[llamaorama]

There are houses like that in Ohio, which we might all agree is like the anti-sunbelt.

I think words like sunbelt, rust belt, bible belt, etc, are loaded terms that mean something particular. The sunbelt therefore cannot just be literally half the country. It can't just mean any place that had some sunbelt traits, it has to mean places that were fundamentally shaped by certain forces that correspond to certain eras in American history that have some cultural and political overtones as well.

To me, "sunbelt" is a way of characterizing places that grew quickly at the peak of the postwar economic mobility by selling a certain lifestyle or aura to a certain generation of Americans.

They'd have at least most of these traits:

1. An economy that has grown in spite of being mostly low-wage services or tourism focused(Florida). Or, places that developed things like a strong foundation of white collar jobs or prestigious universities only after a lot of people started moving there(San Diego). All the wealth was made outside and then imported.

2. Attractive to members of the Boomer and Greatest Generation who wanted to live in a particular type of suburbia and liked particular forms of leisure activities that have since become sort of passe elsewhere, like golf.

3. A retirement destination for old-school style snowbirds. Is there a Del Webb master planned community in the metro area? Are there manicured communities for 55+ people to toodle around in golf carts?

4. A lot of real estate investment is bubblicious. Places that saw the greatest overall riches to rags decline after the Great Recession.

5. A certain kind of sedentary vacationing and conference travel is a selling point.

6. Finally, the sun part. But specifically, sunny places that are either deserts with desert scenery and zero humidity or sunny places that are beachy and have palm trees. Not just any old subtropical or desert climate can do.