Let’s discover some fun facts about Florida!
Located in the southeast of the United States, Florida is one of the most popular states in the country. It has a shoreline along the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Tourists love to visit, and many fun attractions delight the locals.
From St. Augustine to St. Petersburg to Miami, there are so many cool things to learn. Follow along for 10 Florida fun facts.
“Festival of Flowers”
Did you know that Juan Ponce de Leon discovered Florida back in 1513? He named it La Pascua Florida, which roughly translates to “Festival of Flowers.” The name changed slightly over the years, but the iconic name “Florida” has remained the same.
Unique Animal Species
Around 269 species of animals can only be found in Florida. You won’t find them anywhere else, making Florida a genuinely diverse state. Most of these species live in The Everglades, one of the state’s largest National Parks. This includes the Florida Panther – one of the largest cats still existing in America.
Florida also has the unique title of being the only place where American Alligators and crocodiles exist together. Gigantic alligators often walk around parts of Florida, including some of its many golf courses.
Florida used to be completely underwater
The entire state of Florida spent many years entirely underwater. Thankfully, this was way before any humans lived there. Around 200 million years ago, we didn’t have separate continents. Instead, we had a large piece of land called Pangea.
Parts of Pangea started splitting away and moving across the ocean, creating the continents we know today. During this change, Florida slipped below the sea for hundreds of millions of years.
This is also part of why the shape of the state looks as strange as it does. When you look at a map, you’ll notice it pokes out at the bottom. Water surrounds most of it, meaning it has some of the longest coastlines of any US state.
America’s flattest state
Since it spent a lot of time underwater, it’s not surprising that Florida is the flattest state in the US.
It has an average height of 100 feet. The highest natural point is Britton Hill, a mere 345 feet. In comparison, Alaska is the highest state, with a maximum high point of over 20,000 feet!!
Top Orange Exporter
Florida loves oranges. Juan Ponce de Leon began planting orange seeds upon the discovery of the state. Experts believe that the famous oranges of Sevilla in Spain influenced him. Growers are still planting thousands of orange seeds today.
This makes the region one of the top orange exporters in the country.
The majority of orange juice in the US comes from Floridian oranges. Next time you pick up a juice carton, look at the back to see where the oranges came from. If they aren’t Floridian, then your juice is extremely rare!
“The Sunshine State”
All American states have nicknames, and Florida’s is “The Sunshine State”. Although the nickname became official in 1970, natives have been using this name for many decades.
If you’ve ever been to Florida, you’ll know it’s one of the sunniest places in the United States. It sees many months of sunshine and hot weather throughout the year.
“The Sunshine State” seemed like the perfect nickname. Some people also think it mirrors the sunny attitude of many Floridian locals.
Disney World Orlando has 36,000 rooms
Ask anyone to name one cool thing they know about Florida, and they’ll likely mention the theme parks. Disney World Orlando is one of the biggest Disney resorts in the world. Historical records suggest the plan was to make it a city at one point!
The sheer size of the place is amazing, and there are so many things to see and do. The resort is so large that it would take around 81 years to stay in every room throughout every hotel!
Over 22 million people live in Florida
Of all the 50 US states, Florida is ranked as the third-most populated. Over 22 million people live here, meaning it’s only behind Texas (30.9 million) and California (38.9 million).
This tells us people love living in Florida, and it’s densely populated. What does this mean? If a place is “densely populated,” it means that many people live within a relatively small area.
Florida is far from small, but it’s much smaller than both Texas and California. You could probably fit 5 Florida’s in one Texas or three Florida’s in one California.
Spain controlled Florida for over 200 years
Did you know that around 22.4% of Floridians speak Spanish at home? The state has a massive community of people with Hispanic or Latino origins. The origins date back to Juan Ponce de Leon landing on the shores and discovering this great state.
He discovered Florida in 1513, which placed it under Spanish rule. It stayed this way until 1763. That means Florida was technically part of Spain for over 200 years.
Spanish speakers and Spanish customs are popular throughout the state.
What happened after 1763? Well, Spain traded Florida to the British for Cuba. British control lasted for 12 years. During the Revolutionary War, Spain reclaimed it for six more years.
In 1821, the US took control; the rest is history!
Some Cities have never seen snowfall
Imagine living somewhere and never knowing what it’s like to make a snowman or throw snowballs! Such is life in Florida, where sandcastles and muddy sand fights are far more common.
The state has a tropical climate. Temperatures rarely drop low enough for snow to form in the clouds. Some parts of the state have seen tiny bits of snow over the years, but it’s incredibly rare.
So much so that in the Florida Keys and Key West, there have been ZERO known occurrences of snow in over 300 years. Other areas, like Miami and Palm Beach, have only had one snowfall in 200 years.
Florida State Symbols
Flag:
State Flower: Orange Blossom
Tree: Sabal Palm
Animal: Florida Panther
Motto: In God We Trust
More Fun Facts About Florida
For more fun facts related to Florida, check out the following resources:
