In
1513, Ponce de León, seeking the mythical “Fountain of Youth,”
discovered and named Florida, claiming it for Spain. Later, Florida would be held
at different times by Spain and England until Spain finally sold it to the United
States in 1819. (Incidentally, France established a colony named Fort Caroline
in 1564 in the state that was to become Florida.)
Florida's
history in the early 19th century was marked by wars with the Seminole Indians,
which did not end until 1842.
Florida's
economy rests on a solid base of tourism, manufacturing, and agriculture. Leading
the manufacturing sector are electrical equipment and electronics, printing and
publishing, transportation equipment, food processing, and machinery. Oranges,
grapefruit, and other citrus fruits lead Florida's agricultural products list,
followed by potatoes, melons, strawberries, sugar cane, peanuts, dairy products,
and cattle.
Major
tourist attractions are Miami Beach, Palm Beach, St. Augustine (founded in 1565,
thus the oldest permanent city in the U.S.), Daytona Beach, and Fort Lauderdale
on the East Coast; Sarasota, Tampa, and St. Petersburg on the West Coast; and
Key West off the southern tip of Florida. The Orlando area, where Disney World
is located on a 27,000-acre site, is Florida's most popular tourist destination.
Also
drawing many visitors are the NASA Kennedy Space Center's Spaceport USA, Everglades
National Park, and the Epcot Center.
Coming
soon!
See
more on Florida: Encyclopedia: Florida Encyclopedia: Geography Encyclopedia:
Economy Encyclopedia: Government Encyclopedia: History Monthly Temperature
Extremes
Accredited
Colleges and Universities
Selected
famous natives and residents:
Julian “Cannonball” Adderley
jazz saxophonist; Pat Boone singer; Fernando Bujones ballet dancer; Steve
Carlton baseball player; Faye Dunaway actress; Stepin Fetchit (Lincoln
Theodore Perry) comedian; Lue Gim Gong horticulturist; Dwight Gooden baseball
player; Zora Neale Hurston writer; Daniel James air force general; James
Weldon Johnson author and educator; Frances Langford singer; Butterfly
McQueen actress; Jim Morrison singer; Osceola Seminole Indian leader;
Sidney Poitier actor; A. Philip Randolph labor leader; Marjorie Kinnan
Rawlings author; Burt Reynolds actor; Charles and John Ringling circus
entrepreneurs; Joseph W. Stilwell army general; Norman E. Thargard astronaut;
Clarence Thomas jurist; Ben Vereen actor.
Capital:
Tallahassee
State
abbreviation/Postal code: Fla./FL
Governor:
Jeb Bush, R (to Jan. 2007)
Lieut.
Governor: Toni Jennings, R (to Jan. 2007)
Senators:
Mel Martinez, R (to Jan. 2011); Bill Nelson, D (to Jan. 2007)
U.S.
Representatives: 25
Secy.
of State: Glenda Hood, R (to Jan. 2007)
Atty.
General: Charlie Crist, R (to Jan. 2007)
Chief
Financial Officer: Tom Gallagher, R (to Jan. 2007)
Organized
as territory: March 30, 1821
Entered
Union (rank): March 3, 1845 (27)
Present
constitution adopted: 1969
Motto:
In God we trust (1868)
State
symbols: flower orange blossom (1909) bird mockingbird (1927) song
“Suwannee River” (1935)
Nickname:
Sunshine State (1970)
Origin
of name: From the Spanish, meaning “feast of flowers” (Easter)
10
largest cities (2003 est.): Jacksonville, 773,781; Miami, 376,815; Tampa,
317,647; St. Petersburg, 247,610; Hialeah, 226,401; Orlando, 199,336; Fort Lauderdale,
162,917; Tallahassee, 153,938; Pembroke Pines, 148,927; Hollywood, 143,408
Land
area: 53,927 sq mi. (139,671 sq km)
Geographic
center: In Hernando Co., 12 mi. NNW of Brooksville
Number
of counties: 67
Largest
county by population and area: Miami-Dade, 2,363,600 (2004); Palm Beach, 2,034
sq mi.
State
forests: 31 (more than 890,000 ac.)
State
parks: 158 (over 700,000 ac.)
Residents:
Floridian, Floridan
2004
resident population est.: 17,397,161
2000
resident census population (rank): 15,982,378 (4). Male: 7,797,715 (48.8%); Female:
8,184,663 (51.2%). White: 12,465,029 (78.0%); Black: 2,335,505 (14.6%); American
Indian: 53,541 (0.3%); Asian: 266,256 (1.7%); Other race: 477,107 (3.0%); Two
or more races: 376,315 (2.4%); Hispanic/Latino: 2,682,715 (16.8%). 2000 percent
population 18 and over: 77.2; 65 and over: 17.6; median age: 38.7.
