Florida

States, 1845

Florida received its name from the explorer Ponce de Leon, who landed in 1513 on the festival day called the Feast of Flowers. He was sure that Florida was a land filled with gold and that the Fountain of Youth was somewhere within it. He failed to find his objectives on his first expedition. When he returned in 1521, he came into conflict with the natives and suffered a fatal wound.

The Spanish explored Florida and built settlements at St. Augustine in 1565 and at Pensacola in 1696. In 1753, control of Florida was ceded to the British. At that time, Florida included parts of what are now Mississippi and Alabama. Subsequently, Florida was returned to the Spanish in 1783, who gave the western part to France in 1795. The United States and Spain engaged in repeated conflicts over possession of Florida until 1819, when Spain sold its claims to the United States for $5 million.

In 1845, Florida was admitted to the Union. In January 1861, Florida seceded and joined the Confederacy. After the Civil War, it rejoined the Union as state in 1868.

During the great Florida land boom of 1925 and 1926, land values soared to incredible heights, only to fall back when economic reality set in. The great hurricane of 1935 cost 300 people their lives.

Since the Cuban revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power, many Cuban refugees have settled the Miami area. Their undying opposition to Castro's regime has influenced the United States to maintain its economic boycott of Cuba. Florida's pleasant climate continues to attract retirees, which has resulted in Florida having the highest average age of any state. In the 2000 presidential election, the disputed results from Florida resulted in an Electoral College victory for George W. Bush.