For anyone who has ever stepped foot in Florida, it's obvious how unique it is compared to any other state in the country. As someone who has lived there for about eight years, seeing all the different characteristics of Florida on a daily basis makes me think it shouldn't even be a state; but it should be it's own country.
1. Florida weather patterns are CRAZY.
What other state would you go to that can have a hurricane, hail, and sunshine all in one day? Florida is known for being a hotspot for hurricanes during the summertime, and Floridian's are ALWAYS prepared for whatever is coming our way. Even if it's not a hurricane, it rains almost every single afternoon during the summer; but it only pours down rain for about three minutes. After that, it's back to the sweltering heat. The winter time is even worse; 30 degrees in the morning, and then 85 degrees about two hours later. When there is the rare occurrence of frost on Floridian's lawns in the morning, we like to call that 'snow'.
2. Two words: Old. People.
The farther south you go, the more retirement communities you will pass. From my house alone, I could point you to three different retirement communities in a 10-mile radius. No other state has as many older individuals as we do; they make up a huge majority of our population. No state income tax, warm weather, and plenty of adult communities? I guess it's a retiree's dream.
3. The creatures.
Deadly snakes, venomous spiders, and alligators; does your state have that? While it's sometimes fun to have hundreds of lizards running around your driveway, it's never pleasant to encounter scorpions, hornet's nests, or multiple fire ant hills. The worst is when it rains in the summer; you'll have mosquitos swarming you like you've never experienced before. Not only do we have to deal with pesky mosquitos constantly, but we had to deal with the Zika Virus scare.
4. The crimes people get arrested for.
I cannot even express how many times my family and I have turned on the TV, heard a crazy arrest story, and automatically knew it was probably someone from Florida. Where else would someone call '911' because McDonald's ran out of chicken nuggets? Or where else would a man be arrested for stealing an ambulance from a hospital because he was tired of waiting for a doctor? Florida truly is full of interesting groups of people.
5. The obsessions you won't find anywhere else.
Whether it's an obsession with Publix (I can relate), flip-flops, or Pitbull songs, Florida is truly a place like nowhere else. The smell of orange tree farms, and the endless amounts of beautiful sceneries make it a destination like no other place can compare to.
