Happy Birthday Florida. You're prettier than you used to be, but I still love you anyway.
On March 3rd, 1845, Florida was admitted as the 27th state to the United States of America. 181 years later, she stands as one of the most interesting places in the union. Possibly the most distinguishable on a map, economically, culturally, and politically diverse, but most importantly for myself: home. Floridaâs anniversary has made me reflect on a life lived in the sunshine and some of the transitions taking place here.
Over the past two decades, Florida has been economically prosperous in a way that sounds impressive when politicians are discussing their track records. No state income tax and mostly comfortable weather (Summer is MISERABLE) have resulted in mass migration from northern states, particularly for retirement age Americans. The result has been an explosion in population, revenues for the state, property values, land development, and business growth.
Is this a win for everybody involved? Probably not. I believe Florida is still a great place to have kids and raise a family, but that isnât universally true across the state in the way that it used to be. Growth and expansion from mostly affluent retirees has resulted in cost of living increases. For citizens who have been here for a long time, this isnât an issue because weâre grandfathered in, so to speak. If your mortgage is paid off, the only thing you have to worry about would be rising insurance and utility costs. If youâre a middle, or upper-lower class family that wants to move here however, you either have to adopt a frugal lifestyle or find one of the less popular areas.
Discussions about Floridaâs population and affordability have been ongoing for decades now though. Whatâs more interesting to me is the amalgamation of different cultures in this state. We have decently diverse mix of national cultures, but Iâm more specifically referring to shifting socioeconomic culture in many areas.
For most of my life, Florida suburbs were âhappy mediumâ kind of places. Excluding metropolitan areas like Miami and Orlando, there were many areas for regular, every-man, salt of the earth family types. Tropical, but without all the pomp and pretention that comes with California. Developed enough to have a wide array of goods and services conveniently located, but not so developed that you were dealing with gridlock and claustrophobia. Middle class Florida was the epitome of âa nice safe place to raise a familyâ. These towns were often boring and closed at 9pm, without much to attract trendy younger people. The most exciting thing in town might have been a 24hr Walmart (RIP), a McDonaldâs that closed at midnight, or the movie theater on Friday. Areas that were classy enough to be pleasant, but redneck enough to remain genuine. You wouldnât find a car on cinderblocks in the front lawn, but you might be a BBQ smoker on the porch.
One might think being raised in this environment was a misfortune for the lack of excitement, but as is the case for kids in any town, none of us felt that way. We didnât need clubs or attractions, we rode bikes around and played outside, when we got older we stayed up late playing video games together or just enjoyed each otherâs company in a Publix parking lot after school. That was enough.
Has the influx of wealth and development completely erased this small town charm? I donât think so. You can still feel it, but even still, there are pressures that have been diminishing it. Areas on the Gulf Coast have been some of the most affected I believe. In these places, you think twice about going to an event on the weekend because the traffic is a significant obstacle to an enjoyable time. In these places, you see subtle signs of âCalifornicationâ â trendy coffee shops complete with coffee shop Karens, mediocre restaurants with $30 âcraftâ burgers and IPA, people walking down the street in $200 outfits just because, plastic housing developments that are intended to look posh but end up looking like soviet bloc mass housing in a fancy dress. To put it in a word(if this were 2011): Hipster.
As Florida gets older, it appears to me that like an aging human, the state is desperately trying to be younger and more in touch with the fashionable. As Florida has developed, the state has enjoyed tangible gains, and yet, I regret the slow eradication of the intangible. That Florida version of classic Americana culture we once had, which seems to have flown away when the snowbirds settled down and built new fancy nests.
Through it all, I still love Florida. Sheâs not as special as she once might have been, she might not have that spark that made many of us natives fall in love with her, but sheâll always be home.
Happy Birthday Sunshine State. Thanks for your time.
-33rd President