I have lived in the beautiful state of Florida my entire life. There is something unique and maybe even majestic about ‘The Sunshine State’. We have beaches, amusement parks, golf courses, retired old people, and more. If you don’t live in Florida, you are really missing out on some amazing things. I live where you vacation and “never” want to leave. Every state has their benefits, but I think Florida’s tops them all.

1. The sun

Want to look like a lobster after being outside for ten minutes? Move to Florida. I can spot a true Florida native just based on their skin tone. Speaking of tanning, during the summer it is a silent competitive competition amongst people to see who can get the most sun before winter hits. Sunscreen and tanning oil is more common than bottled water here. I wouldn’t be surprised if skin cancer was of the top killers for Floridians.

2. Warm weather

“Warm” may not be the best term to describe the Florida heat, “standing on the surface of the sun” hot is probably more accurate. Not only is it blistering hot for a good 7 months out of the year, but we also have 100% humidity on the daily. The heat and humidity make for such a heavenly combo. Did you have to do your hair and wear makeup today? Mother Nature will disagree. Being covered in your own sweat ALL the time is completely normal here. Oh, and you can kiss any kind of vision you ever had of a “White Christmas” goodbye. Florida doesn’t have winter – we have a cooler summer.

3. Wildlife

There is so much cool wildlife in Florida. Alligators, snakes, weird lizards, we’ve got it all. Besides deadly reptiles that could kill you in a matter of minutes, Florida also has a rather large assortment of bugs that reside in the state. Mosquitos are my personal favorite. Want to have red itchy bumps all over your body? Walk outside in Florida for just a few seconds and you’ll be covered.

4. Always meeting new people

Tourist. They never know where they are going, they ask too many questions, they always crowd your favorite places, and they can be quite obnoxious. Tourist are like roaches; they never go away. When summer ends we finally think they are gone, but no, then come the snow birds to spend the winter here. It’s a never ending cycle. JUST GO HOME PLEASE.

5. Good ‘Ol Florida Thunderstorms

If you think Seattle is the rainiest city in America, guess again. The amount of rain the state of Florida get is truly ungodly. Whoever declared Florida ‘The Sunshine State’ really didn’t think that through. And if it rains, it pours. The storms here can turn into tornados, water spouts, or floods rather quickly. Oh, and you can’t forget about hurricanes. Being on high alert for hurricanes from June until December is always fun. So, if a good Florida storm (that has the potential to destroy your house along with your entire town) doesn’t make you want to curl up with a good book and a cup of coffee, then I don’t know what will.

If these few perks don’t have you

packing your bags to move to Florida right now, then you seriously insane. Florida is the best. I could never imagine spending my hot, insect infested, sweaty, rainy days anywhere else.