Fun Facts About Florida

Fun Facts About Florida: all 30, explained

1. South Florida is the only place where alligators and crocodiles live side by side.

   American alligators prefer fresh water and American crocodiles prefer salty or brackish water. In the Everglades and Florida Keys their ranges overlap, which happens nowhere else.

   Source: Everglades National Park (Wikipedia) · Fact card

2. Florida has the longest coastline of any of the lower 48 US states.

   Florida is surrounded by water on three sides, with the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Gulf on the west. Only Alaska has a longer coastline.

   Source: Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

3. Florida’s highest point is lower than any other US state’s.

   Florida’s highest point, Britton Hill, is only about 105 metres above sea level, the lowest high point of any state.

   Source: Britton Hill (Wikipedia) · Fact card

4. Florida is nicknamed the Sunshine State.

   The nickname became official in 1970.

   Source: Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

5. Florida grows most of the oranges for US orange juice.

   Orange juice is the official state beverage.

   Source: Agriculture in Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

6. The Everglades is a slow-moving river of grass.

   Water flows south across a wide, shallow wetland toward Florida Bay.

   Source: Everglades (Wikipedia) · Fact card

7. Everglades National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

   It is the largest subtropical wilderness in the US.

   Source: Everglades National Park (Wikipedia) · Fact card

8. Manatees gather in Florida’s warm springs in winter.

   Manatees cannot survive long in cold water, so they crowd into springs and near power plants.

   Source: West Indian manatee (Wikipedia) · Fact card

9. Every crewed US launch to the Moon left from Florida.

   The Apollo missions launched from Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral.

   Source: Kennedy Space Center (Wikipedia) · Fact card

10. St. Augustine is the oldest continuously inhabited European-founded city in the US.

    It was founded by the Spanish in 1565.

    Source: St. Augustine, Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

11. Florida’s name comes from Spanish.

    Explorer Juan Ponce de León named it in 1513, around Easter, the "Pascua Florida" or feast of flowers.

    Source: Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

12. A highway of bridges links the Florida Keys.

    The Overseas Highway runs about 180 kilometers to Key West, including the Seven Mile Bridge.

    Source: Overseas Highway (Wikipedia) · Fact card

13. Key West is the southernmost city in the contiguous US.

    It is closer to Havana than to Miami.

    Source: Key West (Wikipedia) · Fact card

14. Florida has more lightning than almost anywhere else in the US.

    Central Florida is sometimes called the lightning capital of the country.

    Source: Climate of Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

15. Florida is hit by more hurricanes than any other US state.

    Hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November.

    Source: List of Florida hurricanes (Wikipedia) · Fact card

16. Florida has hundreds of freshwater springs.

    Some stay around 22 °C all year and are popular for swimming and tubing.

    Source: Springs of Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

17. Walt Disney World is about the size of San Francisco.

    The resort near Orlando covers roughly 100 square kilometers.

    Source: Walt Disney World (Wikipedia) · Fact card

18. Gatorade was invented at the University of Florida.

    Researchers created it in 1965 for the university’s football team, the Gators.

    Source: Gatorade (Wikipedia) · Fact card

19. The Florida panther is one of the most endangered mammals in the US.

    Only around 120 to 230 adults are thought to live in the wild.

    Source: Florida panther (Wikipedia) · Fact card

20. Florida’s capital is Tallahassee, not Miami or Orlando.

    It was chosen in 1824 as a point between the old capitals of Pensacola and St. Augustine.

    Source: Tallahassee, Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

21. Florida has the third-largest population of any US state.

    Only California and Texas have more people.

    Source: Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

22. Florida has the only living coral barrier reef in the continental US.

    The Florida Reef runs along the Florida Keys.

    Source: Florida Reef (Wikipedia) · Fact card

23. Florida has more sinkholes than any other US state.

    Much of the state sits on limestone that slowly dissolves.

    Source: Sinkhole (Wikipedia) · Fact card

24. The mockingbird is Florida’s state bird.

    It shares the honor with Texas and several other states.

    Source: Northern mockingbird (Wikipedia) · Fact card

25. Miami Beach has one of the largest collections of Art Deco buildings in the world.

    Hundreds of pastel buildings from the 1920s to 1940s stand in its historic district.

    Source: Miami Beach Architectural District (Wikipedia) · Fact card

26. A huge fort stands on a remote island off Florida.

    Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park is one of the largest brick masonry structures in the Americas.

    Source: Fort Jefferson, Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card

27. The sabal palm is Florida’s state tree.

    It also appears on the state seal and flag.

    Source: Sabal palmetto (Wikipedia) · Fact card

28. Part of Florida is in a different time zone.

    Most of the western Panhandle is on Central Time, while the rest of the state is on Eastern Time.

    Source: Florida Panhandle (Wikipedia) · Fact card

29. The Cuban sandwich has deep roots in Tampa and Miami.

    Tampa’s version traditionally includes salami, a nod to its Italian immigrants.

    Source: Cuban sandwich (Wikipedia) · Fact card

30. Florida has no state income tax.

    It is one of a handful of US states without one.

    Source: Taxation in Florida (Wikipedia) · Fact card