Florida, with a total area of approximately 58,000 square miles is the twenty second (22) largest state in the nation, however it's population which is in excess of 17,000,000 makes it the nation's fourth (4th) largest state population wise. It has over 1,800 miles of coastline with over 1,200 miles of beaches, over 5,000 islands, over 8,000 lakes including Lake Okeechobee, the second (2nd) largest freshwater lake in the United States, more than twenty (20) major commercial airports (twelve of which are international airports), fourteen (14) deepwater ports, over 385,000 hotel rooms, over 100,000 campsites and over 1,250 golf courses (more than any other state in the nation). Over 75,000,000 people visit Florida each year and over 350,000 people move to Florida each year.

Florida is a beach lover's paradise, with it's over 1,200 miles of sandy beaches (many of them are white sand) on the clear warm waters of both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Go sunning, swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving or surfing almost all year round. If you prefer freshwater swimming, you will find over 8,000 lakes with some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere.

Go saltwater or freshwater fishing to your hearts content.

Go saltwater sport fishing for blue marlin, wahoo, sailfish, dolphin, kingfish, swordfish, yellowfin, blackfin tuna, redfish, bonefish, tarpon and numerous other sportfish. Go freshwater fishing in Florida's canals, lakes, ponds, and rivers for bass, bluegill, crappie, bream, catfish, sturgeon and more (There are over 250 species of freshwater fish found in Florida.).

Florida's is a golfer's paradise with it's over 1,250 beautiful, well maintained, golf courses (most of which can be played year round). Many of these courses are among the best in the world. Check out the Ocean Hammock course with it's eight (8) oceanfront holes, or the Tournament Player Course at Sawgrass which is the is the Stadium course home for the annual Players' Championship, or the Bay Hill invitational course in Orlando which is the masterpiece of golf legend Arnold Palmer, or the World Golf Village, in St. Augustine, which is home to the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Florida is teeming with amusement parks, zoos, museums, etc. Visit Disney World, Kennedy Space Center, Epcot Center, Busch Gardens, Universal Studios, The Naples Zoo, Key West Aquarium, Sunken Gardens, St.

Augustine Alligator Farm, Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum, Gatorland, SeaWorld Adventure Park, Silver Springs, Animal Kingdom, Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park, Disney-MGM Studios, Islands of Adventure, Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory, Big Cat Rescue, Butterfly World, The Shell Factory & Nature Park, Titanic - The Experience, Orange Blossom Balloon Rides, Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park, Parrot Jungle Island, Jungle Adventures, Lion Country Safari, Marineland, Dinosaur Adventure Land and dozens of other attractions.

Visit the 1,399,078 acre Everglades National Park, the only subtropical preserve in North America. It contains both temperate and tropical plant communities, including sawgrass prairies, mangrove and cypress swamps, pinelands, and hardwood hammocks, marine and estuarine environments, rich bird life with bald eagles and wading birds, such as the roseate spoonbill, wood stork, great blue heron and a variety of egrets along with owls, hawks, vultures, ducks and more.

Alligators and crocodiles both inhabit the park. You will also find panthers, deer, boar, black bear, grey fox, manatee and many other species of animals. Tour the Evergaldes by airboat, riverboat, canoe, kayak, bicycle or car.

Go swimming, boating, camping, fishing, hiking, biking and hunting at Lake Okeechobee, at 730 square-miles it is Florida's largest lake and the second largest freshwater lake in the United States.

Pamper yourself and stay at one of Florida's many luxury resort hotels like, the Boca Raton Resort and Club, one of Florida's several Ritz-Carlton Hotels, the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club, the Breakers, the St. Regis Hotel & Resort, The Colony Palm Beach, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in Palm Beach and Miami, the Costa Del Sol, the Mandarin Oriental, LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort, Don CeSar Beach Resort & Spa and many more.

If you don't want to stay in a luxury hotel, Florida has hotels, condos, motels, RV parks and campgrounds in every price range.

For more information about the state of Florida see: http://www.usacitydirectories.com/florida.html, a directory of links to the state of Florida guides and directories listing hotels, restaurants, attorneys, real estate brokers, information, resources, services, things to do, places to go and more.

usacitydirectories.com a directory of national, state, county and city guides and directories listing local guides, directories, web sites and web pages providing resources, services and information about things to do and places to go.

By: David Hallstrom