American alligators are found from the southern Virginia-North Carolina border, along the Atlantic coast to Florida and along the Gulf of Mexico as far west as the Rio Grande in Texas.American alligators are usually found in freshwater, slow-moving rivers. They are also found in swamps, marshes, and lakes. Unlike some crocodile species, American alligators can only live in salt water for a short time.While there are currently no methods for determining the age of an alligator while still alive, it is known that those in the wild tend to live to between 35 and 50 year, while those in captive generally live longer, around 65-80 years.