History UsefulNotes / Florida

** '''Fort Lauderdale:''' The second major city in South Florida, Fort Lauderdale is a resort city north of Miami in Broward County. It used to be known as America's spring break capital, a tradition that started in the 1940s thanks to various swim teams from East Coast colleges coming to town for spring training before the rise of indoor swimming pools; the 1960 teen flick ''Film/WhereTheBoysAre'' [[TheRedStapler all but cemented its position]] as ''the'' place where co-eds came to party. By the '80s, though, the locals were no longer amused by WackyFratboyHijinx, especially after [[http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4335&context=etd people started dying]], with the mayor going on ''Series/GoodMorningAmerica'' in 1985 to tell everyone that spring breakers were no longer welcome in the city (leading to the rise of Daytona Beach as the new spring break town). Fort Lauderdale went through a painful transition period in the late '80s and early '90s to wean itself off of spring break money, but since then, it's regained its stature as a major destination, this time for families and boaters. With the gentrification of Miami Beach, it's also started to grow into a second {{gayborhood}} for South Florida as LGBT people seek cheaper housing, especially around the suburbs of Wilton Manors and Oakland Park.

** '''Jacksonville:''' Located in the northeast corner of the state about twenty miles from the Georgia border, this is the most populous city in the state and the ''largest'' city in the contiguous United States... by land area, that is.[[note]] The five largest cities in the United States by land area are all in UsefulNotes/{{Alaska}}. From largest to smallest, they are Yakutat, Sitka, Juneau, Wrangell, and Anchorage. The state's most populous city by far is Anchorage, to give you an idea of what this statistic means.[[/note]] Its metropolitan area, however, is only the fourth most populated (behind South Florida, Tampa Bay, and Orlando); the reason the city proper's population is so high is because it covers almost the entire county around it, and the metro area doesn't go much further than that. It's home to two major naval bases, a seaport, and the [[UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team.]] There is also a Minor League baseball team, The Jacksonville Suns, who are affiliated with the Miami Marlins. The city is also a melting pot of sorts, it has the tenth largest Muslim population in the country and is home to many Asian, Hispanic, African, and European immigrants.

** '''Space Coast:''' A collection of towns on the eastern shore about an hour east of Orlando, most people know this area for one thing and one thing only: Cape Canaveral, the site of [[UsefulNotes/{{NASA}} Kennedy Space Center]], America's main space launch facility. As a result, it's home to a startlingly high number of high-tech industrial firms and defense contractors supporting the space industry, and many streets, parks, and schools are named after astronauts, space shuttles, and NASA missions. Getting away from rockets, the town of Cocoa Beach is also famous for surfing (Kelly Slater is from there, and Ron Jon Surf Shop has their headquarters and their largest store there) and as the town where ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie'' took place (there's even a Jeannie-themed frozen yogurt shop within spitting distance of Ron Jon). The town of Cape Canaveral is also a major cruise ship port.

* TrailerParkTornadoMagnet: Oh, yes.

* PortTown: Lots. Tampa and Miami are the biggest.

** '''The Tampa Bay area''' is normally spun off into its own region. The Northerners in this area are more likely to be from the Midwest than the Northeast, due to Interstate 75 connecting it with UsefulNotes/{{Michigan}} and UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}}. Historically, this was a major citrus growing area, though much of that has moved outward and inland. Although Orlando is generally regarded as the "theme park city" of Florida, Tampa manages to hold its own with Ride/BuschGardens, which is famous for its many roller coasters, though the area as a whole is generally more renowned for its large number of world-class museums and popular Gulf Coast beaches. On the other end of the spectrum, it's also known for its strip clubs (it was the setting of ''Film/MagicMike'') and a number of on-and-off sports teams, including the Tampa Bay Rays of [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} MLB]] (which actually play in nearby St. Petersburg), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague the NFL]], and a surprisingly solid (given the area) [[UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague NHL]] team, the Tampa Bay Lightning. The University of South Florida is located here, despite it not really being in South Florida.[[note]]The state legislature chartered South Florida in 1956 when Tampa was the southernmost metro aside from Miami in need of a public university. In 1961 they approved Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton and Florida International in 1969, so it was too late to rename the Tampa school. Fort Myers and Naples area was not populous enough for a public college until the 1990s.[[/note]] \\

On the western side of the bay on the Pinellas Peninsula is the city of St. Petersburg. Together with Southwest Florida, this is the part with the really nice, "world's best" competition winning beaches, not that anyone outside of St. Petersburg remembers it. The most famous landmark is the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunshine_Skyway_Bridge Sunshine Skyway Bridge]], which you've probably seen in a hundred car commercials. It also has [[http://thedali.org/ The Dalí Museum]], the largest collection of Salvador Dalí pieces outside of Spain. The museum is home to 7 out of 18 the masterworks. North of St. Petersburg is the city of Clearwater, best known for being the headquarters of the ChurchOfHappyology at the Fort Harrison Hotel, now known as Flag Land Base. They tried to [[http://www.antisectes.net/sp-times-scientology-special-report-pulitzer-price.pdf take over the town]] in the '70s, which the ''St. Petersburg Times'' (now the ''Tampa Bay Times'', which operates the fact-checking website [=PolitiFact=]) exposed in a series of Pulitzer-winning articles, and their economic influence in the town is still controversial.
** '''Lakeland''': Caught in-between the I-4 corridor of Tampa and Orlando, this minor metro isn't as well-known as either city but is one of the regional growth areas due to its proximity to both. There's a local gag that the newest state university Florida Poly Tech will eventually become the downtown center of Orlampa, the mega-metropolis that will form from Tampa and Orlando merging.

** '''Gainesville:''' Home of the University of Florida. Scratch that; it pretty much ''is'' the University of Florida.

** '''UsefulNotes/{{Orlando}}:''' Home of theme parks like Ride/WaltDisneyWorld, [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal Orlando]], and Ride/SeaWorld, as well as a handful of other smaller theme parks of [[SouvenirLand rather]] [[CrappyCarnival questionable]] quality[[note]]Gatorland, Fun Spot, Magical Midway, and the Holy Land Experience[[/note]] some of which are little more than tourist traps. Speaking of tourist traps, the city is notable for International Drive, which contains some of the said smaller parks along with an endless amount of stores, restaurants, exhibits, and perhaps most famously the Orlando Premium Outlets - a place that's often considered an amusement park in of itself. The long street saw the addition of I-Drive Live in 2015, that specifically includes the massive Orlando Eye ferris wheel, which has now begun to be used as the "icon" of the area. Along with all the tourist destinations, the city is also home to one of the state's major professional sports teams, the Orlando Magic of [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation the NBA]]; and (currently) its only UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer team, Orlando City SC.[[note]]Earlier teams in Tampa and Miami folded in 2001. A new Miami team is scheduled to launch in 2020.[[/note]] The University of Central Florida is also located here. If you're driving south through Florida, Orlando roughly marks where Old Florida deteriorates into pockets dotting the inland corridor through the state. Go a bit further southwest on Interstate 4, and you'll find yourself in the ''other'' major city in the nearby region...
** '''The Tampa Bay area''' is normally spun off into its own region. The Northerners in this area are more likely to be from the Midwest than the Northeast, due to Interstate 75 connecting it with UsefulNotes/{{Michigan}} and UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}}. Historically, this was a major citrus growing area, though much of that has moved outward and inland. Although Orlando is generally regarded as the "theme park city" of Florida, Tampa manages to hold its own with Ride/BuschGardens, which is famous for its many roller coasters, though the area as a whole is generally more renowned for its large number of world-class museums. On the other end of the spectrum, it's also known for its strip clubs (it was the setting of ''Film/MagicMike'') and a number of on-and-off sports teams, including the Tampa Bay Rays of [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} MLB]] (which actually play in nearby St. Petersburg), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague the NFL]], and a surprisingly solid (given the area) [[UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague NHL]] team, the Tampa Bay Lightning. The University of South Florida is located here, despite it not really being in South Florida. \\

** '''Fort Lauderdale:''' The second major city in South Florida, Fort Lauderdale is a resort city north of Miami in Broward County. It used to be known as America's spring break capital, a tradition that started in the 1940s thanks to various swim teams from East Coast colleges coming to town for spring training before the rise of indoor swimming pools; the 1960 teen flick ''Where the Boys Are'' [[TheRedStapler all but cemented its position]] as ''the'' place where co-eds came to party. By the '80s, though, the locals were no longer amused by WackyFratboyHijinx, especially after [[http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4335&context=etd people started dying]], with the mayor going on ''Series/GoodMorningAmerica'' in 1985 to tell everyone that spring breakers were no longer welcome in the city (leading to the rise of Daytona Beach as the new spring break town). Fort Lauderdale went through a painful transition period in the late '80s and early '90s to wean itself off of spring break money, but since then, it's regained its stature as a major destination, this time for families and boaters. With the gentrification of Miami Beach, it's also started to grow into a second {{gayborhood}} for South Florida as LGBT people seek cheaper housing, especially around the suburbs of Wilton Manors and Oakland Park.

[[[[caption-width-right:350:Home to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Man Florida Man]].]]

** '''[[UsefulNotes/{{Orlando}} Orlando:]]''' Home of theme parks like [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Walt Disney World]], [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal Orlando]], and Ride/SeaWorld, as well as a handful of other smaller theme parks of [[SouvenirLand rather]] [[CrappyCarnival questionable]] quality[[note]]Gatorland, Fun Spot, Magical Midway, and the Holy Land Experience[[/note]] some of which are little more than tourist traps. Speaking of tourist traps, the city is notable for International Drive, which contains some of the said smaller parks along with an endless amount of stores, restaurants, exhibits, and perhaps most famously the Orlando Premium Outlets - a place that's often considered an amusement park in of itself. The long street saw the addition of I-Drive Live in 2015, that specifically includes the massive Orlando Eye ferris wheel, which has now begun to be used as the "icon" of the area. Along with all the tourist destinations, the city is also home to one of the state's major professional sports teams, the Orlando Magic of [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation the NBA]]; and (currently) its only UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer team, Orlando City SC.[[note]]Earlier teams in Tampa and Miami folded in 2001. A new Miami team is scheduled to launch in 2020.[[/note]] The University of Central Florida is also located here. If you're driving south through Florida, Orlando roughly marks where Old Florida deteriorates into pockets dotting the inland corridor through the state. Go a bit further southwest on Interstate 4, and you'll find yourself in the ''other'' major city in the nearby region...

!Tropes Commonly Associated With Florida:

* DrivesLikeCrazy: Not so much the native Floridians, actually. The problem is all the crazy drivers imported from the rest of the country and elderly drivers who really shouldn't be on the road. The two groups overlap a lot, especially in the winter.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: In recent years, many Floridian cities (especially Miami) have seen a large influx of Brazilian tourists who come to the state's many [[TheMall malls]] as seasonal shoppers. This is largely stemmed from the fact that imported goods in Brazil are subject to extremely high tariffs (so high that for most consumers, purchasing a plane ticket to fly to a different country to shop is ''still'' cheaper than buying the items in Brazil). Florida, with its relatively close location and similar climate to Brazil, has been a natural destination for these tourists.
** Brazilians may love Florida, but Floridians '''''hate''''' Brazilian tourists. Seriously. And their hatred is pretty well founded: rude behavior, shoplifting en masse, and generally treating all service-industry workers like they were mobile pieces of garbage is only the beginning.

* GentleGiant: Florida Manatees, also called "Sea Cows", are the largest native animals inside the state, some weighing over 600 kilograms. They're gentle as a lamb and are practically incapable of hurting someone even if they wanted, often curiously or playfully swimming up to people. Unfortunately many of them were once hurt by high speed motorboats due to being slow moving, hard to see by boaters; and were put on the endangered species list. Thankfully Floridians love their sea cows and public outreach and speed laws mitigated the problem enough for their numbers to climb back up.

* NeverLiveItDown: The last few presidential elections, especially 2000's. Short version: although the Republican Party has the state government on lockdown, when the time comes for actual popular voting, Florida is increasingly the big purple state, very evenly divided between the parties. On the presidential level, Florida leans ever-so-slightly Democratic (following the national trend that in presidential years, the Democrats have an advantage), but this can be defeated by Republican candidates with significant Florida ties (and in 2016, ''two'' Republican candidates--Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio--are from Florida).

* PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad: Has had problems with this, notably Florida State University and its Seminoles. Who FYI have permission from the Seminole tribe these days and has their mascot's look and attire made by the tribe.

* RecklessGunUsage: It's a state that loves guns so much that it's a "Stand Your Ground" state. That means claiming self-defense excuses a lot of problematic shootings.
* TheRival: To California. A lot of tropes that reference California could just as easily reference Florida. One big difference seems to be that, while Florida is a very wet state, surrounded by water, filled with swamps, and prone to hurricanes, California has the opposite problem of being very dry, being a desert environment and suffering from frequent droughts.
** The one rivalry involving California and Florida that Floridians scoff at is in their respective citrus fruits. Floridians maintain that there's no comparison, and thus no rivalry. The joke goes like this: You can run over a California orange with a bulldozer and the juice won't even wet the road. But you'll need napkins just trying to ''peel'' a Florida orange. And while that's not quite the truth, it is true that Florida oranges are slightly larger and juicier than California oranges, on average.

Really, "worthless backwater" aptly sums up most of Florida until just before the start of the 20th century, when the construction of the railroads led to increased trade (mostly citrus products, winter vegetables and cattle) with the North, and the cigar industry developed in Tampa. Following the UsefulNotes/SpanishAmericanWar, tourism really picked up, and thanks to the efforts of railroad builders and the mild nature of winter in the state, the first real estate boom led to the development of much of South Florida in the 1920's. Unfortunately, this initial housing boom turned out to be a bubble and its bursting by the end of the decade was one of the major factors leading to TheGreatDepression, which set the state back once again. Following the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, however, the development of air conditioning, highways (in case you haven't realized it, Florida is a ''big'' state for folks traveling north or south)[[note]]Not counting the keys, its 430 miles north-south; that's half the length of California. Throw in the keys and Florida is just under 550 miles north-south[[/note]], and a second real estate boom led to Florida's transformation into the conglomeration of suburbs, beaches, and retirement homes it is today.

-> '''Therapist"''' They prefer "The Sunshine State".

-> '''Homer Simpson''' - ''Florida? But that's [[EmbarrassingNickname America's wang]]!''
-> '''Therapist''' - ''They prefer "The Sunshine State".''

The "Sunshine State" moniker is a half lie as most Floridians can tell you - the state's climate has a pronounced cycle of wet and dry seasons, with summer featuring near-daily thundershowers and winter, such as it is, being very dry. Convenient for northerners looking to escape the snow, not so much for those looking for a semi-tropical vacation spent mainly on the beach. Get used to the water, because Florida is a very wet state: surrounded on three sides by water and filled with swamps, wetlands, and retention ponds. Tourists, take note: if you're here during the summer, keep an umbrella on hand. Brief but intense thundershowers with little warning are common. Florida is also ridiculously flat. The highest point of elevation, Britton Hill at 345 feet (105 m), is just that, a hill, and a rather unimpressive one; the ''lowest points'' of many states have higher elevations than Britton Hill[[note]]Though technically the highest point of elevation is a roller coaster in Orlando that protrudes nearly 200 metres above sea level[[/note]].

Really, "worthless backwater" aptly sums up most of Florida until just before the start of the 20th century, when the construction of the railroads led to increased trade (mostly citrus products, winter vegetables and cattle) with the North, and the cigar industry developed in Tampa. Following the UsefulNotes/SpanishAmericanWar, tourism really picked up, and thanks to the efforts of railroad builders and the mild nature of winter in the state, the first real estate boom led to the development of much of South Florida in the 1920's. Unfortunately, this initial housing boom turned out to be a bubble and its bursting by the end of the decade was on of the major factors leading to TheGreatDepression, which set the state back once again. Following the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, however, the development of air conditioning, highways (in case you haven't realized it, Florida is a ''big'' state for folks traveling north or south)[[note]]Not counting the keys, its 430 miles north-south; that's half the length of California. Throw in the keys and Florida is just under 550 miles north-south[[/note]], and a second real estate boom lead to Florida's transformation into the conglomeration of suburbs, beaches, and retirement homes it is today.

As has been noted, Florida natives tend to be relatively few in number compared to northern immigrants in the populated coastal regions. Some of these northerners are migratory and known to natives as "snowbirds" for their habit of fleeing to Florida from snow in the north and returning home once the snow melts. Lots of them stay, however, and Florida has a disproportionate number of elderly northerners in the state, second only to the American southwest. Most Floridians like the money the Tourists bring in, but wish they would go home after spending their money (Especially Yankees.) Note that it actually ''does'' snow in Florida on occasion. It's rare, usually coming once every couple of decades, normally restricted to the northern edges of the state, and very light when it does happen, but between Florida's very mild winters and generally dry winter and spring, Florida snowfall remains little more than a curiosity.

Today, there are three distinct Floridas within the state's borders. Old Florida, a proud part of the DeepSouth, is in fact alive and well -- it just occupies inland and northern Florida as well as the panhandle, i.e. the parts of the state tourists don't see (outside of a few resort towns such as Panama City Beach). South Florida exchanged its man card and Southern credibility for lots of money, lots of sprawling suburbia, and lots of northerners (particularly East Coasters from states like New York and New Jersey). This region, especially around UsefulNotes/{{Miami}}, also hosts large communities of Caribbean immigrants and has a distinctly Latin tinge and a working knowledge of Spanish can be a big help (some ''70%'' of Miamians are Hispanic and over 70% of Miamians count a language other than English as their mother tongue: mostly Spanish, but a substantial number report Haitian Creole. It's the highest proportion in the country.). Central Florida, anchored by the Tampa Bay and Orlando metropolitan areas a.k.a the "I-4 Corridor"[[note]]Named after the interstate highway that connects the two cities[[/note]], serves as a bit of a middle ground between the two other regions and has another Northeastern atmosphere. However some areas also have a Midwestern feel (owing in part to some transplants from that region of the country). YouShouldKnowThisAlready, but tourism is Florida's biggest industry these days (but only just ahead of agriculture) and is, along with UsefulNotes/{{California}}, one of the classic spring break and summer vacation destinations in the United States. Agriculture and phosphate mining are also common, but again are parts of the state that tourists usually don't see.

* '''The Panhandle:''' So called for reasons obvious to anyone looking at a map of the state, the Panhandle is home to Tallahassee, Florida's largely forgettable capital city, with little else of note besides being the home of Florida State University and the historically-black Florida A&M University. Some nice Gulf beaches up here[[note]]Panama City Beach in particular has gained a status as a rival to Daytona Beach as one of Florida's biggest spring break destinations[[/note]], a major naval base at Pensacola, and... not much else. Peculiarly, much of the Panhandle is in a different time zone (Central) than the rest of the state, due to the time line being a continuation of the Alabama/Georgia border[[note]]This also makes Florida the geographically easternmost region of the US to be part of the Central Time Zone[[/note]]. It's sometimes grouped with Southern Alabama/Georgia -- indeed, there have been multiple proposals throughout history, going back to before Florida was even part of the United States, to have the Panhandle area split off from the rest of the state and join Alabama.

* RecklessGunUsage: It's a state that loves guns so much that it's a "Stand Your Ground" state. That means claiming self defense excuses a lot of problematic shootings.
* TheRival: To California. A lot of tropes that reference California could just as easily reference Florida. One big difference seems to be that, while Florida is a very wet state, surrounded by water, filled with swamps, and prone to hurricanes, California has the opposite problem of being very dry, being a desert environment and suffering from drought for several years.

* '''The Keys:''' An archipelago of islands off the coast of South Florida, with the two most famous being Key Largo (the closest to the mainland) and Key West (the farthest and [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin westernmost]] island). Technically part of Florida, but really, the Keys are the northern edge of the Caribbean and Old Florida does not acknowledge the Keys as part of the state proper. The government does, though, and it's a good thing - the Keys are one of the big summer tourist destinations in the United States despite their tendency to get obliterated by hurricanes every couple of years. This is not an exaggeration: most of the Keys are for the most part sandbars with DelusionsOfGrandeur and can be wiped off the map by a hurricane, as what happened with an especially powerful hurricane in 1935.[[note]]Well, that's not exactly true, as the Keys proper are a mostly submerged limestone ridge, but still low enough that everything, aside from the NighInvulnerable Hemingway House, can get blown or washed off. Including those nice beaches installed on Key West at such expense.[[/note]]

Really, "worthless backwater" aptly sums up most of Florida until just before the start of the 20th century, when the construction of the railroads led to increased trade (mostly citrus products, winter vegetables and cattle) with the North, and the cigar industry developed in UsefulNotes/{{Tampa}}. Following the UsefulNotes/SpanishAmericanWar, tourism really picked up, and thanks to the efforts of railroad builders and the mild nature of winter in the state, the first real estate boom led to the development of much of South Florida in the 1920's. Unfortunately, this initial housing boom turned out to be a bubble and its bursting by the end of the decade was on of the major factors leading to TheGreatDepression, which set the state back once again. Following the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, however, the development of air conditioning, highways (in case you haven't realized it, Florida is a ''big'' state for folks traveling north or south)[[note]]Not counting the keys, its 430 miles north-south; that's half the length of California. Throw in the keys and Florida is just under 550 miles north-south[[/note]], and a second real estate boom lead to Florida's transformation into the conglomeration of suburbs, beaches, and retirement homes it is today.

Really, "worthless backwater" aptly sums up most of Florida until just before the start of the 20th century, when the construction of the railroads led to increased trade (mostly citrus products, winter vegetables and cattle) with the North, and the cigar industry developed in Tampa. Following the UsefulNotes/SpanishAmericanWar, tourism really picked up, and thanks to the efforts of railroad builders and the mild nature of winter in the state, the first real estate boom led to the development of much of South Florida in the 1920's. Unfortunately, this initial housing boom turned out to be a bubble and its bursting by the end of the decade was on of the major factors leading to TheGreatDepression, which set the state back once again. Following the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, however, the development of air conditioning, highways (in case you haven't realized it, Florida is a ''big'' state for folks traveling north or south)[[note]]Not counting the keys, its 430 miles north-south; that's half the length of California. Throw in the keys and Florida is just under 550 miles north-south[[/note]], and a second real estate boom lead to Florida's transformation into the conglomeration of suburbs, beaches, and retirement homes it is today.

* ProfessionalWrestling: While the top two companies in the US both have their corporate headquarters elsewhere (Wrestling/{{WWE}} in Stamford, Connecticut and Wrestling/{{TNA}} in Nashville, Tennessee,) both have strong ties to the state. TNA previous held all of their weekly shows at the "Impact Zone," a soundstage at Universal Studios in Orlando before taking the show on the road. WWE's developmental program, NXT, recently opened a new performance center in Orlando, after having it previously under the title of Florida Championship Wrestling in Tampa (this is especially interesting as the two companies categorically do '''NOT''' get along.) Also, because of this, a large number of wrestlers: current, former, and upcoming, now call Florida home (though, for the sake of variety, most are billed from their childhood home, such as current Tampa native John Cena still being billed from his childhood home in West Newbury, Massachusetts.)

-> ''"Florida? But that's [[EmbarrassingNickname America's wang]]!"''
-->-- '''Homer Simpson''', "Kill the Alligator and Run", ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''

** '''[[UsefulNotes/{{Orlando}} Orlando:]]''' Home of theme parks like [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Walt Disney World]], [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal Orlando]], and Ride/SeaWorld, as well as a handful of other smaller theme parks of [[SouvenirLand rather]] [[CrappyCarnival questionable]] quality[[note]]Gatorland, Fun Spot, Magical Midway, and the Holy Land Experience[[/note]] some of which are little more than tourist traps. Speaking of tourist traps, the city is notable for International Drive, which contains some of the said smaller parks along with an endless amount of stores, restaurants, exhibits, and perhaps most famously the Orlando Premium Outlets - a place that's often considered an amusement park in of itself. The long street saw the addition of I-Drive Live in 2015, that specifically includes the massive Orlando Eye ferris wheel, which has now begun to be used as the "icon" of the area. Along with all the tourist destinations, the city is also home to one of the state's major professional sports teams, the Orlando Magic of [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation the NBA]]; and its only UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer team, Orlando City SC.[[note]]Earlier teams in Tampa and Miami folded in 2001.[[/note]] The University of Central Florida is also located here. If you're driving south through Florida, Orlando roughly marks where Old Florida deteriorates into pockets dotting the inland corridor through the state. Go a bit further southwest on Interstate 4, and you'll find yourself in the ''other'' major city in the nearby region...

** '''UsefulNotes/{{Miami}}:''' The largest city in this region. Often called the financial capital of Latin America, serving as a gateway to the US for the Caribbean and South America due to both its geographical position and the aforementioned Latin American (primarily Cuban) community. As such, knowing Spanish is practically mandatory in many neighborhoods, both working-class and wealthy alike, and many of the signs are written in both English and Spanish. Sometimes by law. The exception is Little Haiti, where it's ''Haitian Creole'' (derived from French, but not mutually intelligible with it) that's the mandatory second language.

The "Sunshine State" moniker is a half lie as most Floridians can tell you - the state's climate has a pronounced cycle of wet and dry seasons, with summer featuring near-daily thundershowers and winter, such as it is, being very dry. Convenient for northerners looking to escape the snow (now if only more of them would go back once they've forked over their money...), not so much for those looking for a semi-tropical vacation spent mainly on the beach. Get used to the water, because Florida is a very wet state: surrounded on three sides by water and filled with swamps, wetlands, and retention ponds. Tourists, take note: if you're here during the summer, keep an umbrella on hand. Brief but intense thundershowers with little warning are common. Florida is also ridiculously flat. The highest point of elevation, Britton Hill at 345 feet (105 m), is just that, a hill, and a rather unimpressive one; the ''lowest points'' of many states have higher elevations than Britton Hill[[note]]Though technically the highest point of elevation is a roller coaster in Orlando that protrudes nearly 200 metres above sea level[[/note]].

** '''The Tampa Bay area''' is normally spun off into its own region. The Northerners in this area are more likely to be from the Midwest than the Northeast, due to Interstate 75 connecting it with UsefulNotes/{{Michigan}} and UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}}. Historically, this was a major citrus growing area, though much of that has moved outward and inland. Although Orlando is generally regarded as the "theme park city" of Florida, Tampa manages to hold its own with Ride/BuschGardens, which is famous for its many roller coasters, though the area as a whole is generally more renowned for its large number of world-class museums. On the other end of the spectrum, it's also known for its strip clubs (it was the setting of ''Film/MagicMike'') and a number of on-and-off sports teams, including the Tampa Bay Rays of [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} MLB]] (which actually play in nearby St. Petersburg), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of [[UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball the NFL]], and a surprisingly solid (given the area) [[UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague NHL]] team, the Tampa Bay Lightning. The University of South Florida is located here, despite it not really being in South Florida. \\

Being the biggest metropolitan area of Florida, it is home to most of the state's professional sports teams, including the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA's]] Miami Heat, the [[UsefulNotes/NaiotnalFootballLeague NFL's]] Miami Dolphins, the [[UsefulNotes/MLBTeams MLB's]] Miami Marlins, and the [[UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague NHL's]] Florida Panthers. While the former two teams are considered either powerhouses in their league (in the case of the Heat) or former powerhouses (in the case of the Dolphins, whose great era came in TheSeventies under head coach Don Shula), the latter two are generally considered to be the {{Butt Monkey}}s of their respective leagues. The Marlins are better known for their garish ballpark than anything, while many South Floridians are unaware of the very existence of the Panthers. [[UsefulNotes/CollegiateAmericanFootball College football]] is also very popular in the area, with the University of Miami's Hurricanes being one of the state's three major historic powerhouses (along with the aforementioned University of Florida and Florida State University).\\\

** '''UsefulNotes/{{Miami}}:''' The largest city in this region. Often called the financial capital of Latin America, serving as a gateway to the US for the Caribbean and South America due to both its geographical position and the aforementioned Latin American (primarily Cuban) community. As such, knowing Spanish is practically mandatory in many neighborhoods, both working-class and wealthy alike, and many of the signs are written in both English and Spanish. Sometimes by law. The exception is Little Haiti, where it's ''French'' (specifically French Creole) that's the mandatory second language.

** Oddly enough, there's not much of a rivalry between the professional teams, although passions do run high between Orlando Magic and Miami Heat fans. A lot of it has to do with most of the pro teams playing in different conferences or divisions with little at stake: there had been only one playoff game between Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins, for example. Most pro team rivalries (Dolphins vs. AFC East, Bucs vs. NFC South in football; Marlins vs. Braves, Rays vs. Yankees and Red Sox in baseball) are with out-of-state opponents. The Lightning and Panthers ''do'' share a division, but have never met in the playoffs.

** '''[[UsefulNotes/{{Orlando}} Orlando:]]''' Home of theme parks like [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Walt Disney World]], [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal Orlando]], and Ride/SeaWorld, as well as a handful of other smaller theme parks of [[SouvenirLand rather]] [[CrappyCarnival questionable]] quality[[note]]Gatorland, Fun Spot, Magical Midway, and the Holy Land Experience[[/note]] some of which are little more than tourist traps. Speaking of tourist traps, the city is notable for International Drive, which contains some of the said smaller parks along with an endless amount of stores, restaurants, exhibits, and perhaps most famously the Orlando Premium Outlets - a place that's often considered an amusement park in of itself. The long street saw the addition of I-Drive Live in 2015, that specifically includes the massive Orlando Eye ferris wheel, which has now begun to be used as the "icon" of the area. Along with all the tourist destinations, the city is also home to one of the state's major professional sports teams, the Orlando Magic of [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation the NBA]]; and its only UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer team, Orlando City SC.[[note]]Earlier teams in Tampa and Miami folded in 2001.[[/note]] If you're driving south through Florida, Orlando roughly marks where Old Florida deteriorates into pockets dotting the inland corridor through the state. Go a bit further southwest on Interstate 4, and you'll find yourself in the ''other'' major city in the nearby region...
** '''The Tampa Bay area''' is normally spun off into its own region. The Northerners in this area are more likely to be from the Midwest than the Northeast, due to Interstate 75 connecting it with UsefulNotes/{{Michigan}} and UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}}. Historically, this was a major citrus growing area, though much of that has moved outward and inland. Although Orlando is generally regarded as the "theme park city" of Florida, Tampa manages to hold its own with Ride/BuschGardens, which is famous for its many roller coasters, though the area as a whole is generally more renowned for its large number of world-class museums. On the other end of the spectrum, it's also known for its strip clubs (it was the setting of ''Film/MagicMike'') and a number of on-and-off sports teams, including the Tampa Bay Rays of [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} MLB]] (which actually play in nearby St. Petersburg), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of [[UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball the NFL]], and a surprisingly solid (given the area) [[UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague NHL]] team, the Tampa Bay Lightning.\\

Today, there are three distinct Floridas within the state's borders. Old Florida, a proud part of the DeepSouth, is in fact alive and well -- it just occupies inland and northern Florida as well as the panhandle, i.e. the parts of the state tourists don't see (outside of a few resort towns such as Panama City Beach). South Florida exchanged its man card and Southern credibility for lots of money, lots of sprawling suburbia, and lots of northerners (particularly East Coasters from states like New York and New Jersey). This region, especially around UsefulNotes/{{Miami}}, also hosts large communities of Caribbean immigrants and has a distinctly Latin tinge and a working knowledge of Spanish can be a big help (some ''70%'' of Miamians are Hispanic and over 70% of Miamians count a language other than English as their mother tongue: mostly Spanish, but a substantial number report Haitian Creole. It's the highest proportion in the country.). Central Florida, anchored by the Tampa Bay and Orlando metropolitan areas a.k.a the "I-4 Corridor"[[note]]Named after the interstate highway that connects the two cities[[/note]], serves as a bit of a middle ground between the two other regions and has more of a Midwestern atmosphere (owing in part to a large number of transplants from that region of the country). YouShouldKnowThisAlready, but tourism is Florida's biggest industry these days (but only just ahead of agriculture) and is, along with UsefulNotes/{{California}}, one of the classic spring break and summer vacation destinations in the United States. Agriculture and phosphate mining are also common, but again are parts of the state that tourists usually don't see.

The YanksWithTanks are also quite active within the state, and Florida is home to three of the ten Unified Combatant Commands, more than any other state or region in the world -- the grand theater-level strategic commands. Central Command (USCENTCOM) which oversees operations in the Middle East and Central Asia, Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) which oversees Central and South America plus the Caribbean, and Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) which oversees America's special forces, all call Florida their home. NASA also has a major facility within the state: Kennedy Space Center, better known as Cape Canaveral, is the site of NASA's space launches.[[note]]Technically speaking, the city of Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center launch complex are not the same place; the Space Center is located across the Banana River on Merritt Island. They both have their own zip code and everything. However, they are highly dependent on each other in more ways than one, so they can be used interchangeably.[[/note]]

** '''Orlando:''' Home of theme parks like [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Walt Disney World]], [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal Orlando]], and Ride/SeaWorld, as well as a handful of other smaller theme parks of [[SouvenirLand rather]] [[CrappyCarnival questionable]] quality[[note]]Gatorland, Fun Spot, Magical Midway, and the Holy Land Experience[[/note]] some of which are little more than tourist traps. Speaking of tourist traps, the city is notable for International Drive, which contains some of the said smaller parks along with an endless amount of stores, restaurants, exhibits, and perhaps most famously the Orlando Premium Outlets - a place that's often considered an amusement park in of itself. The long street saw the addition of I-Drive Live in 2015, that specifically includes the massive Orlando Eye ferris wheel, which has now begun to be used as the "icon" of the area. Along with all the tourist destinations, the city is also home to one of the state's major professional sports teams, the Orlando Magic of [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation the NBA]]; and its only UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer team, Orlando City SC.[[note]]Earlier teams in Tampa and Miami folded in 2001.[[/note]] If you're driving south through Florida, Orlando roughly marks where Old Florida deteriorates into pockets dotting the inland corridor through the state. Go a bit further southwest on Interstate 4, and you'll find yourself in the ''other'' major city in the nearby region...

Really, "worthless backwater" aptly sums up most of Florida until just before the start of the 20th century, when the construction of the railroads led to increased trade (mostly citrus products, winter vegetables and cattle) with the North, and the cigar industry developed in Tampa. Following the UsefulNotes/SpanishAmericanWar, tourism really picked up, and thanks to the efforts of railroad builders and the mild nature of winter in the state, the first real estate boom led to the development of much of South Florida in the 1920's. Unfortunately, this initial housing boom turned out to be a bubble and its bursting by the end of the decade was on of the major factors leading to TheGreatDepression, which set the state back once again. Following the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, however, the development of air conditioning, highways (in case you haven't realized it, Florida is a ''big'' state for folks traveling north or south[[note]]Not counting the keys, its 430 miles north-south; that's half the length of California. Throw in the keys and Florida is just under 550 miles north-south)[[/note]]), and a second real estate boom lead to Florida's transformation into the conglomeration of suburbs, beaches, and retirement homes it is today.