Tangerine rays of lustrous sunshine spill along white sandy beaches, pouring over crystal clear waters that paint the horizon as tropical palm trees sway in a gentle breeze. There’s no need to pack up, leave the country, and sail off to some exotic island halfway across the world. Your destination is here, the United States’ very own tropical paradise known as “Florida.”  

Florida is one of the top-rated tourist hot spots in the country with visitors totaling well over 41 million each year! Was Florida always this enticing and exciting for vacationers? What was it like 50, 100, or even 500 years ago?
Where did it all begin and how has it changed over time?

Dating back to somewhere around 400 million years ago, it is said that Florida was originally a part of Africa! When unexplainable forces caused North America and Africa to collide, a piece of Africa’s land merged onto the southern part of the United States, and became what we know in the present day as “Florida.”

It wasn’t until much later, about 12,000 years ago, that human beings made it to this newfound U.S. territory. There is no official record of their presence, but certain artifacts have surfaced which have proven their definite existence.

Still, it wasn’t until the year 1513 when the famous Spanish explorer, Juan Ponce De Leon, landed on Florida’s shoreline that this discovery was officially recorded in history. Can you believe he actually thought Florida was a vast island? Upon his arrival, he named this newfound land “La Florida” in honor of the season in Spain known as Pascua Florida or “festival of the flowers.”

On September 8, 1565, the Spanish settled St. Augustine, which today, is the oldest continuously settled city in America! The Spanish remained there for 200 years, until the Brits came in and took over its possession. Britain didn’t hold onto the territory too long, in came Spain once again and regained control in 1783 and remained in control until 1821, when the United States purchased Florida from Spain, and it was declared official U.S. territory.

In 1838, Floridians decided that it was time to distinguish itself as a state and applied for statehood. It became official in 1845, but most of the state was still untouched, with most of its inhabitants remaining in the northern area. Can you believe that south Florida was mostly farmland? We even have the pictures to prove it! Even the hustle and bustle that happens everyday on Las Olas Blvd, was nonexistent, and the Boulevard that is so busy today was simply a patch of forest only one-hundred years ago.

South Florida was once considered a wasteland just a little over a century ago? Where would we all be if they had decided this to be true? Fortunate for us, that idea was rejected and a man named Flagler came in and developed railroads and highway systems, such as U.S. HWY 1, which ran through South Florida all the way down through the keys! He even attempted to build a causeway from the keys to Cuba, but unfortunately, a hurricane hit Florida, crushing his design and dream. If the project had been successful, we would probably be living in a much different place than we know so well today.

When the destruction of slavery came about in 1865, Florida’s economy fell forcing a need for change in order to prosper. In the 1930’s the depression hit the United States and all areas of the country were affected economically.

In the 1950s, the state began to prosper with the emergence of the expressways I-75 & I-95, which poured in numerous tourists as well as business, revitalizing the state’s economy. Florida soon became one of fastest growing states in country! One of the most significant contributions to Florida’s economy was the coming of Walt Disney and the emergence of Disney World which opened in 1971.

One by one, cities began sprouting up and turning into popular vacation spots for winter vacationers. From Delray Beach to Palm Beach, South Florida began to make its mark on the map, with Miami transforming into one of the up and coming cities in the U.S. Tourism would remain the state's major industry up to the present day.

For unique Old Florida Postcards visit this site.