Moving
to Florida Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Palm Beach, Sarasota
The subject of relocating,
or relocation can be intimidating to some folks who have to move for one
reason or another. A large relocation company, when relocating a family
can not always give the kind of personal relocating services that we can.
We hope that when searching for us with a search engine you use some of
the following keywords: estate, real estate, home, homes, house,
housing, realtor, escrow, mortgage, finance, financing, refinance, refinancing,
for sale, property, properties, mover, movers, relocation, relocate, marketing,
advertising, appraisal, Arizona, Arkansas, California, New York,
Florida, District of Columbia, Illinois, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado,
Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon,
Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota,
Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia,
Wisconsin, Wyoming. If you are reading this, thanks for coming.
Moving to/arizona alabama arkansas california colorado connecticut delaware district of columbia florida georgia idaho illinois
indiana iowa kansas kentucky louisiana maine maryland massachusetts michigan minnesota mississippi missouri montana nebraska nevada new hampshire new jersey new mexico new york north carolina north dakota ohio oklahoma oregon pennsylvania Rhode Island South carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah
Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming.
Florida,
a favorite destination of millions of tourists, is a fast-developing state
of the southeastern United States. Mostly a peninsula, Florida is bordered
by Alabama and Georgia on the north, the Atlantic Ocean on the east, the
Straits of Florida on the south, and the Gulf of Mexico and Alabama on
the west. The first European to visit the region was the Spanish explorer
Juan Ponce de Leon in 1513, who called it Florida ("feast of flowers"),
either because he saw a profusion of flowers on its coast or because it
was Easter week (Pascua florida). The first permanent European settlement
in the continental United States was at Saint Augustine in 1565.
LAND AND RESOURCES
Florida is low-lying and level, with an average elevation of about 30
m (100 ft). The highest point, in Walton County in the northwest, is 105
m (345 ft) above sea level. Florida has 2,172 km (1,350 mi) of coastline,
more than any other state except Alaska; 933 km (580 mi) of the coastline
border the Atlantic, and 1,239 km (770 mi) border the Gulf of Mexico.
The uneven coastline is indented with estuaries, bays, inlets, lagoons,
and rivers. The Florida Keys, an arc of islands--mostly either uplifted
coral reefs or limestone shoals--lie off the state's southern tip.
Physiographic Regions
The land area of Florida and its continental shelf make up the Florida
Plateau, which separates the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico. Volcanic
mountains buried during the Paleozoic Era (600 to 225 million years ago)
form the base of the Florida Plateau. At present, these volcanic rocks
are approximately 3,959 m (13,000 ft) below the surface of central Florida.
Sands and other materials that were deposited on the base have formed
sedimentary rocks more than 1,200 m (4,000 ft) thick. The plateau has
shifted over the centuries, and it is now tilted from east to west, with
the eastern part higher than the western part as evidenced by the gulf's
broad continental shelf. If the plateau were not tilted and the whole
area were dry land, the state of Florida would be twice its present size.
The Florida Plateau is divided into five land regions--the coastal lowlands,
the Everglades, the central highlands, the northwestern highlands, and
the Marianna lowlands. The coastal lowlands include the Atlantic and Gulf
zones and contain most of Florida's population. The Everglades were originally
a sea bottom. As the area was raised, the Okeechobee Basin remained higher
than the area to the south. Because Lake Okeechobee is shallow, has low
banks, and is in a wet region, water overflows to the south and southwest,
creating a sea of water grasses, open water areas, cypress forests, and
mangrove swamps. Human activities, however, have modified the water flow
and changed the natural character of the Everglades. The central highlands,
narrow in the south and wide in the north, are marked by sinkholes, lakes,
and springs. A part of the Okefenokee Swamp is in the far north, astride
the border with Georgia. West of the Suwannee River are the northwestern
highlands, with elevations rising above 91 m (300 ft) and deeply cut river
valleys. The Marianna lowlands bisect the northwestern highlands.
Soils
The coastal lowlands have poorly drained, sandy soils. In the Everglades
the soil is primarily peat and muck, often highly sandy and lacking minerals.
Well-drained sands, with small amounts of silt and clay, are found in
the central highlands. The well-drained soils in the northwestern highlands
and Marianna lowlands, with some clay content, are the best agricultural
soils.
Rivers and Lakes
Because of Florida's relatively flat topography, most of its rivers are
slow moving, and many overflow during periods of heavy rain and dry up
in times of drought. The state's longest river, the Saint Johns, flows
north from Indian River County to the Atlantic Ocean, near Jacksonville.
Other major rivers include the Apalachicola, Kissimmee, Peace, Perdido,
St. Marys, Suwannee, and Withlacoochee.
Florida's groundwaters are primarily supplied by the Floridan aquifer,
which extends across the entire state, except in the far west. Lake Okeechobee
is the largest lake in the state and the fourth-largest natural lake within
the United States. Central Florida is the site of numerous sinkhole lakes.
Climate
Florida's climate is influenced by the state's location, its peninsular
shape, and its numerous inland water bodies. No place in the state is
more than 110 km (70 mi) from open water. Winds that blow over the Gulf
Stream (known locally as the Florida Current) moderate the climate.
The Florida Keys have a tropical climate, with average temperatures ranging
from 22 degrees C (71 degrees F) in January to 29 degrees C (84 degrees
F) in July. Northern Florida has a subtropical to temperate climate; Tallahassee
has average temperatures of 12 degrees C (53 degrees F) in January and
27 degrees C (81 degrees F) in July.
The southeastern coast and the northwestern panhandle receive an average
of 1,626 mm (64 in) of precipitation each year. In north central Florida
the average annual precipitation is approximately 1,321 mm (52 in). Thunderstorms
occur frequently, especially in central Florida. Hurricanes usually develop
in the Caribbean and the Atlantic in late summer and early fall and can
cause severe damage if they strike Florida. Since 1900, more than 20 major
hurricanes have hit Florida, mostly in the southern and panhandle areas
of the state.
Vegetation and Animal Life
About half of Florida's land area is covered with forests, and more than
350 types of trees grow in the state. Common hardwoods include ash, hickory,
magnolia, mahogany, and oak. Mangrove and cypress flourish in the southern
swamplands, such as Big Cypress Swamp and the Everglades. Pines predominate
in the north. Palm trees grow throughout most of the state. The swamplands
are noted for their epiphytes (air plants), such as Spanish moss, nonparasitic
plants that typically hang from trees (especially oak and cypress); tall
saw grass is also common in these wet regions.
Florida has a great variety of wildlife. Large mammals include whitetail
deer, black bears, bobcats, and a few cougars. Foxes, muskrats, otters,
possums, rabbits, raccoons, and squirrels are abundant. Swamps provide
a habitat for alligators. Game birds, such as wild turkeys and quail,
and water birds, such as egrets, flamingos, gulls, herons, and pelicans,
are found. Common freshwater fish species include black bass, bream, catfish,
and trout; marine animals include barracuda, bonito, dolphins, mackerel,
marlin, menhaden, black mullet, pompano, tarpon, crabs, shrimp, and large
turtles.
Mineral Resources
Florida has extensive phosphate deposits, found mainly in the central
part of the state, and limestone, located throughout the state. Kaolin
and other clays, sand and gravel, ilmenite, monazite, and zirconium are
also found. Petroleum deposits are in the southwest, near Fort Myers,
and there is a more significant deposit near Pensacola.
PEOPLE
Florida's resident (excluding overseas) population is 12,937,926 (1990),
an increase of 32.7 percent since 1980. The state's increase from 1980
to 1990 was far higher than the national average of 9.8 percent, and in
absolute numbers Florida's total gain of 3,191,602 inhabitants was surpassed
only by California. Between 1960 and 1980, Florida's population nearly
doubled. Most of the population increase in recent decades has been due
to in-migration. Many new Floridians are retirees, whose presence accounts
for the state's high proportion of persons aged 65 or more--19 percent
of the state's population, compared to the national average of about 12
percent. Florida's population density is well above that of the nation
as a whole, and most of the population is classified as urban. The chief
cities are (in order of population) Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Saint
Petersburg, Hialeah, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Tallahassee, Hollywood,
Clearwater, Miami Beach, Gainesville, Pompano Beach, West Palm Beach,
Largo City, Daytona Beach, and Pensacola. The great majority of Florida's
inhabitants are white; blacks make up about 13.6 percent of the population.
Significant numbers of Hispanics, especially Cubans who immigrated during
the 1960s, live primarily in the greater Miami area, as well as in Tampa
and other communities. A second major wave of Cuban immigration took place
in 1980, when about 115,000 refugees arrived in southern Florida. A Greek
community lives in Tarpon Springs, on the west coast. About 36,335 American
Indians live in the state. The Seminole Indians live mostly in the Everglades.
Roman Catholics form the largest single religious denomination in Florida.
Among Protestants, the Baptists and Methodists are particularly strong.
Florida also has a sizable Jewish community.
EDUCATION AND CULTURAL ACTIVITY
Education
The 1868 state constitution authorized a statewide system of public education.
Attendance is compulsory at elementary and secondary schools in Florida
between the ages of 7 and 16. For information on public institutions of
higher education, see Florida, state universities of.
Cultural Institutions
Notable museums include the John and Mabel Ringling Museum of Art, at
Sarasota, with a major collection of European paintings; the Florida Museum
of Natural History, at Gainesville; the Center for the Fine Arts, at Miami;
the Cummer Gallery of Art, at Jacksonville; the Museum of Florida History,
at Tallahassee; and Marineland of Florida, near Saint Augustine, with
extensive exhibits on the sea, including two oceanariums. Music and opera
are performed by the Florida Symphony (Orlando), the Florida State Opera
(Tallahassee), and the Greater Miami Opera (Miami).
Historical Sites
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument contains a masonry fort, begun
in 1672, built by the Spanish to protect Saint Augustine. De Soto National
Memorial, near Bradenton, commemorates the landing (1539) of the Spanish
explorer Hernando de Soto. Fort Jefferson National Monument, in the Dry
Tortugas islands, is the site of an immense fortification that served
as a Federal military prison during and after the U.S. Civil War. Dade
Battlefield, near Bushnell, is the site where U.S. troops were defeated
(1835) by Indians at the start of the Second Seminole War.
Sports and Outdoor Recreation
Because of its climate and location, Florida offers extensive opportunities
for outdoor sports. The state has numerous beach resorts, as well as ample
facilities for marine and freshwater fishing, pleasure boating, waterskiing,
and other water sports. Each year many major-league baseball teams conduct
spring training in the state from February to early April. There are professional
baseball, basketball, football, and hockey teams in Florida as well. The
Orange Bowl, played at Miami, is a noted annual postseason college football
game.
Communications
Florida's first radio station (1920) and first television station (1949)
began broadcasting from Miami. Numerous radio and television stations
are now in operation as well as educational television and cable systems.
The state's first newspaper was the East Florida Gazette, established
in 1783 in Saint Augustine. Today the Miami Herald is considered Florida's
most influential newspaper. A leading Spanish-language daily is Diario
Las Americas.
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
Florida's chief economic development began in the early 20th century;
today the state has a diversified modern economy. Tourism and other service
industries and government (including military installations) are the chief
employers. The state's economy benefits from the many retired persons
who live in Florida on pensions earned elsewhere.
Agriculture
Florida is a major agricultural state with approximately 41,000 farms
having an average size of about 123.8 ha (306 acres). The state's most
important products are citrus fruits--especially oranges, which were introduced
around 1570 by Spanish settlers and by the early 1800s had become an important
commercial product. Other principal crops are vegetables (particularly
tomatoes); sugarcane, the state's major field crop; tobacco; soybeans;
nuts, especially peanuts and pecans; and noncitrus fruits, mainly watermelons,
cantaloupes, and strawberries. Most citrus groves and vegetable farms
are in central and southern Florida; sugarcane is grown south of Lake
Okeechobee; and nuts and tobacco are produced in the northern part of
the state. Income, amounting to about 20 percent of the total farm marketings,
is also derived from livestock. A great number of Florida cattle and calves,
hogs, and broiler chickens are marketed each year, and large amounts of
dairy products and eggs are produced. The raising of Thoroughbred horses
is also a major endeavor in Florida, particularly on the horse farms in
Marion County.
Forestry and Fishing
Lumbering is a relatively small but significant industry in Florida; softwoods
are the chief trees cut. Florida's commercial fish catch is among the
highest in value in the nation. Important species include shrimp, black
mullet, and blue crab. Most fish are caught off the west coast.
Mining
Florida is a leading state in nonfuel mineral output. Its principal minerals
are phosphate, of which Florida is the nation's leading producer; petroleum
and natural gas; stone; clay; sand and gravel; limestone; ilmenite; and
dolomite.
Manufacturing
Florida has a growing manufacturing sector but is not a center of heavy
industry. Most manufacturing is concentrated around its major cities.
Chief manufactures are processed food, especially citrus products, such
as frozen orange juice concentrate; transportation equipment; electrical
equipment; chemicals; fabricated metals; paper and paper goods; printed
materials; and cigars.
Tourism
Tourists in Florida spend billions of dollars each year in the state.
The warm climate of southern Florida during the winter is a favorite attraction
for vacationers from the northeastern United States and Canada. In addition
to the many beach resorts on both coasts, points of interest include Cape
Canaveral, the site of the John F. Kennedy Space Center; Walt Disney World/Epcot
Center and MGM Studios, and Universal Studios, near Orlando (see Disneyland
and Walt Disney World); Cypress Gardens, near Winter Haven; Busch Gardens,
in Tampa, containing a large zoo; and Everglades National Park. The state
has many state parks and recreation areas.
Transportation
Florida has well-developed road and railway systems. Its busiest seaports
are Tampa-Saint Petersburg, Jacksonville, Port Everglades (at Fort Lauderdale),
and Miami. Important waterways include sections of both the Gulf Intracoastal
Waterway and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Florida has many airports,
with Miami International Airport one of the nation's busiest.
Energy
Petroleum is the source of about 60 percent of the energy produced in
Florida. Other sources include natural gas and coal. Most electricity
is produced in thermal plants, but the state also has nuclear power facilities
and a few small hydroelectric installations.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Government
Florida is governed under a constitution of 1885, as revised in 1968 and
later amended. The chief executive is the governor, popularly elected
to a 4-year term; a governor may not serve more than 10 consecutive years.
As opposed to most other states, other statewide elected officials have
considerable authority independent of the governor and appreciably limit
the power of the chief executive. The Florida legislature is made up of
a senate, whose 40 members are popularly elected to 4-year terms, and
a house of representatives, whose 120 members are popularly elected to
2-year terms. The highest tribunal in the state is the supreme court,
composed of 7 justices appointed by the governor to 6-year terms; one
of the justices is elected by the court to serve for 2 years as chief
justice. The large majority of the state's 67 counties are administered
by 5 county commissioners. Most ofFlorida's 390 (1991) incorporated cities
have either a mayor-and-council form or a manager-and-council form of
govern-ment. The government of some cities, notably Jacksonville and Miami,
has been integrated with that of other municipalities or the surrounding
county.
Politics
Democrats have dominated Florida politics on the state and local levels
since 1876, although in recent decades two Republican governors have been
elected--in 1966 and 1986. By the mid-20th century, however, Republicans
had made considerable gains in national presidential elections, and since
1952, Democratic presidential candidates have carried Florida only in
1964 and 1976.
HISTORY
At the end of the last ice age, more than 10,000 years ago, Florida was
inhabited by groups from the Caribbean and by Indians who had migrated
from the north and northwest following the movement of large game animals.
At the time of the first European contact in the early 16th century, four
major Indian groups (with an estimated total population ranging from 100,000
to 900,000) lived in what is now Florida: the Apalachee in the northwest;
the Calusa in the southwest; the Tequesta along the southeastern coast;
and the Timucua in the north central region.
European Rule
In 1513, Juan Ponce de Leon landed on the northeast Florida coast and
claimed Florida for Spain. In 1521 he returned to found a colony but was
unsuccessful and was killed the same year. In 1528, Panfilo de Narvaez,
another Spanish explorer, anchored in Tampa Bay and then traveled inland.
In 1539, Hernando de Soto landed near Tampa Bay, exploring that area and
then northern Florida. Another Spaniard, Tristan de Luna, attempted, with
some 1,600 men and women, to establish a permanent colony on Pensacola
Bay in 1559, but after two difficult years the settlement was abandoned.
In 1562 the French Huguenot leader Gaspard de Coligny commissioned Jean
Ribaut to found a colony in the territory, and in 1564, Ribaut's aide,
Rene de Laudonniere, built Fort Caroline, near present-day Jacksonville.
Philip II of Spain sent a military expedition, led by Pedro Menendez de
Aviles, to destroy the French settlement. Arriving in 1565, Menendez established
Saint Augustine and massacred the French; he captured Fort Caroline and
founded another settlement there. The Spanish subsequently built forts
and missions across northern Florida and around the southwestern coast.
During the Seven Years' War (1756-63) between Britain and France, Spain
sided with France and lost Cuba in 1762. Under the terms of the peace
treaty (1763), Spain traded Florida to Britain in exchange for Cuba.
Under British rule Florida was divided into two separate colonies, East
Florida and West Florida. During the American Revolution, Floridians remained
loyal to Britain; but by the Treaty of Paris (1783), English hegemony
in Florida was ended and the region was returned to Spain.
U.S. Acquisition
During the War of 1812, Britain used Pensacola as a naval base, but in
1814 it was captured by American troops. In 1819, Spain agreed to transfer
Florida to the United States, which assumed control in 1821. The following
year Florida was organized as a territory, and William P. Duval became
governor; soon many settlers, including Indians, streamed into Florida
from the North. Conflicts erupted with the Seminole Indians, who were
defeated in the Second Seminole War (1835-42). Some of the Seminole were
removed to Oklahoma, and a small band migrated to the Everglades.
Statehood
Florida entered the Union as a slave state on Mar. 3, 1845. By 1860 the
population was about 140,000, of whom 63,000 were black. Florida seceded
from the Union on Jan. 10, 1861, and then joined the Confederacy. Most
of Florida's coastal towns were captured early by Union forces, but Tallahassee
remained under Confederate control throughout the war. The Battle of Olustee,
which took place in Florida on Feb. 20, 1864, was one of the last Confederate
victories.
In 1868, after a new constitution guaranteeing blacks the right to vote
had been adopted, the state was readmitted to the Union. Republicans held
most important elected offices until 1876, when the Democrats returned
to power.
An era of rapid economic growth began in the 1880s--great deposits of
phosphate were discovered, citrus groves were planted, southern swamplands
were drained and converted to farmland, and railroads and tourist facilities
were constructed. Several entrepreneurs, notably Henry M. Flagler (1830-1913),
Hamilton Disston (1844-96), and Henry B. Plant (1819-99), led Florida's
development.
The Modern Era
During the early 1920s, Florida experienced a great land boom. Real estate
prices rose spectacularly until 1926, when a combination of factors, especially
the well-publicized opinion of respected financial experts that Florida
land was vastly overpriced, led to a rapid and severe drop in values.
Later in 1926, Miami, one of Florida's chief boom cities (its population
had grown from 1,681 inhabitants in 1900 to 69,754 in 1925), was badly
damaged by a hurricane. The state's economy had largely recovered by 1929,
when the Great Depression began, bringing reverses.
From 1920 to 1930, Florida's population had grown by more than 50 percent,
reaching about 1,468,000 inhabitants. Growth continued during the 1930s
and accelerated in the 1940s, when war-related activities spurred additional
development. By 1950, Florida had about 2,771,000 inhabitants, and during
both the 1950s and '60s its population grew by about 2 million persons.
In the postwar period the tourist and retirement industries grew rapidly,
as did commercial farming. The aerospace industry developed in association
with the Cape Canaveral missile and space-flight center. Floridians adhered
gradually to the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision outlawing segregated
schools, and by the 1970s most public schools were integrated. In the
1970s laws were passed that ensured protection of the state's natural
areas. Thousands of Cuban refugees settled in Florida, especially in Miami,
in the 1960s and again in 1980. During the 1980s, Florida's economy became
more like that of the rest of the nation, with a decrease in agriculture
and an increase in the service sector. Ongoing growth in population has
encouraged growth-management legislation relating to environmentally sensitive
land and beaches. In August 1992, South Florida, especially the Homestead
area, was devastated by Hurricane Andrew; the storm killed 38 persons
and left 250,000 homeless. By 1994 construction on Homestead's infrastructure
was nearly complete; the rebuilding of private homes and businesses continued.
Edward Fernald
Bibliography: Bouvier, L., and Weller, B., Florida in the 21st Century:
The Challenge of Population Growth (1992); Carter, L. J., The Florida
Experience: Land and Water Policy in a Growth State (1975); Federal Writers'
Project, Florida (1939; repr. 1981); Fernald, E. A., and Purdum, E., eds.,
The Atlas of Florida, rev. ed. (1992); Huckshorn, R. J., ed., Government
and Politics in Florida (1991); Gannon, M., Florida (1993); Marth, D.
and M., Florida Almanac (1992); Myers, R. L., and Ewel, J. J., eds., Ecosystems
of Florida (1990); Nulty, W. H., Confederate Florida (1990).
(c) 1996 Grolier, Inc.
|