Gulf Shores

About this city

Also known as: Small Town, Big Beach

Perched on the southernmost tip of Alabama along the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf Shores is a premier resort destination famous for its miles of sugar-white sand beaches and turquoise waters. For much of its early history, the area was an isolated fishing and farming community until the completion of the Intracoastal Waterway and beach highway infrastructure in the mid-20th century ignited a tourism boom. The town’s identity is centered entirely on coastal leisure, eco-tourism, and family vacations. It presents a dynamic contrast between modern high-rise beachfront condominiums, expansive preserved maritime forests, and rich coastal wetlands filled with diverse marine life and migratory birds.