardwick et al., 2008). The Pacific Northwest's logging industry has also been threatened by competition from abroad. The Coastal South has the advantage of not having extremely cold weather and being able to grow certain types of crops that thrive from the humidity. Washington experiences cold, wet and snowy winters which don't have a large impact on their harvesting processes. This is one reason why Washington contains some of the largest trees in the world and why there is not a large amount of agriculture.
The Coastal South is a region where hurricanes tend to make landfall. Hurricanes have caused billions and billions of dollars in damages throughout the years. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was one of the worst hurricanes in recent memory. The Pacific Northwest also experiences many storms that plow through the region. Washington receives the most rainfall in all of North America. Since there are many mountains in this region, flooding is minimal and runoff is excessive. The Coastal South on the other hand sits low in comparison to sea level and there are not any mountainous regions that can force the rainfall into the Gulf of Mexico. This results in severe flooding that can last for weeks.
Washington's and the Coastal South's histories have been very different. The Coastal South has been a part of popular history since the Spanish and other Europeans first made landfall. Africans were brought over from west Africa to pick cotton and work in the field. French settlers from Canada were also sent packing to the south after being removed from Acadia (Hardwick et al., 2008). These people, also known as Cajuns, made southern Louisiana their home and even today, they practice their old customs. The Coastal South has also been a port of entry for many immigrants coming to the United States. Washington's history has not been as colorful as the Coastal South's.
Hardwick, Susan W., Shelley, Fred M., Holtgrieve, Donald G. The Geography of North America. Glenview, 2008. Print.
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