Florida Fast Facts
»Most of Florida has a humid subtropical climate; southern Florida has a tropical climate.
»Florida was named by Juan Ponce de León, who landed on the peninsula on 2 April 1513, during Pascua Florida (Spanish for "Flowery Easter," referring to the Easter season).
»The capitol of Florida is Tallahassee.
»The largest city in Florida is Jacksonville.
»Archaeological research indicates that Florida had been inhabited for thousands of years before any European settlements.
»Florida is 361 miles (582 km) wide and 447 miles (721 km) long.
»The state of Florida is made up of 17.9% water.
»Britton Hill is the highest point of Florida at 345 ft (105 m).
»Great Britain gained control of Florida diplomatically in 1763 through the Peace of Paris. The British divided the colony into East Florida, with its capital at St. Augustine, and West Florida, with its capital at Pensacola.
»Until the mid-twentieth century, Florida was the least populous Southern state. In 1900 its population was only 528,542.
»Only Alaska and Michigan are larger than Florida in water area.
»Florida is host to many types of wildlife including marine mammals - Bottlenose Dolphin, Pilot Whale, Northern Right Whale and Manatee.
»Florida is host to many types of wildlife including Panther, Whitetail Deer, Key Deer, Bobcats, Southern Black Bear and Armadillos.
»Florida is host to many types of wildlife including Bald Eagle, Crested Caracara, Snail Kite, Osprey, Pelicans, Sea Gulls, Whooping & Sandhill Cranes, Roseate Spoonbill and Florida Scrub Jay.
»Florida ranks forty-fifth in total energy consumption per capita.
»Citrus fruit, especially oranges, are a major part of the economy, and Florida produces the majority of citrus fruit grown in the U.S. – in 2006, 67 percent of all citrus, 74 percent of oranges, 58 percent of tangerines, and 54 percent of grapefruit. Mixon Fruit Farm, Bradenton is one such popular Florida fruit grower - open to the public for family fun too.
»North-south state highways are all odd numbered, two-digit, with low numbers on the east coast and higher numbers on its west coast and in the panhandle.
»East-west state highways have three digits. They are low numbered in the north, high numbered in the south.
»Florida is the traditional home to Major League Baseball's spring training, and nearly 2/3 of all MLB teams still have a spring training presence in the state.
»Florida is one of the most important markets for the Arena Football League. Golf, tennis and auto racing are also popular.
»Many scenes for Jim Carey film, The Truman Show were shot in Northwest Florida, including Deer Point Dam, St. Andrews State Park, Destin and Panama City.
Orlando Facts
Orlando is home to the University of Central Florida, which is the second largest university in Florida in student enrollment and has the 6th largest enrollment in the nation. Did you also know that the the Orlando city symbol is the fountain of Lake Eola...
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Gulf Coast Facts
Clearwater on Florida's Gulf Coast holds the record for consecutive sunny days in one year - 361 days. For families planning their holiday to Florida's Gulf Coast it's interesting to know that In 2005, Naples was voted the best beach in America by the Travel Channel...
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Florida Keys Facts
The island of Key West is about 4 miles (6.4 km) long and 2 miles (3.2 km) wide. In the late 1950's many of the large salt ponds on the eastern side were filled in, nearly doubling the original land mass of the island. For those who have experienced holidays to the popular islands of Antigua, Barbados or St Lucia, it's interesting to know that the climate and environment of the Keys are closer to that of the Caribbean than the rest of Florida...
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Florida Theme Park and Attraction Facts
Halloween Horror Nights is one of the largest Halloween events in the U.S., presented annually at Universal Orlando Resort. North-East of Orlando, Daytona International Speedway is a 2½-mile (4 km) tri-oval race track facility with a seating capacity of 168,000 spectators. Another fact...At its peak, Walt Disney World Resort occupied approximately 30,000 acres (120 km²) or 47 square miles (120 km²), about the size of San Francisco, or twice the size of Manhattan...
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