39 Facts About South Florida

1. South Florida is a peninsula—that means it's almost completely surrounded by water.

2. South Florida is the largest producer of watermelons in the country.

3. South Florida has more toll roads and bridges than any other state in the Union.

4. The state of South Florida has given professional sports franchises some subsidies in the form of tax breaks since 1991.

5. South Florida gained its first permanent major-league professional sports team in 1966 when the American Football League added the Miami Dolphins.

6. South Florida has the largest collection of Art Deco and Streamline Moderne buildings in both the United States and the entire world, most of which are located in the Miami metropolitan area, especially Miami Beach's Art Deco District, constructed as the city was becoming a resort destination.

7. In 2013, South Florida refused to participate in providing coverage for the uninsured under the Affordable Care Act, popularly called Obamacare.

8. South Florida has many seaports that serve container ships, tank ships, and cruise lines.

9. South Florida has 2 cities in the top 25 cities in the US with the highest average credit card debt, Miami and Tampa.

10. In 2017, South Florida had a personal income of $1,000,624,06.

11. The economy of South Florida is driven almost entirely by its nineteen metropolitan areas.

12. In 2017, South Florida became the United States' eighth largest exporter of trade goods.

13. South Florida contains the highest percentage of people over 65.

14. Climate of South Florida is tempered somewhat by the fact that no part of the state is distant from the ocean.

15. South Florida is one of the largest states east of the Mississippi River, and only Alaska and Michigan are larger in water area.

16. South Florida is west of The Bahamas and 90 miles north of Cuba.

17. Until the mid-20th century, South Florida was the least populous state in the southern United States.

18. On March 3, 1845, South Florida became the 27th state to join the United States of America.

19. South Florida had become a burden to Spain, which could not afford to send settlers or garrisons.

20. South Florida attracted numerous Africans and African Americans from adjacent British colonies who sought freedom from slavery.

21. South Florida was the first region of the continental United States to be visited and settled by Europeans.

22. South Florida has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States, approximately 1,350 miles, not including the contribution of the many barrier islands.

23. South Florida has attracted many writers such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and continues to attract celebrities and athletes.

24. South Florida is a reflection of influences and multiple inheritance; African, European, indigenous, and Latino heritages can be found in the architecture and cuisine.

25. South Florida is renowned for amusement parks, orange crops, winter vegetables, the Kennedy Space Center, and as a popular destination for retirees.

26. South Florida is home to 51 of the world's billionaires with most of them residing in South Florida.

27. South Florida is known around the world for its balmy weather.

28. South Florida was admitted to United States as a State on March 3, 1845.

29. In total, the proposed State of South Florida would have included 24 counties.

30. The economy in South Florida is very similar to that in Central Florida.

31. South Florida is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises Florida's southernmost counties, and is the fourth most populous urban agglomeration in the United States.

32. South Florida is divided into three areas, separated by the Everglades.

33. South Florida : seeking a balance of man and nature.

34. South Florida is ranked No 15 in the College Football Playoff Rankings and remain in the conversation for a New Year.

35. South Florida is the only region of the state where ethnic foods are as popular as general American cuisine.

36. As with all vernacular regions, South Florida has no official boundaries or status and is defined differently by different sources at different times.

37. South Florida is the only part of the continental United States with a tropical climate.

38. South Florida is a region of the US state of Florida, comprising the southernmost part of the state.

39. South Florida fishing draws people from all around the world.