I’ve decided on a whim to change my topic because…why not. I may or may not change it again but for now figured I should write about something I’m particularly familiar with; which is where I’m from, Florida. Anytime I mention this fact people tend to have one of two questions. Either it’s “why would you come here?” or “man isn’t that place just a bunch of crackheads?”. Due to it seeming like people have a number of misconceptions about Florida, I’ve decided to take the time to clear some of them up.
One thing I won’t deny is that beaches are everywhere. Simply because of the fact that the state is a peninsula no matter where you live, you’ll be nearby some kind of beach. The one pictured above is Clearwater beach only 40 minutes from my house), which is probably Florida’s most well known one besides South Beach. However, you can find nice beaches on the east coast as well such as Daytona and of course in Miami.
No, not everyone is a crackhead. With that being said, my county may have been the nation’s capital for heroin overdoses a few years ago but it’s not as if every other person you meet is going to pull some “Florida Man” headline stuff. What also must be kept in mind is the reality that Florida is a diverse state that has the country’s 3rd highest population. Therefore, it’s hard to imagine Florida if you only had a monolithic view of it. Outside of Tallahassee and Jacksonville, north Florida is stereotypical rural America which comes with everything you think of in terms of a country lifestyle. On the other hand where I’m from in central Florida is much more suburban. This includes a mix of retirees and middle class couples settling down to start families. Cities in this region include Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg. Finally, you have south Florida, which might as well be another country depending on how far down you go. There are certain parts of Miami where you need to know at least passable Spanish if you want to have a significant business presence. There is also greater diversity in this region in general even beyond Hispanics. This also where the majority of popular Florida culture comes from. Rappers like Denzel Curry tend to come from the Miami area along with noted trends like blacks having especially thick dreadlocks. Like any place, Florida holds both positive and negative experiences; just remember that whatever you see on the news rarely captures the full picture of the state.