Florida is so interesting! It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these but really I could write a slew of them since there’s plenty to share when it comes to amazing Florida. Enjoy and then check out my earlier posts: 10 interesting Florida quick facts and 10 more awesome and interesting Florida quick facts
Enjoy!
- Just how big is Disney World? Walt Disney World is comprised of 30,500 acres, which is roughly the size of San Francisco.
Source: https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/florida
2. The closest foriegn country is The Bahamas, which is only 50 miles.
Source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Florida
3. There are estimated to be more than 1 million alligators living in the state of Florida.
Source: https://www.keywestaquarium.com/ultimate-guide-alligators
4. The first official passenger airline flight took place on New Year’s Day in 1914 and flew from St. Petersburg to Tampa.
Source: https://www.visitflorida.com/en-us/travel-ideas/10-florida-facts.html
5. Florida has more toll roads than any other state. (And here I thought I was done with toll roads when I left the northeast!)
Source: https://www.myimprov.com/11-facts-about-florida/
6. There’s a town called Bagdad in Florida… there’s also a New York, Hollywood and Havana. Other rather odd town names: Yellow Jacket, Roach, Two Egg, Couch, Early Bird, Bratt, Cadillac, Harp, Romeo, Sapp, Ocheesee, Weeki Wachee, Deadman Landing and Yeehaw Junction. Yes, all Florida towns indeed.
Source: https://www.wesh.com/article/list-50-strange-town-names-in-florida/4330552
7. The Everglades is actually a slow moving river that starts from Lake Okeechobee and heads south.
Source: https://www.evergladesholidaypark.com/everglades-surprising-facts/
8. The name gatorade was derived from the Gators, the notorious University of Florida mascot, which is also where the drink was first developed.
Source: https://bocadigest.com/50-cool-weird-facts-florida/
9. Just how many stones were used in the construction of Cinderella’s Castle in the Magic Kingdom? Answer: Zero, the castle is made of fiberglass.
Source: https://www.everythingmouse.com/disney-cinderella-castle
10. In Florida, you are never more than 60 miles from any ocean, which means you have a wealth of picturesque ocean and beach explorations to choose from.
Source: https://bocadigest.com/50-cool-weird-facts-florida/
These are such interesting facts, JoAnn, thank you for sharing. I was curious to find out about Florida’s avifauna and learned that the state is the 3rd birdiest in the US, following California and Texas. Another good reason for this bird nerd to come visit one of these days. 🙂
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You taught me a new word… avifauna. I didn’t realize we had so many birds here in Florida. I guess birds must love warm watery areas the most. Makes sense. I like those kinda of places too. 🙂
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Yes, many of them like your local climate and flora, but it’s also a great stopover for all those migrants from more southern climes on their way to their breeding grounds. I’m sure they would have incredible travel stories to tell if only we could understand. 🙂
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That would be something wouldn’t it? It would be lovely to be a bird for a while, just flying around all happy… I’m sure it’s not all good times though. There are many hazard out there for them that they have to watch out for.
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You are so right, JoAnn. Even if we admire their apparent freedom, they constantly have to seek food or evade danger. I am full of admiration for them. 🐦🦉🦅
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Me too!
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Very interesting facts! That is a really big gator!
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If you have written previously about Florida, could you pls provide me the link(s)?
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I write about Florida extensively: https://midnightharmony.com/category/all-things-florida/
🙂
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Great post!
Thank you for sharing
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You’re welcome. Thanks for visiting!
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🙏🏻💙 🌹
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Nice inspire for Summer!💗
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Thank you!
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You are welcome JoAnn! Enjoy your week ending!
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You too!
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Fascinating collection, JoAnn!
Fitting, given all the air travel destined for Florida, the the very first air passenger took off from and landed in the state. “First in Flight?” Not so fast, North Carolina!
You likely know this already, but I was surprised to learn that, by road, Pensacola actually is closer to Chicago than it is to Miami.
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That’s amazing, one for a future post for sure! I believe those of us that live in “the rest of Florida” kinda tend to forget about the panhandle and how sizable it is.
I guess you could say that Florida was the first, at least on record, to make money off of people wanting fly… cementing once again Florida’s long tradition of deriving income from unnecessary indulgences I suppose!
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“Unnecessary?” Given all that’s happened about us in the last four months, we need a well-planned getaway now more than ever.
I don’t know if you recall, from your youth, Florida’s ad campaign, “When You Need It Bad, We’ve Got It Good.” It featured a series of snowbound Northerners gasping “I need it bad!” Most memorable was an Eskimo with icicles dangling from his parka.
Well, we Yankees need it bad.
By the way, you’re from Florida, so where do you go on vacation? Camden, NJ? Toledo? Detroit?
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Oh, I hope it didn’t sound like I was knocking unnecessary indulgences… much to the contrary. That’s really what makes life worth living when you think about it. Imagine if we always just got by with the bare necessities… well I guess there have been a few who could do it but not I!
I do not recall that commercial but I’m sure it was a good one.
As far as vacations I can think of many places I would like to go… post-Covid of course. Europe, The Caribbean, Japan… and no, Camden would NOT be high on my list. Been there done that… something you really only need to do once in a lifetime, or never in a lifetime if you’re really fortunate!
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It’s my dream retirement place one day. The closeness to the Bahamas made me even more excited. As for Disney World, it’s magic hasn’t left me since I’d been there many years ago. Thanks 🙏
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You’re welcome thanks for visiting. Florida will be ready when you are! 🙂
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Thank you for sharing, and I love the pics. I only ever visited once and sadly, we spent most of our time round the pool. Though we did go see the ‘gaters’ lol.
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I think the pool is the best place to hang out, especially if it’s summer!
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Fun Florida facts! Thanks for sharing ! 🙂
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You’re welcome! Thanks for visiting!
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