Gulf Shores is a medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Alabama. With a population of 15,736 people and four constituent neighborhoods, Gulf Shores is the 47th largest community in Alabama.
Gulf Shores real estate is some of the most expensive in Alabama, although Gulf Shores house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.
Of important note, Gulf Shores is also a city of artists. Gulf Shores has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Gulf Shores’s character.
A relatively large number of people in Gulf Shores telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 10.55% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
One of the nice things about Gulf Shores is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.
As is often the case in a small city, Gulf Shores doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.
The population of Gulf Shores is very well educated relative to most cities and towns in the nation, where the average community has 21.84% of its adult population holding a 4-year degree or higher: 34.93% of adults in Gulf Shores have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.
The per capita income in Gulf Shores in 2018 was $36,020, which is wealthy relative to Alabama, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $144,080 for a family of four. However, Gulf Shores contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
The people who call Gulf Shores home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Gulf Shores residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Gulf Shores include German, Irish, English, Italian, and European.
The most common language spoken in Gulf Shores is English. Other important languages spoken here include Italian and Spanish.