Florida, with a total area of approximately 58,000 square miles, is the twenty-second (22) largest state in the nation; however, its population, which exceeds 17,000,000, makes it the fourth (4th) largest state in the nation by population. It has more than 1,800 miles of coastline with more than 1,200 miles of beaches, more than 5,000 islands, more than 8,000 lakes, including Lake Okeechobee, the second (2nd) largest freshwater lake in the United States, more than twenty ( 20) major commercial airports (twelve of which are international airports), fourteen (14) deepwater ports, over 385,000 hotel rooms, over 100,000 campgrounds, and over 1,250 golf courses (more than any other state in the nation ). More than 75,000,000 people visit Florida each year and more than 350,000 people move to Florida each year.
Florida is a beach lover’s paradise, with its more than 1,200 miles of sandy beaches (many of them white sand) on the clear, warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Sunbathe, swim, snorkel, dive, or surf almost year-round. If you prefer to swim in fresh water, you will find more than 8,000 lakes with some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.
Go saltwater or freshwater fishing to your heart’s content. Go sport fishing in saltwater for Blue Marlin, Wahoo, Sailfish, Dolphin, Kingfish, Swordfish, Yellowfin, Blackfin Tuna, Redfish, Bonefish, Tarpon and many other sport fish. Go freshwater fishing in Florida’s canals, lakes, ponds, and rivers for bass, bluegill, crappie, bream, catfish, sturgeon, and more (there are over 250 species of freshwater fish found in Florida) .
Florida’s is a golfer’s paradise with more than 1,250 beautiful and well-maintained golf courses (most of which can be played year-round). Many of these courses are among the best in the world. Check out the Ocean Hammock Course with its eight (8) waterfront holes, or the Players Tournament Course at Sawgrass, which is the stadium course where the annual Players Championship is held, or the Invitational Course from Bay Hill in Orlando, which is the masterpiece of golf legend Arnold Palmer, or the World Golf Village, in St. Augustine, which houses the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Florida is full of amusement parks, zoos, museums, etc. Visit Disney World, Kennedy Space Center, Epcot Center, Busch Gardens, Universal Studios, Naples Zoo, Key West Aquarium, Sunken Gardens, St. Augustine Alligator Farm, Ripley’s Believe It or not! Museum, Gatorland, SeaWorld Adventure Park, Silver Springs, Animal Kingdom, Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park, Disney-MGM Studios, Islands of Adventure, Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory, Big Cat Rescue, Butterfly World, The Shell Factory & Nature Park, Titanic – The Experience, Orange Blossom Balloon Rides, Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park, Parrot Jungle Island, Jungle Adventures, Lion Country Safari, Marineland, Dinosaur Adventure Land and dozens of other attractions.
Visit the 1,399,078-acre Everglades National Park, the only subtropical reserve in North America. Contains both temperate and tropical plant communities, including sawgrass prairies, mangrove swamps and cypress swamps, pine forests and hardwood hammocks, marine and estuarine environments, rich bird life with bald eagles and wading birds, such as the roseate spoonbill , wood stork, great blue herons and a variety of egrets along with owls, hawks, vultures, ducks and more. Alligators and crocodiles inhabit the park. You will also find panthers, deer, warthogs, black bears, gray foxes, manatees and many other species of animals. Tour the Evergaldes by airboat, riverboat, canoe, kayak, bike or car.
Go swimming, boating, camping, fishing, hiking, biking and hunting on Lake Okeechobee, at 730 square miles, it is the largest lake in Florida and the second largest freshwater lake in the United States.
Pamper yourself and stay at one of Florida’s many luxury hotels like Boca Raton Resort and Club, one of several Florida Ritz-Carlton hotels, Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club, Breakers, St. Regis Hotel & Resort, The Colony Palm Beach, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in Palm Beach and Miami, the Costa del Sol, the Mandarin Oriental, LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort, Don CeSar Beach Resort & Spa and many more.
If you don’t want to stay in a fancy hotel, Florida has hotels, condos, motels, RV parks and campgrounds in all price ranges.
For more information on the state of Florida see: http://www.usacitydirectories.com/florida.html, a directory of links to Florida state directories and guides listing hotels, restaurants, attorneys, realtors , information, resources, services, things to do, places to go and more.