A Little Bit About Florida
When Amerigo Vespucci landed in Florida, he set loose several wild hogs that destroyed a lot of the natural flora and fauna in the panhandle.
When we talk about this element of the Columbian Exchange, we often think about the incredible destruction that occurred as these feral hogs were allowed to roam freely and reproduce.
We are still dealing with the feral hog problem that was started in the 1500s in America. Be that as it may, Florida has retained a really robust and strong ecosystem that adapted to survive amid the new diseases brought by their European human and cattle interlopers.
Florida boasts many incredible theme parks, amusement parks, and water parks. It is one of the most important family vacation destinations in the world.
No matter how many countries try to recreate the majesty of Florida’s theme parks, none of them ever live up to the pantheon of greatness over the wetlands and mud that sunny Florida enjoys.
There is a reason Florida is referred to as the Sunshine State (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_and_territory_nicknames). It boasts beautiful weather year-round, including warm temperatures all day long. A cold day in Florida would be boiling hot to someone from the Arctic!
Florida is extremely populous. The Seminole Tribes in Florida are an amalgamation of the various tribes that were found there.
The Florida Panhandle was home to many tribes that had traditional relationships with indigenous peoples of the Northern Caribbean, especially The Bahamas.
When Spanish conquistadors arrived in 1513, the fate of Florida would drastically change as these conquistadors focused on exploiting the lands for profit and gain to send back to their colonial overlords, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.
Ponce de Leon was the main conquistador who took hold of Florida and treated the indigenous people very cruelly, enslaving them and making them work for a pittance or nothing at all.
In 1810, the Western portion of Florida was part of the Louisiana purchase and thus began the journey to becoming a part of the United States. This happened, of course, in tandem with the removal of Indigenous people as a part of what would be known as the Trail of Tears.
Until 1845, the colony was a sanctuary for runaway enslaved Africans and African-Americans, but then slavery was instituted. The colony thus became a full-fledged member of the United States.
In 1861, Floridian governors declared secession from the United States along with the rest of the Confederate States, and thus tried to liberate themselves so that they could continue enslaving African-Americans.
No matter what you have heard, the Civil War was not about “state’s rights”. The Civil War was about the Northern states wanting to end slavery and the Southern states wanting to continue enslaving African-Americans and keeping them in a lifetime of bondage.
So, when we think about Florida, we think about a region that has come a long way in its journey to be hospitable to all cultures and peoples.
The Sunshine State in Modern Times
Today, Florida is an exciting place of changes and developments. Politically, Florida has undergone several changes recently as the panhandle contends with social and cultural issues that are inhospitable to many big business entities.
The embattled governor has been angling toward running for President and thus has been making big moves in order to make a name for himself within his political party, and some believe this has happened at the expense of some taxpayers who live there.
The state is also home to several thriving cultures that exist independently of one another but also blend together. While some call America a melting pot, others claim the United States of America is more of a mosaic.
This means that instead of cultures accepting each other and blending into one another as a sort of fondue, it is more of a tossed salad with each individual element existing alongside one another but not necessarily changing organic compounds to become one entity.
Additionally, some argue that America is more of a gumbo, which is a type of stew popular in the American south. A gumbo contains elements that simmer in a sauce, which both blend together and retain their own distinct and delicious structure.
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Others claim that these food analogies are useless as they do not take into account the perils of living in the United States as a person of color, which is a very valuable critique.
Consider that the most important foods in the Sunshine State largely come from Puerto Rican and Cuban immigrants, African-Americans, Indigenous Americans, and Caribbean immigrants from English-speaking territories and nations.
At the same time, there are many populations in Western and Northern Florida who see themselves as Southerners and are proud to be descended from Confederate soldiers. If you would like to learn more about the Confederacy, you can find information on the internet.
Florida is thus the kind of place where several different people can find a sense of community and can feel comfortable living in an area that generally reflects their values.
Simultaneously, since the American government can be fraught with gerrymandering and other political shenanigans, the state government does not always reflect the needs of all residents.
To be fair, few states successfully do that. Utah and Oregon states were founded to be homogenous and written in the state’s founding documents we find that all residents were supposed to be white. Most states are not like that, especially those that once belonged to Mexico or Spain, which is many territories in the South, Florida included.
Consider Moving to Clermont
Florida is a dynamic place to live these days. That is because there are always new communities springing up in various areas that have not been settled. Like Idaho, Iowa, and North Dakota, there are many portions of the panhandle that are lush natural areas with many protected environmental wonders.
Unlike those states just mentioned, Florida is also very densely populated in some areas. So, before you consider moving to Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or Orlando, you might want to think of some of the more beautiful smaller towns in Florida that have much to offer!
For example, you might want to consider moving just west of Orlando. There is a beautiful town called Clermont where Family Florida Realty can offer you so many wonderful options when looking for a home.
Clermont boasts one of the state’s earliest landmarks, the Florida Citrus Tower, founded in 1956. Clermont thus exists as a testament to the amazing oranges that are grown in the state and enjoyed by people all over America and the world.
The orange and citrus groves that are a part of Clermont are representative of what makes the Sunshine State so wonderful. Though it has had a difficult history, the Panhandle of America has grown into a thriving, sweet, complex plant that many enjoy and very few are disappointed by.
The housing market in Clermont has boomed in the last two decades. From 2000 to 2010, commensurate with the enormous economic growth that was enjoyed in the area, the population increased by over 200%, which many find to be an incredibly exciting development!
When the city was founded in the 1910s, the census data of 1920 found the population was only 496 people. The 2020 Decennial Census of the United States found that the population has ballooned to over 43,000 residents.
When you get off Highway 27 and get onto State Road 50, you will eventually find yourself in its Historic Downtown, which has been mostly preserved untouched since the 1960s. Therefore, it has a rustic, quaint feel that many downtown areas in America do not have, as the residents have maintained the existing vibe of the city.
Lake County, where Clermont is located, is the proud home to a site of the University of Central Florida and Lake Sumter State College. Those citrus groves have paid for a lot of excellent educational experiences that many students have enjoyed.
Many people move to Orlando for the hustle and bustle of all the amazing theme parks that are merely 20 miles east of Clermont. Several folks end up retiring in Clermont after many decades of living in Orlando or in the Kissimmee area so that they could be close to work.
Today, the area has many thriving families and children who work either at the theme parks or in the many cottage industries that have sprung up around those world-famous parks.
The housing market in Clermont is indicative of just how far the territory of Florida has come. It is emblematic of the struggles that Floridians have overcome to exist in a harmonious state of comfort in the Sunshine State.
Powered by the citrus industry and close to the entertainment industry, Clermont has been able to thrive as it straddles two major contributors to the GDP of the entire state.
The city is a key portion of how those two major industries are able to work and make themselves useful not just to the Panhandle, but to the entire country.
In a lot of ways, by facilitating amazing entertainment experiences and growing delicious fruits for us to eat, this city is a prime example of how Americans can and have overcome a difficult, thorny past to work towards a more harmonious and equitable future.
That future can be achieved if cities like Clermont achieve a population density robust enough to combat any future threats that that portion of the country may face. Therefore, moving to Lake County and specifically, Clermont would be a good move for you and your family.
