Florida Facts

56 Florida Facts

1. Florida is one of the 50 states of the United States of America.
2. Florida was the 27th state to join the United States on March 3, 1845.
3. Florida is in the southern region of the United States.
4. Florida is the 22nd largest U.S. state, covering a total of 65,757.7 square miles or 1.73% of the total area of the United States.
5. Florida's 65,757.70 square miles is 81.55% land and 18.45% surface water.
6. Florida is ranked 22nd with the most land area in the United States, with 53,624.76 square miles of land area.
7. Florida is ranked 3rd with the most water area in the United States, with 12,132.94 square miles of water area.
8. Florida is the 3rd most populated U.S. state with a population of 21,538,187 or 6.51% of the total population of the United States.
9. The state capital of Florida is the city of Tallahassee.
10. Florida is divided into 67 counties statewide.
11. Miami-Dade County is the most populated county in Florida
12. The most populated city in Florida is Jacksonville with an estimated 949,611 residents.
13. The five most populated city in Florida are Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Orlando and St. Petersburg.
14. A native or resident Florida is called a Floridian or Floridan.
15. Florida's average elevation statewide is 100 feet.
16. Florida's highest elevation point is Britton Hill at 345 feet.
17. Florida's lowest elevation point is the Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
18. Florida is in both Eastern Time Zone (ET) and Central Time Zone (CT).
19. The two letter abbreviation for Florida is FL.
20. The ISO 3166 code for Florida is US-FL.
21. Florida is called the Sunshine State.
22. The estimated median household income in Florida is $59,227.
23. Florida is the 24th most expensive U.S. state to buy a home with an estimated median home price of $245,169.
24. Florida is ranked 24th on the cost of living index out of all 50 U.S. states.
25. Florida has the 5th oldest population in the United States with a median age of 42.7.
26. Florida's average temperature is 71.80°F making it the 2nd warmest state in the United States.
27. Florida on average has 54.73 inches of precipitation per year, making it the 4th wettest U.S. state.
28. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Florida was 108 °F on Monday, June 29, 1931, in Monticello, FL.
29. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Florida was -2 °F on Monday, February 13, 1899, in Tallahassee, FL.
30. Florida is one of a few U.S. states with no income tax.
31. If you like the beach, you’ll love Florida! No matter where you are in the state, you’re no more than 60 miles from the coastline.
32. The southern most point of the United States is Key West, Florida in the Straits of Florida.
33. If all the polar caps and ice sheets were to melt the entire state of Florida would be underwater.
34. Florida is the world’s epicenter for theme parks, which includes Disney World, Universal Studios, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND and Busch Gardens.
35. Florida is known as a swing state in U.S. politics. This is since it cannot be reliably counted on any political party as a state they’ll win during an election.
36. Cape Canaveral, Florida is home to some of the most famous space mission launches, including Apollo, Mercury, Gemini, and the Space Shuttle missions.
37. In 1845, Florida joins the United States and becomes the 27th U.S. state.
38. In 1861, Florida secedes from the United States and joins the Confederate States of America.
39. In 1868, Florida rejoins the United States three years after the end of the American Civil War.
40. In 1928, the Okeechobee hurricane becomes the deadliest hurricane in the history of Florida with 2,500+ fatalities.
41. In 1934, the Everglades National Park is designated and covers over 1.5 million acres.
42. In 1956, the Tallahassee bus boycott was held to hope end racial segregation on city buses.
43. In 1961, the Mercury-Redstone 3 mission was launched from the Cape Canaveral LC-5 site. On May 5th, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American to fly in space.
44. In 1969, the Apollo 11 mission is launched from the Kennedy Space Center on July 24th. The Apollo 11 mission becomes the first time a humans walk on the moon.
45. In 1971, Walt Disney World Resort opens for the first time with the Magic Kingdom theme park.
46. In 1980, the Miami riots breakout after the acquittal of four white police officers in the death of an African American, resulting in 350 injuries and 18 deaths.
47. In 1993, Hurricane Andrew, a powerful category 5 hurricane makes landfall in the southern region of Florida. It would claim the lives of 15 Florida residents and cause $52.23 billion (2020 USD) in property damage.
48. In 2000, a recount of ballots in Florida causes a delay in the winner of 2000 United States Presidential election. After the recount, former U.S. President George W. Bush wins Florida’s electoral votes by only 537 votes.
49. In 2016, the Orlando nightclub shooting occurs at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The perpetrator Omar Mateen killed 50 people (including himself), making this mass shooting one of the deadliest in United States history.
50. Labor unionist and civil rights activist Asa Philip Randolph was born in Crescent City, Florida on April 15th, 1889. He is famous for organizing the first successful African American led labor union.
51. Attorney and transportation executive Alan Boyd was born in Jacksonville, Florida on July 20th, 1922. He is famous for being the first person to serve as the United States Secretary of Transportation.
52. Television actor and home improvement guru Bob Vila was born in Miami, Florida on June 20th, 1946. He is famous for his multiple successful home improvement television shows, including This Old House, Bob Vila's Home Again and Bob Vila.
53. Florida's official state motto is "In God we trust" .
54. Florida's official state bird is the Northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos).
55. Florida's official state tree is the Sabal Palm (Sabal palmetto).
56. Florida's official state flower is the Orange blossom (Citrus sinensis).

Pictures of Florida, USA

The state of Florida and its regional area on a Map of the United States of America.

The official state flag of Florida waving in the wind on a flag pole.

The official state seal of Florida that is used by the state's government.

Tallahassee the capital city of Florida.

Jacksonville, Florida, United States of America.

Sunrise At A Beach In The Florida Keys