Portal:Florida
The Florida Portal
Florida (/ˈflɒrɪdə/ FLORR-ih-də, Spanish: [floˈɾida]) is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Straits of Florida and Cuba to the south. About two-thirds of Florida occupies a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. It has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States, spanning approximately 1,350 miles (2,170 km), not including its many barrier islands. It is the only state that borders both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of over 21 million, it is the third-most populous state in the United States and ranks eighth in population density as of 2020. Florida spans 65,758 square miles (170,310 km2), ranking 22nd in area among the states. The Miami metropolitan area, anchored by the cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, is the state's largest metropolitan area, with a population of 6.138 million; the most populous city is Jacksonville. Florida's other major population centers include Tampa Bay, Orlando, Cape Coral, and the state capital of Tallahassee. Various American Indian tribes have inhabited Florida for at least 14,000 years. In 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León became the first known European to make landfall, calling the region La Florida (land of flowers) ([la floˈɾiða]). Florida subsequently became the first area in the continental U.S. to be permanently settled by Europeans, with the settlement of St. Augustine, founded in 1565, being the oldest continuously inhabited city. Florida was a Spanish territory frequently attacked and coveted by Great Britain before Spain ceded it to the U.S. in 1819 in exchange for resolving the border dispute along the Sabine River in Spanish Texas. Florida was admitted as the 27th state on March 3, 1845, and was the principal location of the Seminole Wars (1816–1858), the longest and most extensive of the American Indian Wars. The state seceded from the Union on January 10, 1861, becoming one of the seven original Confederate States, and was readmitted to the Union after the Civil War on June 25, 1868. Since the mid-20th century, Florida has experienced rapid demographic and economic growth. Its economy, with a gross state product (GSP) of $1.647 trillion, is the fourth largest of any U.S. state and the 15th-largest in the world; the main sectors are tourism, hospitality, agriculture, real estate, and transportation. Florida is world-renowned for its beach resorts, amusement parks, warm and sunny climate, and nautical recreation; attractions such as Walt Disney World, the Kennedy Space Center, and Miami Beach draw tens of millions of visitors annually. Florida is a popular destination for retirees, seasonal vacationers, and both domestic and international migrants; it hosts nine out of the ten fastest-growing communities in the U.S. The state's close proximity to the ocean has shaped its culture, identity, and daily life; its colonial history and successive waves of migration are reflected in African, European, Indigenous, Latino, and Asian influences. Florida has attracted or inspired some of the most prominent American writers, including Ernest Hemingway, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and Tennessee Williams, and continues to attract celebrities and athletes, especially in golf, tennis, auto racing, and water sports. Florida has been considered a battleground state in American presidential elections, particularly those in 2000 and 2016. (Full article...) Selected article -Hurricane Charley was the first of four separate hurricanes to impact or strike Florida during 2004, along with Frances, Ivan and Jeanne, as well as one of the strongest hurricanes ever to strike the United States. It was the third named storm, the second hurricane, and the second major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. Charley lasted from August 9 to 15, and at its peak intensity it attained 150 mph (240 km/h) winds, making it a strong Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale. It made landfall in Southwest Florida at maximum strength, making it the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Hurricane Andrew struck Florida in 1992 and tied with Hurricane Ian as the strongest hurricane to hit southwest Florida in recorded history. After moving slowly through the Caribbean, Charley crossed Cuba on Friday, August 13 as a Category 3 hurricane, causing heavy damage and four deaths. That same day, it crossed over the Dry Tortugas, just 22 hours after Tropical Storm Bonnie had struck northwestern Florida. It was the first time in history that two tropical cyclones struck the same state in a 24-hour period. At its peak intensity of 150 mph (240 km/h), Hurricane Charley struck the northern tip of Captiva Island and the southern tip of North Captiva Island, before crossing over Bokeelia causing severe damage. Charley then continued to produce severe damage as it made landfall on the peninsula in Punta Gorda. It continued to the north-northeast along the Peace River corridor, devastating Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Cleveland, Fort Ogden, Nocatee, Arcadia, Zolfo Springs, Sebring, Lake Placid, and Wauchula. Zolfo Springs was isolated for nearly two days as masses of large trees, power poles, power lines, transformers, and debris filled the streets. Wauchula sustained gusts to 147 mph (237 km/h); buildings in the downtown areas caved onto Main Street. (Full article...)Did you know...
Selected quote -General images -The following are images from various Florida-related articles on Wikipedia.
Related portalsSelected biography -Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945) is an American former football player and coach. He played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) before coaching for 38 years, primarily in college. He is often referred to by his nickname, "the Head Ball Coach". He played college football as a quarterback for the Florida Gators, where he won the 1966 Heisman Trophy. The San Francisco 49ers selected him in the first round of the 1967 NFL draft, and he spent a decade playing in the National Football League (NFL), mainly as a backup quarterback and punter. Spurrier was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1986. After retiring as a player, Spurrier went into coaching and spent five years as a college assistant for the Florida Gators, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the Duke Blue Devils, where he began to develop his innovative offensive system while serving as the Blue Devils offensive coordinator in the early 1980s. He was hired to his first head coaching job by the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League (USFL) in 1983 and led the team to two playoff appearances in three seasons before the league folded. Spurrier returned to the college ranks in 1987, serving as the head football coach at Duke (three seasons), Florida (12 seasons), and South Carolina (10.5 seasons), amassing 228 total wins and a 72% career winning percentage. Between his stints at Florida and South Carolina, he led the Washington Redskins for two seasons with less success. Spurrier retired from coaching in 2015 and became an ambassador and consultant for the University of Florida's athletic department, though he briefly returned to the sidelines to coach the Orlando Apollos of the short-lived Alliance of American Football in 2019. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2017, making him one of four members to be inducted as both a player and a coach. (Full article...)Selected images -Current events
WikiProjectsSelected panorama -Tampa is a United States city in Hillsborough County, on the west coast of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. The population of Tampa in 2000 was 303,447. According to the 2006 Census estimate, the city has a population of 332,888. TopicsQuality content
1910 Cuba hurricane • 1928 Okeechobee hurricane • 2012 Budweiser Shootout • American white ibis • Andrew Sledd • Biscayne National Park • Derek Jeter • Draining and development of the Everglades • Ernest Hemingway • Everglades National Park • Falcon's Fury • Geography and ecology of the Everglades • George Floyd (American football) • Gregor MacGregor • Guy Bradley • Hogwarts Express (Universal Orlando Resort) • Hurricane Andrew • Indigenous people of the Everglades region • Iron Gwazi • John F. Bolt • Marjory Stoneman Douglas • Restoration of the Everglades • Rosewood massacre • Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant • SheiKra • Space Shuttle Challenger disaster • St. Johns River • Stephen Crane • Turning Point (2008 wrestling) • USS Massachusetts (BB-2) • Walt Disney World Railroad • William Cooley List of Daytona 500 winners • List of Florida hurricanes • List of Florida hurricanes (pre-1900) • List of Tampa Bay Rays seasons • List of University of Central Florida alumni • List of birds of Florida • List of counties in Florida • List of governors of Florida • List of invasive species in the Everglades • List of mammals of Florida • List of municipalities in Florida • List of sister cities in Florida • Snow in Florida • United States presidential elections in Florida Good articles1898 Georgia hurricane • 1928 Florida Gators football team • 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season • 1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season • 1986 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season • 1987 Gulf Coast tropical storm • 1987 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season • 1989 Florida's 18th congressional district special election • 1989 South Florida television affiliation switch • 1998 Pepsi 400 • 2003 Budweiser Shootout • 2005 TNA Super X Cup Tournament • 2006 Daytona 500 • 2006 Ford 400 • 2008 TNA World X Cup Tournament • 2009 Budweiser Shootout • 2009 Ford 400 • 2010 Cafés do Brasil Indy 300 • 2010 Daytona 500 • 2010 Ford 400 • 2011 Budweiser Shootout • 2011 Daytona 500 • 2011 Gatorade Duels • 2012 Daytona 500 • 2012 Gatorade Duels • 2016 24 Hours of Daytona • 2017 24 Hours of Daytona • 2018 24 Hours of Daytona • 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship • 2022 Gasparilla Bowl • Against All Odds (2005) • Albert A. Murphree • Andy Hansen • Apalachee massacre • Apollo 1 • Ashlyn Harris • Battle of Flint River • Bob Turley • Bomis • Bound for Glory (2005) • Brad Miller (baseball) • Buccaneers–Packers rivalry • Burger King • Burger King franchises • Burger King legal issues • Carlos (Calusa) • Caroline Street (Key West) • Catie Ball • Chad Mottola • Cheetah Hunt Reached maximum of 50 out of 212 Did you know? articlesJ. D. Arteaga (2024-07-19) • Florida Hospital Oceanside (2024-07-02) • WOTF-TV (2024-06-29) • Caitlyn Wurzburger (2024-06-15) • WJHP-TV (2024-06-07) • WEDU (2024-05-09) • CSL Plasma (2024-04-12) • Liberty Christian Preparatory School (2024-04-05) • Tim Burke (journalist) (2024-03-11) • Gasparilla Pirate Festival (2024-03-02) • Buccaneers–Packers rivalry (2023-12-17) • Skytrain (Miami International Airport) (2023-12-05) • Anthony Bennett (gridiron football) (2023-12-05) • WPBF (2023-12-01) • If I Survive You (2023-10-26) • Ruby Diamond (2023-09-22) • 1989 South Florida television affiliation switch (2023-09-22) • WXEL-TV (2023-06-25) • 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship (2023-05-15) • 2023 Fort Lauderdale floods (2023-05-04) • Devin Futrell (2023-04-28) • Royal Palm State Park (2023-03-28) • Florida Criminal Justice Standards & Training Commission (2023-03-07) • WVUP-CD (2023-03-02) • Jett Howard (2023-02-22) • WJXX (2023-02-01) • 2022 Gasparilla Bowl (2023-01-22) • William Everett Potter (2023-01-16) • Killing of Sara-Nicole Morales (2023-01-12) • 2022 Boca Raton Bowl (2023-01-08) • 2022 Cure Bowl (2023-01-01) • Pipeline: The Surf Coaster (2022-11-03) • Jamie Keeton (2022-10-06) • Skeeter Reece (2022-10-04) • 2022 U.S. Open Cup final (2022-10-04) • Cauley Square (2022-09-12) • Dania Beach Hurricane (2022-09-11) • Cheetah Hunt (2022-09-05) • Sean Barber (2022-09-01) • Lee Wachtstetter (2022-08-31) • Tigris (roller coaster) (2022-08-28) • Ken Russell (politician) (2022-08-25) • Chaz Stevens (2022-08-22) • Hank Goldberg (2022-08-16) • Dwight Smith (baseball) (2022-08-07) • Mario Salcedo (2022-08-06) • WPST-TV (2022-07-24) • Lance McCullers (2022-07-23) • WAQI (2022-07-18) • Iron Gwazi (2022-07-12) Reached maximum of 50 out of 597 CategoriesSelect [►] to view subcategories
Associated WikimediaThe following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
Things you can do
Sources
Discover Wikipedia using portals |