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WELCOME TO FLORIDA

The Main Home of BAU!

Location of Florida
Florida is a State located in the Southeastern region of the Southern United States of America (USA). With a population of over 21 million, Florida is the 22nd-most extensive of the 50 United States. The State of Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexsico, to the northwest by Alabama State, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Flor situated in the south-eastern region of the country. The Capital city of Florida is Tallahasse. Many outsiders know of the State of Florida because of its citrus Agriculturew and amusement parks. With its considerable large population and economy, this low-lying State has quite a lot.

Florida Life and Culture
The culture of Florida is similar to the rest of the American Southern culture in the panhandle region, but as a coastal State historically characterized by immigration, south Florida’s urban culture has been influenced by immigration populations, especially those from Europe, Latin America, and the caribbean. Modern-day Florida, from the second half of tShe 20th century through today, has been heavily influenced by the cultures of the people moving in from foreign countries and other parts of the United States. The State’s close proximity to the Ocean influences many aspects of Florida culture and daily life. Being a part of American South, Florida has also long been influenced by the Southern culture. However, the culture in the north and central Florida does not exhibit as much of the southern culture that is found in the north and central Florida.

The Miami area especially has been culturally influenced by Latin America and caribbean immigration. Characteristics such as a Southern accent stll remain in the North Florida, Central Florida, and sparsely in Southern Florida. Florida culture is also influenced by tourism, an important industry in the State. The culture of Florida is similar to the rest of the American Southern culture in its Northern and Central subregions, particularly around the Panhandle, but as a coastal with multiple metro areas historically characterized by immigration, much of Florida’s urban culture has been heavily influenced by immigration, especially from Caribbean, Latin America, and Europe.

History of Florida
The earliest traces of inhabitants of Florida date back to almost 14,000 years ago. However, it was around 500 years ago that the first known expedition to Florida was initiated which was led by a the Spanish explorer, Ponce de Léon. He named the region ‘La Pascua Florida’ which roughly translates to ‘flowery festival’, a synonym for Easter.  During the next 300 years, Florida experienced colonisation by 3 different powers of that time, France, Great Britain and Spain and also experienced large-scale immigration of natives and African – Americans. It was in the mid 19th century that Florida officially became a State of the United States. The Civil War years were tough on the State but it was not too extreme and the State continued its steady growth through agriculture and cattle-related activities. The 1920s, however, brought about a rapid decline in the growing economy of the State due to recession and the natural calamities that Florida faced further worsened the situation.

During the World War years, Florida had become a centre for the United States Armed Forces with training centres established and transportation facilities constructed to support the military of the region. After the war, these facilities were open to using by the public and the population of Florida skyrocketed. Their major economic activities shifted from agriculture-related to technology, tourism and banking. The Sunshine State has grown to become one of the most populous States of the US and a major contributor to the national economy with an economy so large that if it were a country, it would be among the Top 20 richest ones.

Advantages of Living in Florida
With facilities known for people of all age groups like amusement parks for kids and resorts for the retired, Florida has earned a reputation as an ideal State for living in the United States because of the following points:

  1. No income Tax: Unlike most of the states in the US, the state of Florida exempts its citizens from paying the income tax. The Florida citizens only need to bother about federal taxes and save their income tax amount to be used for other activities. Sounds fun, right?
  2. World-class Beaches: Florida is home to more than half of the beaches ranked as the Top 10 in the US. This means that world-class beaches await the residents of Florida just outside their doorstep. These beaches offer plenty of activities for the people to enjoy like fishing, beach volleyball, dolphin-watching cruise etc.
  3. The Convenience of Being a Local: Amusement parks in the state attract locals as much as it attracts tourists and the locals also receive special discounts! Isn’t that wonderful?
    Hotels and resorts offer a variety of bargains to the local customers depending on the number of tourists visiting at that time of the year and the varying seasons.
  4. Cost of Living is Comparatively Low: Although some of the cities like Miami are quite expensive, the average cost of living in Florida is low. With most of the necessary services available at a rate below the national average and the housing rates being manageable in most cities, living in the Sunshine state would certainly benefit you financially.
  5. A Diverse State: You do not need to worry about not fitting in when you are living in Florida. Ranked among the Top 10 most diverse states when measured using a standard measure of inequality, the Sunshine State is definitely a mix of all pArts, Law and Criminology of the world.

The only disadvantage of living in Florida is high rate of crime!  Life is a battle against other people over limited resources. Knowing this, you have to be mindful of people you mingle with and your life style both on the campus and elsewhere! Many people don’t think about it, but in their whole life they are fighting with other people for limited resources. This was programmed in human being by the evolution, as animals constantly fight for food and reproduction possibility. People obviously need a lot more than just eat and have sex. Therefore, the battle is more complex, universal, rarely physical and often unnoticed. For example, if you want to buy a new car, it’s a chain of battles that go on for years, and which you have to win all in order to be in a situation where you can afford it. First, you have to study better than others to be accepted in the university; then you have to compete with other candidates to get a well-paid job; after that, you have to work your ass-off to make a lot of money so that you can afford to buy an expensive new car. But even with having a lot of money, the battle is not over. There are a lot of things that money can’t buy, for example, a partner. For the attention of the opposite sex, you need to fight all the other companion candidates. Also, many goods are such scarce, that in addition to money, lot of time, effort and connections have to be used to get them. This could be a ticket to a popular show, some rare collector’s item, a limited edition product or buying a property in a desirable place.