| Florida is known for its pristine beaches, near perfect weather, family theme parks and down-home southern hospitality. It offers so many unique destinations with hundreds of things to do that nobody’s passion is denied. The sunshine state is the perfect place to visit with your family as well as the ideal place to live.
In 1513, Spaniard Juan Ponce de León discovered and named Florida while searching for the "Fountain of Youth." He claimed Florida for Spain but never established is as a colony because of Indian attacks. The first permanent European settlement was established in St. Augustine 150 years after Ponce de Leon’s initial discovery. Florida became part of the U.S. territory in the early 19th century and was admitted to the union as the 27th state on March 3, 1845. In the 20th century, Cape Canaveral (John F. Kennedy Space Center) was established and Florida became part of the Space Age. Florida has been and still is one of the fastest growing states in the country.
The capital of Florida is Tallahassee and Jacksonville is the state's largest city. Tampa, Orlando and Miami are other large cities and Orlando is the home to many amusement parks including, Disney World, Sea World and Universal Studios. Tampa and Miami are also known for their culture, dining establishments, champion sports teams (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Miami Dolphins and Florida Marlins) outdoor escapes and leisure activities.
Florida is a peninsula, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, the Gulf of Mexico on the west and the Florida Straits on the south. If you were to walk one mile of Florida beach every day, it would take you longer than two-and-a-half years to get around the entire state.
| 
