Florida Facts - Your Online Source for Information on Florida
Probably the most well-known of all Florida facts is that it's the home of Walt Disney World and some of the best beaches on the planet. But the State of Florida has many interesting tidbits of information besides its fame as a vacation wonderland.
Florida is without a doubt heaven to vacationers from all points on the globe, but millions of people live in Florida, too, and the population is growing every day. In fact, Florida is one of the fastest growing states in the country with 1000 new people moving in every day.
Fun Florida Facts - Vacation Heaven
- The State of Florida is the top travel destination in the whole world.
- Florida has 1200 miles of sandy beaches and 1800 miles of coastline.
- The City of Clearwater boasts an average of 361 sunny days per year.
Fun Florida Facts - State Statistics
- Florida is the 4th most populous state in the country, with a population of over 18 million people. (Only California, Texas and New York are bigger.)
- Jacksonville is the biggest city in Florida, and Tallahassee is the state capital.
- The most populous metro area in Florida is Miami-Ft. Lauderdale. A population of more than 5 million makes this part of Florida the 6th largest metropolitan area in the country.
- Lake Okeechobee, located toward the southern end of the state, is the largest lake in Florida and the 2nd largest freshwater lake that is entirely in the continental boundaries of the country.
- The Saint John's River, located in central Florida, is one of just a few rivers in the U.S. that flows north.
- The state animal is the panther.
- The state marine mammal is the manatee.
- Florida's state flower is the orange blossom.
- The state bird of Florida is the mockingbird, but the Florida Legislature has recently been petitioned to change the state bird to the Florida Scrub Jay.
Fun Florida Facts - Interesting Tidbits
- Florida has more golf courses than any other state in the country, and Palm Beach County has the most golf courses than any other county in the country.
- Rollins College, in Winter Park, opened in 1885 and is the oldest college in Florida.
- The City of St. Augustine is the oldest European settlement in all of North America.
- Gatorade was named after The Florida Gators football team from the University of Florida in Gainesville, where the drink was developed.
- Florida is not the southernmost state in the country - Hawaii is. But Key West, Florida does have the highest average temperature of any U.S. city and the southernmost point in the continental United States.
- Central Florida is the lightning strike capital of the world.
- Florida played a central role in the controversial voting scandal in the 2000 presidential elections.
- Florida is the top orange juice producer in the entire country.
- Florida is home to Kennedy Space Center, the launching pad and sometime landing site for the space shuttle.