Florida is one of the top tourist and relocation destinations in the United States. Nicknamed The Sunshine State for a good reason, the warm weather, hundreds of miles of beaches and world-famous amusement parks attract approximately 60 million visitors each year. Also, according to data provided by the Census Bureau, a mind-blowing number of Americans (537,148) moved to Florida in 2012.
Be ready to be glued to the screen: here are 21 hand-picked amazing facts about Florida that you probably didn’t know until now.
1. In Spanish, Florida means “Feast of Flowers”.
2. It’s been estimated that approximately 1,000 people move to Florida every single day.
3. Florida is golfers’ paradise. The state has more golf courses than any other U.S. state – more than 1,250.
4. Florida produces approximately 75% of all oranges in the United States. Also, the state is responsible for about 40% of the world’s production of orange juice.
5. Florida is the only state that has 2 rivers with exactly the same name. The Withlacoochee River (length: 115 miles, (185 km)) originates in Georgia and flows south into Florida. The Withlacoochee River (length: 141 miles, (227 km)) originates in central Florida and empties into the Gulf of Mexico. The word Withlacoochee is Indian and means “crooked river”.
6. With more lightning-related deaths and injuries than all other states combined (an average of 10 deaths and 30 injuries a year), Florida is also known as the “Lightning Capital of the World”.
7. With 52.5 million visitors annually, the Walt Disney World Resort, located in Lake Buena Vista, is the most visited vacation resort in the world. It covers an area of 66 sq. mi. (171 sq. km.), which is more than the area of the capital of the United States – Washington, DC (61.4 sq. mi. (159 sq. km.)).
8. Founded in 1565 by the Spanish admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, the city of St. Augustine is the oldest European settlement in North America.
9. Fort Lauderdale is nicknamed Venice of America because it has an extensive network of canals – 165 miles (266 km) of waterways within the city limits.
10. Key West has the highest average annual temperature in the U.S. ( 77.8 °F (25 °C)), and more bars per capita than any other city in the country.
11. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the city of Clearwater holds the record for most consecutive days of sunshine in one year – 361 days.
12. Wakulla Springs near the state capital Tallahassee is the deepest freshwater spring in the world (350 ft, (110 m)).
13. Cape Canaveral has been chosen as America’s primary rocket launch site because of its ideal location.
14. The Mug Race is the longest river sailboat race in the world and is held annually on St. Johns River. The first boat to complete the 38.5 mile course is awarded the Mug Cup.
15. The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum in the city of Sanibel is the only museum in the world that is dedicated entirely to the study of shells and mollusks.
16. The world’s first scheduled commercial airline flight from St. Petersburg, FL to Tampa, FL took place on January 1, 1914 and was completed by a young pilot named Tony Jannus.
17. In 1944, a pharmacist from Miami Beach invented the first suntan cream – Coppertone Suntan Cream. He mixed cocoa butter and other ingredients in a coffeepot on the stove and
tested the mixture on his bald head.
18. The world-famous sports drink Gatorade was first developed in 1965 by a team of researchers at the University of Florida.
19. Any Highway Patrol officer in Florida who weighs 15 pounds (6.8 kg) above the recommended weight will lose their annual performance bonus.
20. In Florida, feeding wild alligators is illegal and is considered a second-degree misdemeanor.
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