In my opinion, Florida is one of the more interesting American states. It was named by explorer Ponce de Leon who called it “La Florida”, meaning “the flowery land”. Florida is 65,755 square miles (170,304 km2). Florida is a little smaller geographically than Uruguay. Florida is approximately half the size of Finland and approximately a fourth the size of France. With 19,893,297 people, Florida is the third most populous state in the US, with a population density of 353.4/square mile (136.4/km2). The three countries with the closest population density are Denmark, Czech Republic, and China. Here is a map showing Florida’s population density.
Florida is home to the earliest continuously occupied European-established settlement in the continental United States (i.e., St. Augustine), founded in 1565. In 1817-18 the US Army launched frequent incursions into Spanish territory against the Seminoles, known as the First Seminole War. At the end of the war the US effectively controlled East Florida. Florida was ceded to the United States in 1821 through the Adams-Onis Treaty in exchange for $5 million and the American renunciation of any claims on Texas. LOL. Interestingly though this means that Florida was a Spanish colony for 256 years, whereas it has only been a part of the United States for 193 years.
Following formal acquisition the US fought two more wars against the Seminoles, 1835-42 and 1855-58 respectively. Following these wars most of the Seminoles were forcibly removed to the Indian Territory (what’s now Oklahoma), though some remained in the Everglades. Later, white settlers began to establish cotton plantations in Florida. By 1860, Florida had 140,424 people, and 44% of these people were enslaved. Florida remained sparsely populated and was the least populous Southern state until the mid-twentieth century. However, after WWII air conditioning was invented and people actually could stand to live in Florida. Additionally, the low cost of living in the state fuelled large migration from the Rust Belt and the Northeast, causing the state’s population to increase sharply.
Florida is still interesting today. In the state 73.36% of people speak English as their mother tongue, 19.54% speak Spanish as the mother tongue, and 1.84% speaks French Creole as their mother tongue. The most common accent in Florida is General American, but there are varying dialects and accents within the state. Southern accents are common in northern Florida while, due to migration patterns, the east coast of Florida has a northeastern accent and the west coast of Florida has a mid-western accent. The racial makeup is 57.9% Non-Hispanic white, 22.5% Hispanic/Latino of any race, 16.0% black, 2.4% Asian, 0.4% native, 3.6% other race, and 2.5% two or more races. It should be noted, however, that if one includes White Hispanics, then whites make up 75.0% of the population (I don’t know why they’re differentiated, but anyway). The religious makeup is Protestants at 48%, Catholics at 26%, Jews 3%, Jehovah’s Witnesses 1%, Muslims 1%, Eastern Orthodox 1%, Hindus and Buddhists 0.5% each, and 16% non-religious.
Finally, I will note that in addition to Disney World insanity, Florida is also known for its regular insanity. This is my favourite post from/r/Floridaman – “Florida Man Who Happens To Be A Quadruple Amputee On The Run After His Parents Were Murdered – Considered ‘Armed & Dangerous’”.
